Container gardening, it would seem, has never been bigger.
And that means the world of garden pottery is getting much larger and more interesting, too.
Over the past decade, Northwest nurseries have dedicated increasing floor space to pots that go far beyond the predictable colors of cobalt blue, terra cotta and oxblood red.
Speckled white, matte black, chocolate terra cotta and even swamp green are just a few of the hot colors set to emerge at nurseries and retailers in 2008.
Overall, gardeners can expect to see more pots in metallic hues and earth tones as part of a movement to tranquility in gardening, said Judy Owen, a manager of the Bellevue location of Half-Price Pots, which also has locations in Edmonds, Bothell, Seattle and Renton.
Metallic gold came on the scene last year in small quantities.
This year’s new hue will be a metallic matte copper, Owen said, adding, “I am excited to see that one. It’s a much more subdued, subtle tone.”
Many gardeners still love to add splashes of brilliant color to their gardens, especially in reds, blues and oranges, but contemporary interior design hues have started to influence garden tones, too, said Cheryl Bonsen, lead merchandiser at Christianson’s Nursery near Mount Vernon.
“That’s their first color choice. That’s what they’re doing in their homes. That’s the way they dress,” Bonsen said of earth tones. “On the East Coast, everything’s going back to black and white.”
Earth tones are easy to mix into most landscapes.
“They’re modern, but they’re classic,” Bonsen said, adding that they can blend easily with Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel styles.
But it’s not just the colors of the pots that will be taking a softer and, perhaps, more contemporary turn in 2008.
It’s shape.
Clean lines, boxy forms and less ornamentation are also part of creating a serene space, Owen said.
“If you’re doing more of a Zenlike area in your garden, you want very simplistic design in a pot,” she said. “They’re more calming.”
Though many homeowners are downsizing and moving into condos, pots are nevertheless getting taller and wider.
Tall, thin pots will be particularly hot in the coming years as gardeners incorporate more drama and scale into their gardens and, in many cases, their interiors, Owen said.
“People are using them in the entryways. They’re using them where homes have multiple garage doors. They are using them between them and on the ends,” Owen said. “Container gardening in general is just hot.”
Large pots can also help gardeners create layering in their gardens with the tallest pots at the height of pot groupings.
“I think people are using pottery as more of a focal point in their yard, ” Bonsen said, adding that growers are catering to the container crowd, too. “You can do so much more in a container with new hybrid plants.”
Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com
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