Pssst...here's THE DIRT on color in outdoor planters
Let's talk color! Filling an empty container is like an artist with a blank palette. Lots of opportunity for creativity and making it fit your space and personality. We absolutely love using lots of different colors in the container gardens we create and we don’t mean the colors on the flowers. We're talking about the leaves on the plants themselves. Plants fall into these color categories: chartreuse, purple, silvery blue and green. It's sometimes a challenge, but we try to mix at least three of these colors into one container. Take a look at the picture above and you’ll see the silvery blue dusty miller, chartreuse moneywort and green angelonia and pentas. Also, adding one plant with a variegated leaf adds some interest.
Do give some thought to the color of your container when you are selecting the colors of your plants. If you have a light colored container, you may consider a dark spiller (like purple sweet potato vine) and if you have a dark colored container, you may want to go with a spiller color that will pop (like chartreuse sweet potato vine or moneywort). Same goes for the background to the container, which is typically the color of the house or business. If it is a dark background, I would suggest using a bright thriller plant that will show up against the dark and vice versa, if you have a light colored background, you may want to use a dark thriller plant so you can see it from the street and it doesn't blend into the wall behind it.
Fair warning, all the thought that goes into selecting the right colors adds A LOT of time at the garden center. But we don't mind that do we?
Our favorite container gardening tools
Julie and I are both obsessed with these gardening tools. The Hori Hori garden knife and Joseph Bentley potting scoop. The knife can cut through the toughest roots in an outdoor pot without any problem. It's serrated edges also can open bags of mulch or soil if you don't have scissors handy. We love the potting scoop because you can add new soil quickly to a planter since the scoop is so large and moves so much dirt. Do yourself a favor and buy these for the spring planting season. You won't be sorry!
The Scoop on Upcoming Events
Adorn will be offering a fun container gardening workshop in April. Hope you're excited to get your hands dirty after a long winter! We sure are!
We will be returning to West Elm Oklahoma City in Classen Curve for a container gardening workshop on Saturday, April 21st at 10:00am.
Stay tuned to Adorn on Facebook and Instagram for registration information. Grab some friends and join us!
Let Adorn Help You
Do you love pretty planters but don't have time to do it yourself? Spring is just around the corner friends! Let Adorn plant seasonal flowers and plants in your outdoor pots and cross that task off your list. Whether it's for your front porch or store front, we'd love to help. Also, an Adorn gift certificate makes a perfect gift for Mother's Day!
Curb Appeal Shout Out!
Allen Dunn, Owner of Designers Decor by Bruno & Dunn, reached out to us for help with his store's outdoor planters in the spring of 2016. We appreciate Allen's love of curb appeal and attention to detail to ensure his customers have pretty outdoor container gardens to welcome them as they enter his fabulous store. Designers Decor by Bruno & Dunn is located at 3714 N. Western Avenue in OKC. His store has a unique mix of furniture and home decor featuring local artists and artisans. It's a fun store!