Colorful Containers

This series of blogs on container gardening begins with a container of annuals next to a statue. Pots of colorful plants can be an easy and inexpensive way to garden.

By placing a container of annuals by a statue of a little girl on my front porch, I have created a garden vignette. Last year I filled the container with the leftovers from my other plantings. For a while the combination worked but then the plants grew and the scale was all wrong.

This year I decided to have a plan. I chose annuals with smaller foliage and flowers. The two flowering plants are Babylon Blue Verbena and a pale pink Million Bells. Kiwi Fern Coleus was chosen because it has colorful narrow foliage. Fiber Optic Grass is in the container because it has delicate fine bladed foliage with buff color flowers on the tips and it drapes over the edge of the pot. Finally, the other foliage plant is a silver artemisia. I love the grey foliage combined with the blue and pink flowers.

To learn more about Proven Winners' Babylon Blue Verbena and Fiber Optic Grass, go to www.provenwinners.com.

Tomorrow's blog will feature a colorful container by an entryway.

© Susan Mertz, June 2006. All rights reserved.

Click on Plants and Bulbs for more articles by Susan Mertz.