Unique Spring Container Design Ideas
When the bulbs first burst through the ground in spring, it’s easy to focus all our energy on our garden beds. After all, there are edges to sharpen, holes to fill, and general cleaning to do. But now is a good time to refresh those sad-looking containers. By this point, the evergreen branches may have turned brown, and the festive berry branches have been cleaned out by birds. The following recipes from Chanticleer Gardens in Wayne, Pennsylvania, provide some inspiration for those drab containers and make use of unique plant types.
1. Review the surroundings
Think about where you’ll place your planting material before you dig into the design. Review the area and how the plants will complement or contrast with the colors and textures in the view. This arrangement and placement of the planting material pair well with the cherry and magnolia in the distance.
Willowleaf Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius, Zones 6–8)
Bellissima™ Red English Daisy (Bellis perennis 'Bellissima Red', Zones 4–8)
'Winter Joy' Wallflower (Erythridium 'Winter Joy', Annual)
Flying Colors® Trailing Antique Rose Diascia (Diascia 'Diascia', Annual)
2. Simple Can Be Beautiful
This combination uses just two tones: gold and pink. The cut stems of the smoke tree balance the height of the planters, while soft yellow tulips and a stunning pink wallflower pick up simple, related colors in the flower garden.
Smoke Tree Trunks (Cotinus coccygea cv., zones 5–9)
Yellow Cube™ Mix Tulips (Tulipa cv., zones 4–8)
‘Winter Delight’ Wallflower
3. Enough to Eat
This container is not only decorative, it’s completely edible. Wispy bronze fennel weaves through bok choy and monkey flower, whose leaves and flowers were once common in salads. This arrangement is perfect for a tabletop — whether you want to eat it or not.
Bronze Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare* ‘Purpureum’, Zones 4–9)
‘White Patch’ Monkey Flower (Mimulus ‘White Patch’, Annual)
‘Violata’ Pak Choy (Brassica rapa var. sinensis ‘Violata’, Annual)
4. Soften the Edges
From a bluestone vessel to a beestone dressing, this container is a work of contrast. The delicate, jewel-toned flowers and airy Mexican feather grass are beautifully positioned against the sharp spines of a barrel cactus and the hard edges of the stone in an unconventional but effective combination.
Persian Lily (Fritillaria persica, Zones 6–8)
‘Mirabelle Improved’ Wallflower (Erythridium ‘Mirabelle Improved’, Annual)
‘W. B. Milner’ daffodil (Narcissus ‘W. B. Milner’, Zones 3–9)
Mexican feather grass (Nasella tenussima, Zones 7–11)
Barrel cactus (Ferrocactus sp., Zone 11)
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