When it comes to creative containers that burst with color, Steph Green of Contained Creations has a garden’s worth of inspiration! Steph’s artful designs include containers that tackle even the toughest of growing conditions, from challenging soil to areas with little or no in-ground planting space. A poolside planter can be a refreshing burst of botanical beauty, but with summer’s hot weather and bright sun, it takes the right plants to beat the heat.
Looking to craft the perfect poolside planters? Steph has designed a gorgeous pair of patio-ready planters, and each one is “rooted” in a key design lesson!
Anchor with evergreens… then accessorize!
Container combinations lend themselves to changing with the season. You can anchor them with long-lasting evergreens like ‘Lemon-Lime’ Nandina or Forever Goldy Arborvitae that shine season after season, then “accessorize” them with seasonally appropriate annuals. In summertime, Steph loves colorful coleus, cool caladiums, and dipladenia for sunny spaces. Finally, select artful vessels that complement the architecture and style of your surroundings.
Enchant the senses with fragrance
Your pool or patio is a place to relax… and engaging all five senses makes it that much easier. Steph took advantage of the unique columnar habit and fabulous fragrance of Diamond Spire® Gardenia to serve as an evergreen “thriller” in this planter combination. Plant tags that include the phrase “upright growth” or “columnar habit” indicate that a plant will grow taller than it is wide. Evergreens with this type of growth habit make terrific additions to containers, particularly in tight spaces like flanking a door, or in a row of containers as a mobile privacy planting. Combine that convenient habit with the unforgettable fragrance of a gardenia in full summer bloom and it’s the recipe for a perfect planter!
Use light-as-air white hues
We often think of bold pinks and purples when it comes to poolside plantings, but when the weather’s at its hottest, crisp white flowers and foliage imbue garden designs with airy ease (no matter how humid it is!). Steph pulled in white with Diamond Spire Gardenia blooms and caladium foliage in her designs, but other great white blooming and light-hued options include EverColor® ‘Everest’ Carex, Platinum Beauty® Lomandra, Fool Proof™ Gardenia, October Magic ® White Shi-Shi™ Camellia, and Ever White™ Agapanthus.
If these fabulous photos have you ready to recreate the look at home, download the plans for free compliments of Contained Creations here!
