Container Garden 411

One of the exciting things about container gardening is that you get to experiment with all kinds of flower colors. You can mix it up or be very specific to show off a theme.  Now realize that the plants in the pots are confined. I made the mistake of stuffing my container with all types of flowers only to have some get crowded out. They just died. I wanted instant beauty and didn’t consider how much the flowers would grow. I hope I’m not the only one that has done that before.  

Lesson learned: Flowers can grow like children; they need extra room, because they are going to grow – up and out.  I hope that analogy makes sense.

Therefore, in container planting, the subtle color and combinations of color that might not stand out in a border setting are right in front of you. I loved looking at my tulips earlier this year, and so did the postal woman, my neighbors and the kids running through my yard. It was awesome. 

 If you are unsure about how to use colors in your containers, let me tell you what I did along with a few other ideas.

•  Look through some magazines at the bookstore for inspiration. Cut out the pictures of examples that you like. Now if the magazine is in the bookstore, please just don’t tear out the picture, buy it.
• Think about how you want to feel, when you look at the container every day. I know I wanted my colors to be happy, and bright, and shocking for spring.

The following color combinations also work well. White is very versatile and supports most other colors. Put a little green and it takes on a feeling of freshness. Use colors like yellow and green and it reminds me of a bright sunny day with freshly cut grass.  My power color choices are red, oranges and pinks. Using colors in containers is like that HGTV show, “Color Splash” with David Bromstad. He’s much better, but I do get some inspiration from him and “Myles of Style”, Kim Myles.

If you are a little color shy, then use one color, and use it in several different types of containers to make a color impact. You can also, use several different types of plants that have different bloom periods to give you continuous beauty.

 What do you do when selecting which colors of flowers you are going to use?