Rolf Cachat-Schilling

Horticulturist and Plant Records Coordinator

Container gardening is a wonderful way to add accents to your outdoor spaces. Here’s how:

1.     Check the light: See how many hours of light there are where you wish to place your container. Pick plants according to the light you have.

2.     Match the soil to your plants: The richness and drainage of your soil should match the preference of the plants you choose.

3.     Match the drainage to your plants:  The amount of drainage material at the bottom of your container needs to match the soil drainage.

4.     Decide what colors you want: Check the setting. What colors would and wouldn’t look good here? Should it be bright and active or cool and restful? 

5.     Match the plant height and width to your container:  Check how tall and wide your plants will be. This will determine how many you can fit in the container. Also, check the proportion: You don’t want plants to completely overwhelm the pot, nor do you want them to look small and lonely.

6.     Decide whether you like symmetry or asymmetry: Do you prefer everything evenly matched, or do you like a more natural look?

7.     Look for plants with contrasting leaves: Mix tiny and massive foliage; green-leaved and colored forms; or smooth, fuzzy, and crinkly leaves. This gives interest all season.

8.     Look for plants with contrasting flower forms: large and small flowers, bright and pale, tubular and ray flowers.

9.     Look for plants that bloom or bear fruit in different seasons:  Make sure you have something for spring, summer, and fall, maybe even winter.

10.   Look for structure: Mix plants with strong upright lines; verticals; with plants that are low and wide; plants that spill and trail over edge with plants that mound neatly in one spot; and plants that are very leafy with plants that are very branchy. Look for unusual features: spiny, twiggy, silvery, glossy, fuzzy, arching, creeping, and so on.

11.    Be creative and have fun! There are no real rules except keeping plants healthy. Show your personality and put your fingerprint on your efforts. Experiment and break rules by mocking plants up in different ways before you settle on your final planting.

12.   Be green!  Use native perennials and native annuals whose seed you collect and resow next year. Reusing plants is a great way to go green.