If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for a moment.
Georgia O’Keefe, artist
Container gardening is a lot like painting. Your canvas is your container of dirt. What you plant in your container is your art. Container gardening is designing.
Some people have amazing vision; they easily see what is not yet there, but what could be. Others just see the dirt. Creating from that can be daunting.
Fear of change
One of my challenges with container gardening is trying new designs. I am not the most courageous person when it comes to stepping away from my comfort zone to try new things. And as much as gardening tests my patience and willingness to keep trying, at least the flowers do not judge me. When I plant flowers that thrive, I tend to repeat the process, every year.
I have to make an effort to step away from the comfort to “repaint” or replant the same flowers in the same pots. It is challenging when certain flowers grow well under certain circumstances, such as in full sun or full shade.
Color themes for containers
This year, I decided on color themes to help with my arrangements. This made the flower-buying process a little less daunting and more fun because I was focused on color.
First, I chose my color themes: red, pink, purple, yellow, and a little in between. Some containers are strictly limited to one color, but others might have a dabble of another, much like a highlight or accessory of clothing.
Then, I reviewed what plants worked best in sun and shade since I have both. This helped me determine which pots to use per color and the number of plants I needed.
Next, I had a list of wants and alternatives if my wants were unavailable.
Finally, I avoided stress by not getting all my plants at once. I visited various garden centers for specific needs, scoped them out, bought a few plants, and returned for more plants later. I learned that a few days make a difference with gardening inventory. What one does not have one day, that same one will have what I am looking for another day. (This final step is the most important to avoid overwhelm.)
Focusing on color themes is helpful when beginning to create your painting. Choose a main flower as your base, or feature, and add in your other flower “accessories” to enhance the beauty.
