The Right Recipes

As combination containers hit new heights of popularity, how do you cash in? How do you create the most effective container displays for your garden center?

You should do your best to marry the artistic elements of combining different plants with the practical aspect of how to arrange them to best appeal to customers. Use these simple design tips and tricks for fresh, creative containers that will keep your customers coming back for more.

Find inspiration in pop culture.
For example, world-renowned color trend predictors Pantone love purple right now, calling it “passionate, complex, exciting, enigmatic, vivid.” Bring that all to life in a great container combination that incorporates that color in the plants or container, and you’ve given consumers the ideal home accent.

Put plants in unpredictable places.
Give plants new uses; don’t fall into the trap of always using them the same way. We often think of grasses as focal points in containers. The right varieties can also make a great backdrop for beautiful texture and movement.

Pair unexpected colors and textures.
Combine greens with purples, yellows with reds, oranges with, well anything according to Pantone—it’s another right now color everyone’s loving for décor of all kinds. Try ornate textures like twisted grasses against containers with simple, clean lines. And remember, color doesn’t have to come only from flowers — put hot foliage colors to work for big impact too.
 

From left: Use grasses to create a great backdrop for other plants. Using complementary colors like red and green for contrast makes the colors pop. The unique textures of the leaves of these plants make it a visually interesting combination. EMERALD COAST GROWERS

Focus on texture.
Creating clever containers is as much about texture as real estate is about location. Make it the focus; add it as an accent; play texture off of unique flower and foliage forms. Leverage it to the max, and you’ll see the results.

Base your color choices on a theme.
Decide what you’re going for: analogous (similar color palette), complementary (colors opposite each other on the color wheel), or monochromatic (single color.) Explore the possibilities, remembering nature has its own rules and rules are meant to be broken.

This pot (left) is too small for the plant material used. Here are the same plants (right) in a larger pot that is much better suited for the size of the plants.

What NOT to do
DON’T over or under water. A few simple tricks can help prevent this common problem and ensure your displays look fresh and healthy. Ensure that containers have drainage holes. Use a good, well-draining, nutrient-rich potting mix. Soak plants through when watering; don’t just water the top of the soil. Make sure to communicate these watering tips to customers as well.

DON’T set up an awkward plant to pot ratio. Your plant should fit the pot. That means don’t use a plant that’s too large or small for the container. (See above). Aim for one large plant and one trailing plant, incorporating more as space and style permit, and the containers will fly off the shelves.

DON’T combine plants with different requirements. Plants should share the same cultural requirements (light, water, fertilizer, etc.) If one plant wants shade and the other wants sun, you’ve planted a problem. You wouldn’t want to put a water-loving plant with a sweet flag grass and put it with a sempervivum that’s very drought tolerant. They may look great together, but they won’t live very long, which will leave customers disappointed and coming back for a refund.

DON’T use plants that are space hogs. Plants should have complementary color, texture and size. A plant that spreads to 24 inches probably isn’t the best choice for a mixed container.

THIS GROUPING of plants repeats the same genus throughout the mixed recipes, while providing a nice variety of color and texture. Plants are arranged to offer different heights and textures. Also, containers with the same general shape were chosen to create a coordinated look.

Pamela Straub is Emerald Coast Growers’ in-house designer. She’s spent years designing containers and landscapes in her community as well as consulting on plant selection and design for thousands of customers across the country. She can be reached at sales@ecgrowers.com.