Ever see a breath taking combination and think- I want my stuff to look like that? Easy! When in doubt- copy what others do! It’s not rocket science- just a little “know how”. A quip to fall back on is “thrillers, fillers and spillers”. In a nut shell that means: “POW” with a few really pretty bloomers, a few falling over the side and a supporting cast of complimentary foliage.
For example, in a hanging basket we use:
Thriller= a Geranium or Osteospermum for Sun
or Begonia/New Guinea Impatiens for shade
Fillers= Coleus, Grasses or Ferns for shade
Spillers= Calibrachoa, Petunias, Sweet Potato Vine or Vinca Vine
Big Pots: Go Big! Calla Lily, Big Easy Geranium, Marguerite Daisies, upright Salvias or Pennisetum grasses.
Shade Pots: Use different types of foliage…there’s no dead heading and they are calmer to look at! Or embrace the Begonias, Fuschia, Impatiens and Torenia. (There’s much more to choose from see selections in our Annuals section)
More tips:
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- Use the color wheel to draw on striking contrasting colors: yellow/ blue/ red or purple/orange/chartreuse.
Or go monochromatic (use one color in varying shades).
- Use the color wheel to draw on striking contrasting colors: yellow/ blue/ red or purple/orange/chartreuse.
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- Pot height should dictate the corresponding plant height.
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- Don’t use vines if they will get walked on!
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- Use packing peanuts or perlite to fill the bottom of the really big pots! Use newspaper to stop the soil from falling through.
- Pick the colors you love and you’ll always enjoy looking at them!
We create hundreds of hanging baskets and containers each season. Come visit us in early May for the best selection. Want us to fill your existing container or pot up a specific combo? No problem… just tell us your sun exposure and desired color scheme and we’ll do the rest.