Welcome to Containers, the May topic from Garden Designers Roundtable. Links to my fellow roundtablers who are also posting on this topic can be found here.
When I signed on to write about containers for this month’s Garden Designers Roundtable topic, I have to admit I thought, ‘this will be a piece of cake’. But, as is the case with every topic GDRT has addressed so far, once I started really thinking about containers as a topic, I realized it was fairly complex and the possibilities were endless. I could blog about how to combine plants in containers – you know, the filler, thriller, spiller technique, or about some of the different types of plants that can be grown in containers but are often dismissed as not being container-worthy, or all the non-traditional ‘containers’ that can be used in the garden to add a sense of fun and whimsy. Instead I decided to start with a single plant and look at how the selection of a container significantly changes not only the look of the plant but also the story the plant is telling. And since the setting of that story is your garden, it’s important to make sure all the story elements are working together.
I started with a peach drift rose bought a few weeks ago at a local nursery. Here it is in the ‘decorative’ plastic container it came in. Obviously the container is meant to look like a terra cotta container and, truth be told, would be quite serviceable over the course of the summer. It doesn’t seem to add much to the appeal of the rose but it also doesn’t seem to detract from it either. The roses are the star of this container story, just as they are meant to be, but it’s hard to tell where the plot is heading.
Here’s the rose in a different container, let’s call it the daisy container. Yikes! This looks does not work for me at all. Seems like we’re in a ‘How To’ (or more appropriately a ‘How NOT To’) story. This container is too tall and the bands of daisies around the container make it too informal for the roses. My eye goes right to the container, not the roses. The brownish-yellow color of the container is detracting from the tale the roses are trying to tell. The roses, which are actually at their peak, look tired and washed out. This combination is not really telling a cohesive story at all, the two main characters seem to be fighting over whose story is going to be heard. I’d forgo this combo and look for a better supporting cast.
Here’s our star ensconced in a simple pale blue container. This container has a bit of a rustic and hand-me-down feel to it. It looks like a beloved piece that has seen it’s fair share of summers out on the terrace. The washed-out shade of blue of the container helps the peach color of the roses pop, they immediately look fresher and more vibrant than they did in the daisy container. This container looks like it has a few of its own stories to tell and would be equally at home in a light-hearted caper, drama or comedy. This may be a good choice for a spot in a garden that serves lots of different purposes from intimate dinners to family BBQs to a quiet hideaway to sit and read.
Here’s a container that absolutely screams romance. Imagine our roses in this footed metal urn container in the background of a scene when the hero dashes in and saves the heroine from certain death. OK, that may be a bit melodramatic but you get the picture. This container is at home in an intimate garden setting where it can be admired up close. While my garden is not at all romantic and this combination would stick out like a sore thumb, there is something sweet and sentimental about it that definitely appeals to me. And I love the old-fashioned feel it lends to the roses. It’s almost as if these two characters were made for each other.
And here’s one last story line that could unfold for our roses, maybe sci-fi, a tale of espionage or the remake of an old classic. The clean lines of this tapered black container give the roses a more updated and sophisticated feel. The romance seems to have faded away. We now have a new look for an old classic. The vertical ridges give the container a modern air and keep it from being too simple and boring. Think of this container as the strong, silent type that is at home in a variety of garden settings. Confident enough to virtually fade into the background but also able to take center stage when the time is right.
Who said choosing a container was simple?
For more thoughts on Containers, click on the links below to read posts from some of the other Roundtablers…
Christina Salwitz : Personal Garden Coach : Renton, WA
Jenny Petersen: J Petersen Garden Design : Austin TX
Jocelyn Chilvers : The Art Garden : Denver, CO
Laura Livengood Schaub : Interleafings : San Jose, CA
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In the Garden : Los Altos, CA
Rochelle Greayer : Studio “G” : Boston, MA
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK
Scott Hokunson : Blue Heron Landscapes : Granby, CT
Debbie! I love how you always give us a look into your design process. I think the James Bond container last is my favorite!! Ready for its tale of espionage indeed!!
Gen,
I’m glad you like the peek inside my design process, it’s a bit scary letting other people see what’s swirling around inside my mind! I like the James Bond container too, it certainly lends a sophisticated air.
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This is so interesting, Debbie. I like the black pot best—very classy!
Debra,
The black container seems to be the favorite. It’s actually a plastic thing that came with a mandevilla vine from Costco. I thought it would look better with the roses than the mandevilla so I decided to give it a try.
What a great tutorial on the power of pairings!
Thanks, Susan.
