Cook Up Great Combination Gardens for Your Outdoor Planters

I enjoy gardening on my modest Zone 7 property in Baltimore County, Maryland. The Land of Pleasant Living! I do not have the luxury of gardening in a large and sprawling yard, but I do have a semi-spacious patio and a shaded porch and deck that I decorate by planting combination garden containers and hanging baskets.

My space is limited, so for me, the beauty and satisfaction that I derive from gardening is achieved by creating these attractive planters and hanging baskets using compatible plant combinations.

Creating a beautiful combination of plants and flowers for containers and hanging baskets rely mainly on one premise to be successful . . . combine several varieties of plants suitable to each other grown in a container placed in the appropriate growing location, and meet the light and moisture requirements of the selected plants. There, simple, right?

Like layering an appetizing dessert, you place layers of different plant varieties or colors as your ingredients that together combine to produce a tasty treat . . . a feast for the senses! Well, it can be an easy effort with just a bit of pre-planning and a nod to the chef in you!

Deciding which plants to combine together requires a bit of research. As little energy as reading and following the care tag that accompanies the plants, to as an elaborate project as you enjoy undertaking. Do you want to cultivate on the scale of a grand city arboretum, a massive meadow for butterflies, or would you rather maintain a container the conservative size of a party punch bowl? My grandmother used to tell me, “Hon, start yourself off easy if you don’t know you way around the kitchen!”

The plant combinations that you create should be compatible, attractive and fairly low maintenance. Think of them as a theme and plant them like a recipe . The location of your container will dictate the varieties that you select to grow. Blending the right combinations together will better your chances for a delicious looking outdoor living space!

Now you have a batch of opportunity to express your individually ~ your creative gardening self ~ while adapting to your ability and your budget. You can focus your spending on pretty pottery planters and accessories and go with less expensive plants, or just the reverse. Cater to your own level of comfort to get the results you hope for. Gardening shouldn’t be stressful, for goodness sake!

Picture your container like a dart board target with its concentric circles as your planting zones. Your goal is to achieve the ‘thriller, ‘filler’, and ‘spiller’ effect! Start in the ’bulls eye’ by planting a tall or spiky variety for height as your ‘thriller‘, a full medium-sized plant as your ‘filler’ to add interest to the next outward growing band, and finish the outer-most planting zone with more prostrate or cascading plant types that ‘spill‘ over to soften edges. The container or hanging basket then looks evenly planted and pretty from all angles. I call this my recipe for success!

Themed concoctions are fun to create in the kitchen, why not my patio and porch? I have a window box outside my kitchen window where I’m growing my Pizza Please combo planter. Basil, Oregano and Chive in the center, and upright and creeping Thyme as both ‘filler’ and ‘spiller’. Smells great as it looks! Here are some more of my favorites, get your inspiration and get planting, and good luck!

You can stir your creativity and take on a themed recipe combination planter that satisfies your craving for gardening on any scale! Weather or not you are creative, a novice or a well-seasoned gardener, you garden on a tight budget, or spend like no tomorrow, a container planted and maintained with care can cook up outstanding results!

Made in the Shade

Cook up a cute combination of plants for a shade-loving theme . A shady spot is perfect for a combination planter comprised of foliage plants sporting solid colors or color variegations coupled with either contrasting or corresponding flowering plants. Gone are the days when a shady spot limited a gardener to a fern in an urn! If your plant has, for example green and white colored leaves with purple accents, combine it with a spikier formed bloomer with complimentary colors of blue, or contrast that purple with yellow. Similar to the recipe above, center a tall variety in the target bulls eye, surround with ‘filler’ plants and finish the edges with ‘spillers’.

Hot & Spicy

Combine plants for a sun-loving theme. Choose heat tolerant plants that have similar moisture requirements. Spice it up with vivid summer colors and mix up the forms and habits of the plants for your container or hanging basket. Blend to create a recipe with just a few simple ingredients. The colors can set the mood. Hot oranges, yellows, and reds together shout “Summer is here dear, lets go!” Combining blues and purples with silvers and white calmly whispers, “Be cool fool, just chill!”