Capturing Your Garden: Container

Container gardens should be viewed like any other garden, they just happen to be in smaller doses. Whether you plant a single specimen in the pot or a multitude, get the whole picture then focus on a feature or few.

When taking pictures of your container garden, whether it be pots, window boxes or hanging baskets, take note to capture not only the container your plants are in but also where they are located. This way if you like the way something looks in the pot but it didn’t do so well in that particular location, you can move it.

Container gardens are usually annuals but don’t always have to be. For instance, mums and topiaries are right at home in a pot and will usually be around for years to come under the right conditions. Most gardeners grow mums as annuals when they really are perennials that go dormant during the winter however they still require a little watering if not in a location where they will receive rain. Of course, if you live in a climate where there are freezing temperatures for weeks at a time, you may want to bring your potted plants into the garage or in a protected area under the eaves of the house to prevent them from freezing, as well as prevent damage to your pots. This mum is on its third year in this pot and while it won’t bloom until fall has interesting foliage to plant spring and summer blooming annuals against.

Sometimes you want to make a statement and in that case simply fill a container with one type of flower. These violas for instance will eventually be spilling out of the pot by summer to welcome guests into our home.

Mix up sizes and foliage and showcase that. I usually will plant a large plant in the middle of the pot and put smaller plants around the edges, either three of the same or three different or two and two alternating so the pot can be turned occasionally to prevent leaning. Another fun thing is to plant three or more plants of all different species with contrasting foliage together, even if they will all end up the same size. Turning the pot every week will reveal a different look.

While I like leaving pots individual, groupings have a great effect too, especially when they are all different sizes and colors of both pots and flowers. In front of our whiskey barrel fish pond we have various potted plants and a couple inside the pond as well, although one won’t be completely ready for another month and still looks quite dormant.

Hanging baskets are great for areas where you want a punch of color but don’t have a place on the ground, or simply want some color at eye level. The same techniques for both taking pictures and planting are utilized in a hanging basket. Or, if you happen to have a bird feeder on the other side filled with supposedly sterile black oil sunflower seeds, you may end up with a sunflower growing in the basket like we have! With most baskets it is usually preferred to have trailing plants and flowers, however sometimes a plant with height is an unexpected surprise, and if it does well, you’ll have photographic evidence while planning for next year.