Love it, what a great way to approach this topic! I like the blue and the black best (and that yummy rose best of all!)
Thanks Laura. The drift rose is a real beauty.
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Totally different take on the idea. Kinda cool to choose one type of plant and different containers. I think ornamental grasses would be a good one for this, too!
Katie,
You’re right, ornamental grasses are the perfect container plant and would lend themselves quite well to a variety of different looks.
Debbie, a great tutorial on the “designer’s dilemma”! It takes thoughtful consideration to narrow down one’s choices to the perfect pairing. Thanks for taking us through the process!
Hi Jocelyn, So glad you enjoyed my post. As with most things gardening, containers offer so many options the choices can be mind-boggling.
The black container makes the roses so much more sophisticated!
Great idea to show how the different containers work with the same plant.
I am sure we have all learnt so much from that approach.
Best Wishes
Robert
I was suprised by the way the black container completely changed the look and feel of the roses too.
nice perspective, proof that the choice of the container itself matters!
Thanks Andrea. Often times when planting a container the focus is too much on the plants without enough thought going into the container selection.
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What a great take on this subject, Debbie. I was eager to read your “story” on each container. It goes to show that, in an ideal world, you’d buy your plant(s) and your container at the same time, to make sure they tell the story you want.
Pam, Thanks for the kind words. Wouldn’t it be great if everything in a gardener’s world was ‘ideal’???
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Love your take on this HUGE topic! I never thought of it the way you did. Thanks for helping me learn something, isn’t that the best part of having so many wonderful gardening friends?
Wow, if I’ve taught you something about containers I am thrilled. You’re the container queen! And I wholeheartedly agree that learning from each other is one of the best parts of GDRT.
I love how you took one plant and showed so many different possibilities/looks. I do this at the nursery, too–carry around a plant for an hour to pop it in to various pots and see which one works. Thanks!
Jenny,
I’ve been known to do that too!
What a great idea to show how a container can make a difference to a plant and also add to your overall design. Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Frankly I was bit surprised myself how much some of the containers changed the look of the roses.
Very clever idea – I LOVE when someone takes a new ‘slant’ on things! And I’m in love with that rose – I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before! Personally, I love the blue and black pot the best. (just in case you were taking a poll)….
Rebecca,
The drift roses are a relatively new introduction here, I think I saw them in a few nurseries last fall for the first time. BTW, the balck container seems to be the most popular!
I like your take Debbie and I’ll add another twist. Each of your choices would work, depending on the style of house and garden the rose/container combo will live in. I see the plain plastic pot on a farmhouse front porch; the daisy/rose combo placed in the midst of a cottage garden; the pale blue/rose combo as a welcome sight near the front door of a classic cape; the footed metal urn and rose where else but gracing special spot near a Victorian home; and the black pot with rose fitting with a bungalo or a sleek modern style home. If you choose a container and plants without knowing the setting you’re likely to end up with a miss match.
Loved the multiple containers shown by your GDRT buddies.
Joene,
Thanks for elaborating on the home styles each container might be appropriate for. I agree with you, my fellow GDRTers did an incredible job with this topic, I was in awe of some of the containers I saw on their blogs.
Hi Debbie,
I like your “story” approach to container gardening. It’s true, every garden tells a story and reveals the owner’s tastes, sentiments and design sensibilities.
My favorite was the third planter. What a gorgeous blue planter, the texture is very interesting.
Shirley
Shirley,
I’m so pleased you liked my story, I had alot of fun writing it. The blue container is a beauty, the texture adds an interesting element to the overall effect.
Hi Debbie,
Great post! Tales of romance, mystery and intrigue, and all in a single pot. Thanks for the tutorial!
Scott, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Debbie, thank you for honoring the humble plastic pot! Many people wouldn’t even CONSIDER it, but the fact of the matter is, we DO leave these pots out in their nursery sleeves and they become a part of the picture and say something. I loved that!
Kudos. Great post.
Ivette, I’m with you, I think many people buy a plant in a ‘decorative’ plastic container and then never think about the container again. I’m so glad you enjoyed my post.
What a refreshing take on the container theme! I’ve enjoyed how each Roundtable post has had such a different take on this subject. The rose must have been fun to work with, but I’m glad that I don’t have to chose a favorite pot. (It was fun to get extra get-to-know-you time at the Tweet-up, walking up that hill. LOL)
Kari, It was an inspirational feast for the eyes to read all the GDRT posts about containers, wasn’t it? I enjoyed meeting you too at the tweet-up and getting ‘lost’ in the woods with you and Whitney, even if only for 15 minutes.
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