In Love With Container Gardening

I think that I am in love.  Container gardening is right up my alley; little to no weeding, color, composition, beautiful pots...dreamy.  My good friend asked me to help translate her aesthetic (which she has done beautifully inside her home) to the outside with some window boxes and pots.  Needless to say, I am learning a lot.

With pots it is important to choose plants with a similar watering schedule.  For example: succulents will mold with too much watering and evergreen trees and shrubs need a lot of water, especially in the beginning...so planting them together can be problematic.  Don't rely solely on flowers to bring in color.  The Tulips in this picture have already lost their petals and soon the Ranunculus will follow but the color contrast of Black Mondo Grass, Coral Bells, and Euphorbia Martinii will remain.

One tip I learned from this month's Sunset was that Tulips and Ranunculus shouldn't be cut back once the flower dies because they continue to store energy for the next year's show.  They can be cut back once the stems and leaves have died.  Sunset recommends overseeding with Cosmos, whose foliage and flowers will help to hide the dying flowers.

Because the boxes are so vibrant we chose simple cream pots and used a more subdued color palette next to the front door.

Originally, we had thought this maple would be pretty by the front door but it was much too big and competed with the planter boxes.  I think they picked perfect place for it; in front of the cream shingles it offers a welcoming pop of color

I am kicking myself for not taking a before picture of this.  The bed was considerably lower then the railway tie and ended abruptly.  I brought the bed up with potting soil and continued it to the end of the path.  I transplanted the existing ground cover and succulents and added river rock to add some texture.  I also planted Lithodra, which is a ground cover with beautiful bright blue flowers.

I have a few more projects that we are working on that I will show in the next couple weeks.  Yes, I am as giddy as a school girl!