cool

Cool Season Containers to Get an Early Start on Spring

Dan This Land of Ours

cool

Cathy Isom fills you in about some cool season containers to get an early start on Spring.  That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. 

Cool Season Containers to Get an Early Start on Spring
Dianthus Deltoides Alpinus
By Jean-Pol GRANDMONT – Own work, CC BY 3.0, Link

Why not get an early start on Spring and fill your patio with plenty of fragrance and vibrant color. Try planting in groups.  One well-planted container looks great on its own, but a grouping can be stunning. A colorful mix of pansies, violas, lobelia, stock, and kale creates lots of interest. Use them by a doorway, next to a path, or to add cheer to bare spots in your spring garden. A gorgeous spring container garden doesn’t have to be complicated. A variety of pansies and violas add charm and color when sharing space with a  strawberry plant. Use a mix of colors for a flamboyant look, or limit your pansies to one color for a more elegant, soothing presentation.

Once summer heat arrives and the pansies start to fade, replace them with herbs or small annuals that don’t mind the warm weather. The best container gardens don’t just look good—they smell great, too. Incorporate a few fragrant plants into your containers and be sure to site them where you can enjoy them. For example, dianthus hanging from a picket fence, bringing it that much closer to nose level. Keeps it simple by creating a container featuring a rugged dwarf hemlock and a pair of lavender violas for a simple, soothing look. A mulch of coarse stones accented by a single larger rock helps create a natural scene in miniature. It’s perfect for a partially shaded spot.

I’m Cathy Isom…