It seemed only natural to place my planted-up containers ON the patios in my garden, as seen in this photo of my front yard. But there were problems with this seemingly obvious approach.
One, pots sitting on flagstone need to be raised up – somehow – so they’ll drain. Otherwise, possible death-by-drowning.
This year I removed a couple of too-large Carexes from the border and put the pots there instead. They now drain naturally into the soil!
Two, the pots took up quite a bit of patio room, especially later in the season. This pano view shows the now-reclaimed patio space.
Above, another group of pots in their new positions – inside the border.
Here are the pots you saw in the first three photos, decorated for winter with real Juniper parts and some fake berries and other craft-store items. The groundcover showing here is Comfrey, one of my favorites. That’s pretty darn evergreen! Behind the pots are the stems of ‘Little Joe’ Joe Pye Weed and some bronze fennel.
In the winter, with the annuals gone, I love that the turquoise pots are revealed in all their glory. Your taste may vary, I know, but super-colorful pots are enough to brighten my days from now until late April when the new annuals go in.
One last benefit to pots in borders: Whether they’re naturally colorful or decorated just for winter, they help fill up otherwise empty-looking borders.
From left, next to my front door; on the back-yard patio, one of three like it.
Taller decorations like these could contribute even more to otherwise empty borders.
Why bother to decorate containers? Here in warming-up Zone 7, containers are rarely covered with snow, so they’re SEEN. Yet, in December it feels like a loooong time ’til the next frost-free date when I can fill them up again with real plants.
Susan,
Pretty garden and pots. Colorful! Same type of garden that I enjoy here in Zone 6. I am jealous of your Zone 7 ability to safely grow Camellias, Tea Olives, more (less hardy) Figs, Rhododendrons and Azaleas. That is not to say, however, that I do not give in to some Zone 7 temptations from time to time.
Merry Christmas!
John
Great idea moving the pots into the border especially when space is tight. Actually improves the flow of the patio. Colour in winter, no matter where it comes, is always good.
Never had problems with pots not draining on patio because I installed free flat stones myself and nothing even, so always have to shim the pots, providing drainage. Too many bulbs in the beds to plant annuals so I would put the annuals in pots in the bed. None as pretty and vibrant as yours! Need to get some, turquoise, probably not
I love this! The first time I really saw containers used well within a border was at the Decatur, Georgia garden of the late Ryan Gainey. I was a volunteer at a garden tour for which he had opened his garden, as he so often did. He used large, colorful pots overflowing with bright annuals to fill gaps in the borders, and it was just gorgeous. A real highlight of the day for me, though, was that I got to meet and chat with him. I was several months pregnant, and he kindly ushered me to a rocking chair on his shady porch where I could sit and answer visitors’ questions, give them handouts, etc. He sat there with me chatting for a little while! Although he had the reputation of being abrupt to people sometimes, he was the soul of kindness to me that day, and he seemed to really enjoy watching people enjoy his garden.
I loved Ryan Gainey from afar. In 1994, a video he made changed my life. I wrote about it on my blog as follows. We were living and working (unhappily) at a resort while I tried to make up my mind about whether or not to move permanently from Seattle to the Long Beach Peninsula. “I knew the situation had to be temporary. All I had to do was make a decision.
The local library lay only two blocks away and one day I found there a video called Creating the Romantic Garden by Ryan Gainey.
At the end of the wonderful story of his garden in Atlanta, Georgia, Ryan Gainey spoke of how he looked at his own garden from across the street and thought “I wish that were mine” and then he says “I realized it was mine because I chose to make it mine.” I started crying with the revelation: I had to choose, I had to have my own garden again, I had to sell my house in Seattle OR go back there; I had the power and resources to have my own domain and I had to exercise that power. I did not have the resources to buy a group of cottages and be an innkeeper, but I did have enough to buy a little house and garden, so that very day I called a realtor and said “I am ready to buy a house at the beach.”
I do believe that not everyone has the option to choose to change their life like that. I was able to buy a house and am forever grateful to Mr. Gainey for inspiring me to get out of a very bad and depressing job, which resulted in my partner and I going out on our own as a self employed jobbing gardeners.
When he died, I cried on and off for a couple of days and it is still so painful to think of how his life ended. I later saw a documentary about him which revealed some problems…I still love him.
I wonder if that video is available to watch anywhere but on the old VHS tape? If not, I wish someone would reissue it on DVD or streaming. It was wonderful.
Thank you SO much for sharing your lovely story!
Love the mauve chairs!
In my hot dry climate, placing pots in beds among plants in the ground reduces heat stress and increases humidity at ground level. Added plus–instant fix for empty spots. Plants in pots on pavement fry and die–the reflected heat is brutal.
Color is joyful–why apologize? Flaunt it!
I’m definitely a fan of bright pots. Love the classic seating, banana & the Joe Pye, too. The great Irish gardener Helen Dillon also incorporates many containers in her garden to spectacular effect. You might enjoy her book—Garden Artistry Secrets of Designing and Planting a Small Garden
I frequently put pots in beds – it never occurred to me not to. The only thing you have to watch for is that ultimately the plants’ roots will find their way through the drain holes and root firmly in the ground. That wouldn’t be a problem except it can clog up the holes and reduce the drainage completely. (Ask me how I know.) And if you want to relocate the pot, you’ll have to cut or uproot the plants. Other than that, the plants are much happier in the beds than on the hot pavement, as was mentioned above.