It is finally warming up and we can start sprucing up our outdoor spaces. Evenings on the patio are so much nicer with pots full of beautiful flowers all around you! But I realize it can be intimidating choosing which plants to add to your large outdoor planters so I have some simple tips to make it easier! Here's how to choose plants for large outdoor planters.
This post is brought to you by Digz Gardening but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own.
When shopping for plants you should consider height, texture, bloom size, while also selecting something that will drape over the side for drama. Let's get into it!
Height
If all the plants you choose are the same height, there are no layers. Without varying heights you lack depth. It is just like with flowerbeds. You want some tall things in the back and have the plants get gradually shorter as you move towards the front of the bed. The tall plant you go with will become the focal point of the planter.
Texture
A planter full of only flowers will still be pretty because flowers are stunning no matter what. But if you want to take your planter to the next level, add in some texture for even more visual interest. Choose things like ferns and grasses that are eye-catching and also add much needed greenery to your large planters.
Bloom Size
When choosing flowers for my large planters I like to pick some with large blooms and some with small blooms. Just like in decorating when you are mixing and matching prints, you don't want them to all be large, loud designs. You need to mix in some smaller, understated ones too.
Spiller
This is probably my favorite ingredient in a successful planter. I love seeing a plants dramatically spilling over the edge of a planter. It is especially beautiful (and needed) when your large planter is tall. Groundcovers like ivy, periwinkle, sedum, creeping thyme, and sweet woodruff are great for spilling over the side. Most are perennial too so depending on your climate and how you store the pots in the winter, they will last multiple years. Other annuals that work great are sweet potato vine, nasturtiums, and black-eyed Susan vine.
Doing Double Duty
Some of the plants you choose can even do double duty. Tall grasses not only give you height, but they are also a fun texture. If you plant a tall flower like cosmos or delphinium, they are not only lofty, but they are your large bloom. A plant with small blooms can also grow down over the sides to be your spiller. The possibilities are really endless with all the mixing and matching!
Sun or Shade
When selecting your plants make sure they all have the same light requirements. If the spot you will be placing the planters is in full sun, then go with plants that can handle that. If they will be in shade, then plants that like lower light conditions are better. There are also a lot of options of plants that like part sun and part shade if you have a spot that gets a mix of both.
Planting Your Larger Pots
Once you have gone to the garden center and bought your plants, it’s time to grab your gardening gloves! I add a layer of fresh soil to the pots.
Don’t be afraid to place the plants close together in your larger pot. I like them to fit in there nice and snug. As long as you loosen up their roots and they have potting soil all around them with a little room to grow, you are just fine.
I want my planter to look nice and full from the get go instead of having to wait months for it to fill out.
For this years front porch planters I decided to go with all white flowers with greenery since I got a fun new rug with a bold print. Since it had less color than in years past, I chose greenery that not only had different textures, but different shade of green. Everything from silvery and sage to dark green and shiny.
Here are just some of the past planters I have done for my front porch to give you some more ideas of plant combinations.
I hope these little tips have made choosing plants for your larger planters a bit less daunting. I have had a lot of fun changing what I plant from year to year and experimenting with different combinations. Plants are so beautiful that you really can't mess it up.
Tell me what your favorite pant combos are in the comments below. I am always looking for new variations!
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