Textured Green Garden Planters

Shopping list

• ‘Butterfly’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Butterfly’)
• Southern maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris)
• Foxtail fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myersii’)
• Elephant ear (Bergenia cordifolia)
• ‘Candidum’ caladium Polka Dot (Hypoestes phyllostachya)

Planting steps and tips

1. Place the Japanese maple in the lar­ger container. Then add caladium and bergenia in both, followed by the ferns.

2. Fill gaps with polka dot. “Hypoestes require regular pinching to keep them compact and to promote the best leaves with the best colour,” Paul says.

3. Even though arrangements like these are best for shade, they still need to be checked for water. If it’s very windy, they’ll dry out.    

Tip: In tall containers, create false bottoms using items like terracotta, crushed pop bottles or Styrofoam peanuts in a bag. Use bricks to weigh down a top-heavy container—just make sure you plant it in the desired spot first.

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Bright White Container Garden

Plant list

• 1. ‘Regatta White’ trailing lobelia (Lobelia erinus ‘Regatta White’)
• 2. Snowstorm Giant Snowflake bacopa (Sutera cordata ‘Danova906’)
• 3. ‘Serena White’ angelonia (Angelonia ‘Serena White’)
• 4. Saratoga White nicotiana (Nicotiana alata Saratoga Series)
• 5. Picobella Cascade White petunia (Petunia ×hybrida Picobella Series)
• 6. Quartz XP White trailing verbena (Verbena hybrida Quartz XP Series)

Putting it together
Step 1: Select a container with adequate drainage holes and cover with a piece of landscape fabric (available at garden centres) to prevent the soil from washing out of the bottom.

Step 2: Fill the bottom of the pot with an all-purpose potting mix until it fills the lowest openings. Place the lobelias and bacopas into the lowest pockets (you may have to divide the plants to fit), and pack the soil around the roots.

Step 3: Repeat this process, working upward, until all of the pockets are filled. Plant the top of the pot with angelonias, nicotianas and petunias in the centre and more of the trailing plants, including verbenas, along the container’s edge.

Step 4: Water well and rotate the pot every few days to provide the plants with equal sun exposure.

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