Dress Your Yard for Success with Summer Classics
A container garden is one of the easiest ways to transform your outdoor space for the season ahead. Planters, tubs, pots and containers are some of the easiest ways to update your patio, terrace, courtyard, poolside or dining area. As leaders in luxury outdoor furniture Summer Classics understands how to dress your yard for success. Let us guide you through some of the ways you can make an impact with container gardening today.
Back to Basics: How to Create a Beautiful Container Garden for all 4 Seasons
1. Gather Your Gardening Tools
Before planting, gather these gardening essentials: good potting soil, plant food, sharp garden clippers, ornamental moss, bark or stones, a clean trowel, gardening gloves and other protective gear, such as an outdoor apron, sunscreen, and a wide-brim hat.
2. Find the Light: Sun vs. Shade-loving Plants
Want your container garden to thrive? Always check the tags before you purchase plants and flowers, as they will indicate the type of sun exposure and precipitation that your plants prefer. Make sure to put plants that like the same aspect together in your chosen container or planter.
3. Perennial vs. Annual Plants
While perennial plants grow back each year, annual plants live for one season only.. Both types of plants have pros and cons, so you should compare the benefits of labor, appearance, and cost before finalizing your container garden.
4. Choose Your Containers
When full of soil and plants pots and planters can be very heavy. Find a position for your container before you go ahead and begin potting up your plants.
Styling Tips
Lydia Pursell, owner of Leaf & Petal in Birmingham, Alabama, has a unique formula for her container gardens; she follows the ‘thrill, fill, and spill’ method. This tried-and-true gardener’s technique creates beautiful combinations in your container garden.
1. Thrill: The focal point. The most eye-catching element with color and height.
2. Fill: Adds softness and ‘body’. This element should complement the ‘thrill’.
3. Spill: Lends drama! Don’t forget this cascading element.
Follow these five simple steps, and watch your outdoor space flourish this season.
1. Style Container Gardens with Cut Flowers
For subtle contrast, let your potted plants mingle with bouquets of freshly cut blooms or ultra-romantic dried flowers. If you haven’t played with dried bouquets yet, this year could be the perfect time to experiment.
2. Elevate Your Container Garden
This season, we prefer the ‘elevated’ look of a raised container garden. Styling a multi-tiered outdoor console, like the Summer Classics Roma Console, is a great way to maximize your patio space and keep your potted plants within easy reach. You could add accent tables in different heights to create a dramatic ‘plant theater’ effect.
3. Upgrade Your Ceramics Collection
Want an instant garden makeover? Update your ceramics collection. For a curated look, collect plant pots from local artisans, antique shops, or if you have artistic ability paint your own pots or vessels (Just make sure they are safe for outdoor use).
4. Fragrance
Create an aromatic outdoor oasis by researching which flowers give off the sweetest scent. This gardening strategy is a little like mixing a signature perfume for your outdoor spaces: get creative and cluster multiple flowers for a custom scent. For example, prioritize evening scented blooms around your dining area. Nicotiniana, phlox, gardenia and jasmine will all fill the air with a delicious perfume as the day draws to a close.
Potted herbs can also be an attractive, fragrant and tasty way to update your outdoor kitchen or backyard patio. Our favorite fragrant herbs are rosemary, sage, and thyme, which will also flower and attract key pollinators to your garden.
5. Lighten Up with Garden Lighting
Once your fall planting is complete, illuminate your hard work with well-designed outdoor lighting. We love the classic look (and flexibility) of metal and glass lanterns. Should you choose to rearrange your container garden, lanterns can be moved right alongside your garden arrangement.
Summer Classics outdoor chandeliers are robust enough to withstand the wet, and there is a selection of floor lamps to light up even the darkest porch.