Easy colorful containers

Choose your palette, and tackle it with confidence.

Color-it can make us feel cool, hot, jazzy, or serene. And, more often than not, it's the first thing we think about when choosing plants for containers. Don't let color intimidate you-it's easy and fun to work with.

Cues and Clues

We face important choices with containers, especially those placed in prominent locations such as an entrance. Flower shades, foliage hues, and even a pot's glaze can be vital in determining a container's design success in the landscape.

Look to your surroundings for color clues. House and trim paint are important factors to take into account. Choose plants that complement the facade with similar shades for a quiet look, or take a contrary position with vibrant opposites. The first approach creates a dressy, disciplined assembly, while the second look is more casual and fun loving.

Architecture also factors into this equation. A bungalow is more attuned to riotous color, while a home with a classic facade benefits from the single-shade approach.

Mix and Match

Color comes in numerous forms. Flowers are the instant inclination, but foliage also offers a broad palette of options. The beauty of coleus, Persian shield, caladiums, and other lively leaves is their constant, never-out-of-bloom growth pattern. Combine these plants with flowers for tremendous nonstop seasonal splash.

Vary the sizes and shapes of the foliage. Use light and dark leaves, as well as smooth and textured ones. "Great interest is created by choosing different textured leaves. For example, pair the fuzzy foliage of a begonia with a lacy fern for a fascinating effect," says Tracy Sumney at B.B. Barns in Asheville, North Carolina.

Color Care

It takes maintenance to keep color constant throughout the growing season. Feed your flowers with a liquid blossomboosting fertilizer, such as 15-30-15, every other week. At the same time, remove all flowers past their peak to encourage new bud formation.

"Don't be shy about taking the clippers to some plants," Tracy recommends.

"Things like coleus must be pruned back throughout the season so you don't lose the planting's original shape."

EXPERT ADVICE

The folks at B.B. Barns offer these suggestions.

* Plant large

flowers low in the container so it doesn't look top-heavy.

* Select tall, lightcolored blooms and small flowers as the highest feature, keeping the appearance open and airy.

* Choose dark flowers and foliage for the pot's center. Deep colors draw the eye into the container and add depth.

EASY COLORFUL CONTAINERS

Pages 94-96: Design by Barney Bryant, B.B. Barns, Asheville, North Carolina, (828) 2747301, and Sharon St. John, Landscapes by St. John, Austin.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Mar 2003
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved