30 Jun Plantings with Personality
Got the gardening itch, but no yard? Driveway dominating your southern exposure? Or is your garden soil the consistency of your driveway? No problem! For the resourceful and dedicated gardener, these challenges are no reason to throw in the trowel. They’re simply and invitation to explore another world of gardening – container gardens. A world where pottery and urns, espaliers and topiaries bend to the whim of the gardener – plantings with personality!
Think Beyond the Ceramic Pot
The beauty of container gardening is the many levels of creativity that can be found in a single planter – starting with the pot. Well, actually, we’ve seen some unusual containers that loosely fit the definition: old boots, discarded bathtubs, commodes and chairs to name a few. When your garden rises out of such whimsy, there is really no telling what may come from it. Create your own unique style by choosing containers that allow your personality to shine through. The planting combinations can be just as outrageous. Potatoes can erupt from a stack of old tires; a tropical pineapple can create the finial atop a luscious jungle of coleus and lantana. Are lush plantings such as these found only in the tropical islands? Nope. We’ve seen them in Northfield, Margate, Ocean City and Linwood!
Photo courtesy Proven Winners www.provenwinners.com
Get Creative
The point is, it’s OK to have fun in the garden. Container gardening is just another way of expressing yourself creatively in the safety and sanctity of your own backyard. Unusual containers are a wonderful way to recreate scenes from a favorite landscape, whether real or imagined. The idea is that the containers, the plant combinations, the placement don’t have to be horticulturally proper. So this season, put wings or wheels on those ideas! Have some fun. Taking time to design a planter that expresses your own, individual personality is half the fun. And if fate dictates that you must follow the sun across that expanse of asphalt known as the driveway, then those wheels will probably come in handy!