Annual Containers for Instead Colour!

After a long, cold winter, I need colour! Annual containers are one of the fastest and easiest ways to add colour to any landscape.  Instead Colour!  A few containers filled with nonstop blooming annuals surrounding a tropical focal point can do the trick.  Containers strategically placed in a landscape can transform the look and feel of any outdoor living space. Use containers to set the mood on a patio or pool space or welcome friends to your home.  Place containers in gardens for a pop of colour as perennial plants fade.  

Here’s a few simple tips for creating colourful, textural containers that will make look like a Container Star!

It’s All About the Container

Container size is important. We tend to look at containers close up, not from the street, like a car driving by or a pedestrian on the sidewalk. Think Big. Selecting a container that is too small for your home reduces its visual impact, and you want it to stand out. I tend to look for containers at least 3 feet in height and 2 feet across. And if the container comes in a great colour, that’s a bonus!  

Double Potting – Instead Colour Made Simple

Selecting a larger container allows you the option of ‘double potting.’ Double potting is where you place a liner pot inside a larger container. Fill the larger container with gravel so it doesn’t blow away in strong winds. Ensure you have a drainage hole at the bottom so water can drain away.  Then, place a liner pot inside the larger container on the gravel. Double potting allows you the opportunity to remove the liner pot for quick seasonal changes, helps reduce the need for watering during hot weather because roots are more insulated, and in winter, the liner pot will be the one to expand and crack, not your expensive container. You can easily pick up an established liner pot at your local nursery. Place it inside your larger container, and you will be ready to go—instant colour.

Feed Your Containers for Nonstop Colour

To keep nonstop colour throughout the season, flowers require food. Try using a slow-release pellet, high in phosphorus – that’s the middle number – and sprinkle the pellets on the soil’s surface at the time of planting. Phosphorus promotes flowering. And that’s the goal. Slow-release pellets feed nutrients to plant roots when you water, or it rains. No mixing is required; just sprinkle and go! I like Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed. You can check it out here: http://en-ca.miraclegro.com/smg/goprod/miracle-gro-continuous-release-plant-food/prod70290

Splurge on Something Special – One Plant Will Do                                                

It’s no secret. If you are planting your containers, it’s all about the specimen plant. Every year, I walk into the nursery and fall in love with at least one one-of-a-kind specimen plant. It could be an ornamental grass, a topical plant, or a flowering vine. This specimen becomes my ‘inspiration’ for my containers. Yes, the specimen is usually more expensive. However, it tends to be mature in size, and you only need one! So, don’t hold back! Buy one specimen that’s unique and interesting to you. Then, less expensive annuals (fillers) are placed around the specimen. You’ll find a good specimen plant that will take up most of the container space, so you can get away with only a few filler plants.

Finishing Touches – Add Bling to Your Containers

• Add a tall obelisk with a flowering vine for height at the front door
• Add large seed pods (natural or painted) for interest in containers in spring and fall
• Use branches like pussy willow or red dogwood in containers for interest
• Wrap colourful tulle around a container – a simple way to add a splash of colour
• Paint an old container, a new colour – something old is new again
• Add colourful self-watering bulbs to containers for colour and interest – water and beauty all in one!

It all starts with the right container. Take your time, and select containers you love. Remember, the right container will be with you for a very long time.