5 Exciting Container Combinations for the Garden
Try these creative plant mixes
Container gardening has many benefits. Perhaps chief among them is the way that containers allow us to experiment with new plants and novel combinations of color and texture. Here are five interesting container designs to inspire you. These were created by Minnesota gardener Jean Morrison in collaboration with Tangletown Gardens.
#1: The upright, purple-leaved plant is false aralia (Schefflera elegantissima). In front of it, about to bloom, is Fuchsia 'Orange Drops'. Next to that, with upright spikes of purple flowers, is Angelonia Angelface Pink. A light pink millionbells (Calibrachoa) and moss-like Nephrolepis exaltata 'Suzi Wong' spill over the sides of the containter. The ruffly red leaves of Begonia 'Madame Queen' fill out the center of this design.
#2: Here an overturned tall pot acts as a stand for a low bowl in which. succulents take center stage. Large-leaved paddle plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora) anchors the design. The grassy Carex buchananii 'Red Rooster' adds height, movement and airiness. Senecio vitalis 'Blue Chalk', ‘Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' and Sedum nussbaumerianum 'Coppertone' contribute color, while creeping thyme serves as a spiller balancing the upright plants.
#3: Unexpected items like this tiny claw-foot vessel can make a charming centerpiece on a patio table. It is filled with a small paddle plant, silvery Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turcy' and mistletoe cactus.
#4: The idea behind this container was the more plants, the better. The diminutive leaves and tiny white flowers of bacopa spill over the edge of the pot. The two silver-leaved plants are Melianthus major (narrow, toothed foliage) and Salvia argentea (wider, fuzzy foliage). A bright green Japanese maple (Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon') and darker-leaved star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) draw the eye up.
#5: Even tiny containers can support a number of different plants, adding a rich array of color and texture at the edge of a shaded planting bed. This pot includes silvery Melianthus major, pink-and-purple-leaved ‘Purple Rain’ coleus and a light pink millionbells. The airy sprays of pink buds come from jewels of opar (Talinum paniculatum), planted at each end of the pot.
Photo credit: All images by Tracy Walsh
