If you’re as uninspired as we are by the pre-planted container gardens for sale at many nurseries and big-box garden centers, you may want to get your hands on a copy of Terrain: The Container Garden Book, the newest volume from the popular purveyor of bo-ro (bohemian-romantic) goods for the home and garden. (Did we just coin a new term?) Every season, their team dreams up beautiful potted combinations of plants to display at the entrances to their stores, and what sets their creations apart is their sheer originality. There’s nothing formulaic or prosaic about their container gardens, no mindless adherence to the long-held “thriller, filler, spiller” rule.
In fact, the planters pictured in the book largely eschew that adage in favor of compositions that are more naturalistic and unconventional. Divided into four sections—spring, summer, fall, and winter—the book offers plenty of exciting ideas for seasonal plant combinations, as well as practical advice like choosing a container, preparing it for planting, and selecting a topper (e.g., pebbles, straw mulch, moss, etc.) But the most important reason to welcome the book into your library is that it will nudge you to skip that Costco buy and to instead plant a container garden yourself that is as interesting and unique as you are.
Below, we share five examples from the book of artful summer plant combos.
Excerpted from Terrain: The Container Garden Book by Melissa Bartley and Greg Lehmkuhl (Artisan Books).
Floral Rambler
Sunbeam
Celestial Succulents
Fiery Plumes
Blue Skies
See also:
- 14 Questions with Melissa Lowrie, Author of ‘Terrain: The House Plant Book’
- DIY Outdoor Planters: A Cool Palette for Hot Weather
- How to Plant a Pollinator Garden—in a Pot
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