• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to footer

Garden Making

Inspiring ideas and information for great home gardens

Search

  • Design
  • Containers
  • Food
  • Gardens to visit
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
    • Manitoba
    • Ontario
    • Quebec
    • New Brunswick
    • Nova Scotia
    • Newfoundland
    • England
    • U.S.
  • Events Calendar
    • By organizing group
    • By location of events
    • In British Columbia
    • In Alberta
    • In Saskatchewan
    • In Manitoba
    • In Ontario
    • In Quebec
    • In New Brunswick
    • In Nova Scotia
    • In Prince Edward Island
    • In Newfoundland & Labrador
    • Local garden tours
    • Plant sales across Canada
    • Outside Canada
    • Form to list your event
  • Reader photos
    • Reader images of gardens
    • Container gardening images
    • Reader images of plants in 2019
    • Reader images of plants in 2018
    • Reader images of plants in 2017
    • Reader images of plants in 2016
    • Submit photo to Garden Making
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Containers / Sunny combo for your container gardening

Sunny combo for your container gardening

By Beckie Fox Filed Under: Containers

Sunny container combination (Garden Making photo)
Sunny container combination (Garden Making photo)

The beauty of container gardening is trying new plant and colour combinations every year.

Here a sunny container combo that I liked so much, I may recreate it again:

  • 1 red-edged green New Zealand flax (Phormium cultivar)
  • 1 golden box honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida ‘Baggesen’s Gold’)
  • 1 weeping brown sedge (Carex flagellifera)
  • 1 bronze-leaved sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas ‘Sweet Caroline Bronze’)
  • 2 gold lantana (Lantana ‘New Gold’)
  • 4 red French marigolds (Tagetes ‘Safari Red’)

These 10 plants filled an 18-inch (45-cm) diameter terracotta pot, sited in partial shade

The flax bulked up in a couple of weeks and provided more height to the composition. Only the lantana and marigolds needed occasional deadheading to keep the pot looking spiffy.

Published: August 9, 2007 | Updated: February 2, 2019

About Beckie Fox

Beckie is Editor of Garden Making. She is a Master Gardener and published author in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Josie says

    September 2, 2010 at 5:35 am

    I just discovered your site via the Home Show e-mailings I subscribe to.

    I love this arrangement. Could you please suggest/post something similar that can be sited on a sunny, hot, east balcony; and one for the comming fall days?

    Regards

    Josie

    Reply
    • Beckie says

      September 2, 2010 at 1:13 pm

      Hi Josie:
      Welcome! Most garden centres are beginning to offer plants for fall containers. Asters and mums like it warm and sunny, as do purple fountain grass and ornamental peppers–some of the newer ones are glossy, dark purple. Herbs and silver-leaved plants like it hot and sunny, too. Whatever combination you choose, make sure you check soil moisture daily–even if the days begin to cool, sun and wind can quickly dry out soil. For more fall container planting ideas, see the Fall issue of Garden Making–several ideas on pages 14-15. Beckie Fox, Editor

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Search

Reader submissions

  • Enter draw to win a prize
  • Form to list your event
  • Submit photo to Garden Making

Garden Making magazine

  • Buy magazine back issues
  • Garden Making list of magazine issues
  • Garden Making index of magazine articles

When you’re looking for

  • Books for gardeners
  • Containers in your garden
  • Design
  • Food to grow
  • Gardens to visit
  • Growing from seed
  • How to
  • Plant ideas
  • Tips for gardeners

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

We do not share emails. Your information will be used as outlined in our Privacy Policy.

Please look for our email. You must click on the link in the email to confirm. Check your inbox or spam folder.

Copyright © 2021 Inspiring Media Inc. | GARDEN MAKING is a registered trademark | About | Service | Terms of use | Privacy policy | Account