How to Create a Beautiful Flower Collage

Container gardening is easy even for the gardener challenged with a brown thumb and the results can be spectacular. Choose plants with colors that complement or contrast with one another and put them together into a container with a large flat surface area such as a half barrel. Select colors that acknowledge the season like orange, white, and red for fall or red, green, and white for Christmas. The finished container can be placed as an accent on the patio, beside the front door, or in the landscape.

Planting in Containers

Selecting the container is the first task in creating your flower picture. Although purchasing a large container from a local nursery or retail store is a good choice, a gardener can find many appropriate and unique containers at yard sales and recycling centers. Think outside the box, literally. An old wheel barrow or child’s rusted wagon for example can create an interesting plant container.

The container needs to be deep enough to give the plant’s roots room and must have drainage so that the roots do not become waterlogged. A gardener can purchase commercial potting soil or may chose to make his own. If organic potting soil is preferred the National Sustainable Agricultural Service suggests using a combination of clean topsoil, sand, and compost in equal parts.

Fill the bottom of the container with rocks or pieces of broken clay pots to allow dry space for the plant roots. Add enough soil so that the plants with their roots will be at the correct height. Then, place the plants in the container in a visually pleasing arrangement taking into consideration the plant’s height at maturity.

After the plants are placed, gently add soil around the plants to about 2 inches from the top of the container. Water the plants into their places using a sprinkler or watering can. Do not use full force hose as that can damage the plants and the pressure can throw out soil.

Add fertilizer when the plants are first placed in the container and every two to three weeks after that. Fertilizers for Container Gardens suggests several options for adding nutrients to containers including information liquids, organic, and slow release types.

Good Plants for Container Gardening

The suggested plants are hardy and easy to grow. All About Planters suggests using light color flowers for shaded areas and brightly colored ones in full sun. Mix and match to create a picture collage.

• Impatiens‚Äî comes in several colors ranging from white to red
• Salvia‚Äîbrightly colored cones in red, orange, and blue
• Caladiums‚Äîvariegated leaves in either red and green or white and green
• Geraniums
• Marigolds
• Coleus
• Sweet Potato Vine‚Äîlight green leaves
• Dusty Miller‚Äîgray-green leaves
• Purple Fountain Grass makes a lovely focal point in a container
• Trailing lobelia

There are so many great choices for a container flower collage, a gardener may want to tour local nursery or arboretum several times to get ideas before making his or her selection. A book with many good ideas for creating beautiful container is Container Gardening by Alan Toogood.