For many people, their garden is in constant flux. Sure, you may get the flower beds dug out, amended, and prepped for bedding plants. Your lawn may be in great shape. You might, however want to add some interest to dark corners, the edge of the patio or deck, or at the end of the sidewalk. How can you do that without a major overhaul of your landscaping? One way is through the use of large planters in the garden. Sure, you probably have flower pots on the porch, but large planters bring a whole new dimension to your garden. Here are some pointers for incorporating these structural statements into your garden.
Add Impact to Dead Corners
Many gardeners have a section of their garden where nothing will grow. It could be that the dogs like that spot for watching over the neighborhood, or the soil has too much clay to support plant life. Don’t be afraid to go big in spaces like this. A meter-wide planter can support an exotic looking black mimosa tree, and add an incredible accent to your garden without any trouble. The dogs can still keep watch in that corner around the base of the new planter, but there is no problem with the fact that nothing else will grow in the soil.
Dress Up the Pool
If you have a pool in your yard, consider placing large planters full of a mixture of tall and trailing plants. They create a nice blend of natural elements with the often hard surfaces surrounding a pool. The sway of plants elevated above the deck add a certain sense of luxury to the area.
Add Vertical Interest
The vertical aspect of large planters adds a new dimension to your garden. The visual impact of potted trees and shrubs serves to make use of space in the garden that is underused – the sky. In small gardens, this gives you the chance to go upward with your gardening, creating a canopy of living plants even if your entire garden is paved or decked.
With a large garden, you can use large planters to force perspective. Placed at the distant corners of your garden, the oversized plants and pots will make the distant areas appear to be closer. On the other hand, you can create forced perspective by placing the large pots on the deck, and locating small ones at the far corners. This makes them look even further away.
Take It With You
If you rent, and don’t want to put a lot of work into landscaping that you can’t take with you. invest your money and pruning talents into shrubs planted in large pots, and you not only bring more greenery to your garden, you have something you can take with you.
Large planters are not really common in any but estate landscaping. Average gardens, though, can house these sculptural elements quite comfortably. For this reason, they are gaining in popularity.