Fall doesn’t have to be the season of bare bushes and brown planting beds.
You can add vibrant color to your yard or patio with plant-brimming containers.
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Photo GalleryFall containers don’t rely on showy blooms. Instead, interesting leaf textures, contrasting colors, even berries and winter-blooming flowers create interest all season long.
Container-planting guru Julie Davis demonstrated how to design and plant a fall container recently at her Edmonds home.
Davis won the grand prize in a national Sunset Magazine and Supersoil container contest two years ago and third in the same contest last year. She designs containers and landscapes for others as part of her own small business, Julie Davis Design.
“Maybe being from an area like New Orleans, a city with an emphasis on good design and beauty, a certain aesthetic has rubbed off on me,” she said.
She loves containers because she said they are like an entire garden in one pot and because of their versatility.
Containers can last years and can be easily adapted from season to season, she said. Pull out some plants in the spring and plop in a few annuals.
Use containers as entryway accents, to soften the edges of decks and patios, or to define the curves of a garden walkway.
Place them in the landscape to serve as dramatic focal points or use a series of similar pots throughout the garden to create a cohesive look, she said.
Containers can be used to create privacy or screen something undesirable. Line pots along a deck and plant bamboo in each. It’s also a great way to grow more invasive varieties of this plant, she said.
And although arranging containers takes a certain degree of artistry, Davis provided tips to do it successfully. Use her plant list and instructions to replicate her demonstration container or create your own.
Pick a pot
Choosing a vessel is as important as picking plants, Davis said.
Consider your house style and color when choosing pots. Containers in neutral colors, such as beige and brown, can be used for years without looking dated. Neutral pots also work with virtually any plants.
Good pots are not cheap. The medium-sized pot Davis used in this demonstration cost about $90.
Quality pots are an investment that will pay big returns over time, she said. Not only can they last for years, containers next to entryways and on patios and decks get lots of eye traffic.
Buy the best quality pots you can afford, she recommended. One large container might be a better buy than many smaller ones because it makes a bigger visual statement.
To save money, she recommended Half-Price Pots, which has stores in Everett, Bothell and Bellevue.
Containers need good drainage: several holes for a large pot and at least a dime-sized hole in smaller pots. Ask the nursery to drill a hole in the bottom if yours has none; most will do it for free, Davis said.
Arrangement design
Before heading to the nursery, decide where the container will be placed and what container you’ll use.
You’ll want to choose plants with the same light requirements, Davis said. This project is designed for full sun.
She generally uses two or three contrasting colors and a variety of leaf shapes and textures and different heights.
A number of plants can fit in one container. Plan on 12 to 15 for a medium-sized, 18-inch diameter pot, she said. Davis purchased mainly plants in 4- and 6-inch containers for this project, a good way to save money as long as these smaller plants have enough height and fullness. If you choose larger plants, plan on having room for less. She usually buys a few more than she needs.
Experiment with different arrangements before putting anything in the pot.
Planting the container
Gather all the supplies and plant your container where you plan to leave it; large containers get heavy.
Don’t put anything in the bottom of the pot such as shards of pottery or gravel. It’s not needed and may inhibit drainage by trapping water, she said.
Fill the pot with at least the same depth of soil as the largest plant was potted in. If the soil feels dry, water it. Give the plants water ahead of time too.
Use a good quality soil that is labeled “potting soil.” Never use garden soil or compost, which can be too dense and doesn’t drain well in a container, she said.
Start with the center plant, generally the tallest of the bunch. Slide it out of its container and tease out the roots. For this arrangement, Davis has chosen the phormium “pink stripe,” a tall spiky plant with bronze leaves and its namesake stripe.
Place it in the container and add more soil. Plan to fill the pot to about 1 1/2 inches from the top of the container. The crown of the plant should be level with the soil.
A drip line isn’t needed but if you’d like to use one, now is the time. Davis threaded a thin black hose through the slats in her deck and up the back of the container. She uses metal u-shaped pins to secure the drip line.
After the drip line is in place, she works outward, planting a ring of three hebe tricolor around the phormium. Next, she adds another ring of heuchera frosted violet and two Redbor ornamental kales. The kales are about the same shade as the heuchera but cost considerably less, she said.
Finally, she snuggles in two Veronica Georgia blue and two calluna vulgaris dark beauty around the edges. Both will trail over the side of the pot.
Protect decks and patios by placing the container on container “feet,” sold at nurseries. Davis uses small pieces she has cut from rubber belting instead.
Fall containers require little care. Fertilizing isn’t necessary. If annuals are added next spring, add some fertilizer like Osmocote. You can control the size of the plants with some light pruning. Containers do require consistent watering, she said.
| Inspired to plant a fall container? We’d like to see it. Send a photo and a brief description of your fall container by Oct. 15 and we may publish it. Mail it to Herald Features, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206, or e-mail it to dsmith@heraldnet.com. |
A great idea: tuck in some bulbs while planting this fall. Place them in clusters or plant in a ring, Davis suggested.
When the spring temperatures hit next year, voila, instant spring color. (Be sure to pay attention to how tall those spring flowers will grow; choose flowers that won’t get any taller than the center plant.)
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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