It’s that time of year when spring has most definitely sprung.  The heat is starting to set in (and real hard-work gardening projects start to seem a little less exciting – who wants to sweat that much?). And then there is an end-of-school-year/kids’ home busyness that comes with children.  

I’m beginning to plan the annual migration of my tropical plants from my office and living room to their outdoor vacation spots on the patio and driveway.  Creating colorful container gardens is how I garden with plants that are harder to grow or that don’t fit in my increasingly low-maintenance native and naturalistic inground garden and landscape.  The containers are where I can bring new idea boards to life; I can play with different plants, and I constantly change things up for new and exciting designs and seasonal displays.  

Who needs to make things harder with a complicated flower pot design? My own attitude toward container gardening has evolved over the years. I no longer stress myself with mixed containers of disparate plants that have been combined only because they fit a rhyming theme (you know, the thriller filler spiller mantra 🙄.

Instead, I work with a collection of potted plants that are easy to arrange and rearrange, swap out when they are not at their best, and generally have fun with all season and all year round.

If you have garden containers to fill and would love to have the cooling freshness that plants bring to any space (indoors or out) – you don’t need to make anything harder than it needs to be.

Keep it simple without sacrificing style with these container garden combos.

The trick is this: One Pot + One (type of ) Plant = Huge Designer Style.

Yes, this is just two elements (a plant and a pot), but it is a thoughtful combination that is magical. A lot can be accomplished if you don’t try too hard.  Let me know if you think these hit the mark…

Container Combination Ferns and Buckets

Galvanized Ribbed Container From Rejuvenation

Black Terracotta Plant From Rejuvenation

Lush ferns are happy with a little dry shade.  (This means you won’t be as much a slave to them as to other, more needy plants.)  

One big fern can fill a shiny metal bucket or look super sexy adjacent to some black terracotta. (I am not sure which look I like better).  

Ferns tend to be cheap and plentiful, and they give you an opportunity to surround yourself with the fresh rainforest garden feel.  This look will work with nearly any house style or outdoor space and will give you a nice sense of enclosure and lushness. 

Ferns look better (and are happier) in a spot that doesn’t get baked by the sun all day (patio, front porch, flanking the garage, etc)  – but most ferns can take at least a half day’s exposure. 

Sassy Grasses + Monochrome Planters = Chic Container Garden Combo

Modern Pink Planter from Burke Home

Pink is usually a soft garden color that makes me think of grandmas cottage.  But this contemporary pink container filled with Pink Muhly grass asserts a strong modern sensibility that is really the opposite of faded blowsy blossoms.  It is more of a standout feature that sets the scene.  (All about pink Muhly grass)

If you have a chic pool deck or maybe a cozy mid-century home, this monochromatic combination is an easy way to make a big design statement.  

If you aren’t into pink, maybe switch it up with a purple grass and a plum container or a silvery grass and a grey container.) 

Flower Pot Combinations – Stately Castor Bean and Rustic Terracotta Flower Pot Design

Antique Terracotta Planter from Rejuvenation

I have an obsession with Ricinus (Castor Bean) – for me, it is a case of wanting the thing I can’t have (or maybe shouldn’t have).  

Here in New England, I’ve never once seen it in a nursery (I’ve always grown mine from seed). I know down on Long Island, there are lots of places where I can find this ‘dangerous’ but stately plant.  But, you know, — New Yorkers — and their fashionable ways. 😉  

To keep an eye on this plant, you might want to grow castor beans in a pot – it works well and quickly the plants will be quite tall. Ricinus are very ornamental plants that are easy to grow from seed (they are annuals, they grow very fast and achieve 5-6 ft heights in one growing season. 

This combo of exotic and exciting Castor Bean with the Moroccan Planter from Rejuvenation is a dangerous and sexy mix. 

Other less controversial plants that could be substituted here are amaranth, Quinoa, or maybe rhubarb, though I have read that many people struggle to keep this heavy feeder happy in a pot.  Alternatively, you can keep it simple and classic and enjoy easy red geraniums.  

Bright Fresh Blues with Modern Reclaimed Wood

Wood and blue are a classic country garden chic combo that makes container gardens easy.  If you feel absolutely compelled to add in something else for a multi-plant combination planter, I would choose a grey of silver plant.

Try dusty miller (an upright option) or Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’  (a trailing plant).  Both would be great companion plants to the borage (all are happy with bright sun and not needing excess water to perform well). 

Reclaimed Wood Planter from Greenery By Design

Clean, bright, and cheery, this combo is the Pollyanna of my little collection.  I can see this container nicely paired with perhaps another wooden vessel (of different sizes, shapes, or heights) similarly filled with white daisies or something fresh and clean.

Other options to extend the season of pretty blue flowers into the spring would be to grow leafy brunnera. I’d also like to try growing Anchusa Dropmore or amsonia in a pot like this.

Modern Container Garden Idea – Pair Unique Succulents with a Shapely Pot

For an eye-catching Mediterranean look, try a combo of Lotus Golden Parrots Beak with a classic Olive Oil Urn From Ballard Design.   It gives Southern Italian or Moroccan plant pot vibes, and it is timeless and traffic-stopping. 

This is probably suited to a climate warmer than my own – a place where the Lotus would not have to be brought indoors in the winter to survive.  

An Olive urn planter is a unique shape that I think calls for an equally special plant partner. This type of container garden combo – where you are focussing on complimenting shapes – can yield artful results.  The Lotus is a draping plant that will send branches of silver over the side, topped off with flowers that kinda look like flames. 

So, which is your favorite?  Are you going to give any of these a try? 

Learn More about Growing A Collected Container Garden:

Would you like to learn more about how to create successful container gardens?  Containers are great solutions for small spaces, urban areas, and even for growing vegetables (in the prettiest way possible). To learn how to create all-season collections of potted plants – Join me in my annual course – Creating Containers – A Year of Creating Collected Gardens in Pots with Rochelle Greayer.

Related Container Garden Design Posts:

• Revel in the Beauty of Ravel
• Spring Bulbs & Containers – How to Mix & Match
• The Language of Flowers: Combinations to Say What You Really Mean
• Our dirty little secret — what to do with pots.
• 40 ideas for better flower pot designs and cool container gardens