There isn’t much that beats a beautifully planted container. On a porch, along a walkway, at an entrance, they’re unmatched for color, texture, plant variety, and all around interest. Last year, mine spilled, filled, and thrilled, lasting from April through October—more than six months of blooms. In two black cast iron urns, I planted yellow and pink lantana, fuchsia petunias, white bacopa, and chartreuse potato vine. In the center of each, I plunked a four-pronged black metal tuteur for white mandevilla to wind their way up and around. My matching urns baked in direct sun all day long on our front walkway, and one of the best investments I made was to ensure they were watered nearly every day. This I accomplished by threading tubing connected to our irrigation system through a hole in the bottom of the urns.
“Once you finish planting your container gardens, you may feel excited, gratified….and probably relieved,” says Steph Green of the Richmond-based Contained Creations, whose stunning Instagram is stalked by thousands. Her website is equally impressive, where she offers a bevy of online classes to help folks create DIY container gardens and plant like pros. “Consistent watering, fertilizing, pruning, and deadheading will help your plants flourish,” she says, and suggests watching for signs of an unhealthy container—like insect damage, disease, and too much or too little water. “If you can’t figure out the problem, bring a photo or a cutting to your local garden center,” she says, adding that their pros can help you diagnose and treat the issue. ContainedCreations.com
This article originally appeared in the August 2024 issue.
