Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 62 5/24/17 11:04 AM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 63 5/24/17 11:04 AM

62 chapter 2

and pairing vegetables, fruits, and herbs in a way

that yields a good harvest. And, it’s not just about

combining the right plants with each other, but

also with the right container.

When it comes to planting beautiful

containers, there are three primary concepts to

keep in mind as you create your designs.

Proportion

Plantings that aren’t in the correct proportion

with their container look off-kilter, top heavy,

too dense, or flat, depending on which direction

the designer erred. Even if your aim is to create

a naturalistic container planting rather than one

that looks planned, proportion is important.

The rule of thirds is an excellent guide

to maintaining proportion in both container

gardening and floral design. Begin by looking at

the height of your container. For good proportion,

your container should comprise either^1 ⁄^3 or^2 ⁄^3

of the total height of the plants and container

combined, with the height of the plantings taking

up the remainder. In other words, you should

strive for a container-to-plantings height ratio

of 1:2 or 2:1. The container won’t be in perfect

proportion until the plants reach their mature

height, but most container plants grow quickly,

and it won’t be long before the correct pot-to-

plant proportion is achieved.

This container at Chanticleer Garden near Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania is a great example of the rule of thirds. In

this case, the container is^1 ⁄ 3 of the total height of the

plants and the pot combined.

Not every color combination is going to work for every

gardener. Find what suits your personal aesthetics first

and foremost.

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Designing and Planting Your Containers 63

Focal Point

Another goal for container garden design is

having a single focal point. A focal point can be

very direct and obvious, or more subtle. Often the

largest plant in your design becomes a natural

focal point by virtue of its size alone, but fun focal

points can also be based on a jazzy color, bold leaf

textures, variegated foliage, or a narrow, vertical

element. No matter what you choose, use only one

primary focal point for each container. Multiple

focal points can be very distracting.

Balance

Well-conceived designs always have good

balance, too, both vertically and horizontally.

Proper balance keeps a container planting from

looking lopsided or top-heavy. A tall, narrow

container planted with a tree will always look

like it’s ready to topple over because the top-to-

bottom visual balance is off. Or, if you’re planting

a window box or another long container, keep

the tallest plant toward the center or have two

or three of them spread out through the entire

Guard against having too many eye-catching plants in the same container. Instead, focus on

having a single focal point to keep the design from becoming too busy.

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