The best-looking summer containers are filled to the brim with plants that feature bountiful flowers and interesting foliage. This rectangular planter box, situated along the edge of a front porch in part sun, meets the criteria — it’s bursting with colour and attractive leaf patterns. Here’s how you can create this look for your container gardening.
By spacing plants closely in lightweight potting soil, feeding lightly every 10 days to two weeks, and deadheading regularly, it’s easy to achieve this effect. Water thoroughly when the top inch of soil is dry. As the season progresses and plants grow, you’ll likely need to water more frequently than you did earlier on. Make sure the container has a drainage hole to let excess water escape.
Recipe for front porch planters
Here are the plants used in this combination:
- ‘Creamy Pineapple’ coleus
- Yellow lantana
- ‘Salsa Light Purple’ salvia
- ‘Prism Sunshine’ grandiflora petunia
- ‘Wave Blue’ spreading petunia
- Australian fan flower (Scaveola aemula)
- Curly English ivy
- ‘Marine’ heliotrope
This one took my breath away! My problem is probably not putting enough plants in the containers. Is there a green rule of thumb? ha!