How to Landscape Around a Sugar Pot

Sugar pots or kettles were used in the 1800s for processing sugar. They are now used as planters or for aquatic gardens or fountains. The landscaping around a sugar pot should be an extension of what is in the pot for a coordinated, landscaped look. Tropical plants with bright foliage complement sugar pots used for aquatic gardens and water fountains. For floral interest, blooming annuals and perennials planted within the pot can also be planted around it.

Sugar pot or kettle
Landscape plants
Dirt shovel
Rototiller
Soil amendments
Water
Mulch

Instructions

- 1
  Determine the desired theme of the landscape. Purchase plants that will convey this theme. Select plants that will grow no taller than the top of the sugar pot to place along the front or all the way around if it will be viewed from all sides.
- 2
  
  Canna lilies are available in a wide variety of bloom and foliage colors.
  
  Purchase brightly colored foliage plants, like coleus and rex begonias, for a tropical look in a shady or partly shady location. Use foliage plants, like beefsteak and caricature plants, in a bright and sunny location. Choose taller plants, like canna lilies or ornamental millet, to plant behind a sugar pot that is set in front of a fence or in a foundation landscape. Use short foliage plants, such as sorrel or calico plants, to fill in around the taller plants.
- 3
  
  Petunias are available in vining and bushy varieties.
  
  Purchase flowering annuals or perennials, such as petunias, impatiens, rose balsam and geraniums, for a floral theme. Plant vining and shorter varieties of flowering plants in the sugar pot. Select taller clump-forming or bushy varieties to plant around the sugar pot.
- 4
  Prepare the area around the sugar pot by removing any grass or preexisting vegetation that will not be included in the landscape. Make sure the prepared area is wide enough for the landscape plants’ mature sizes. Till the soil with a rototiller or dirt shovel. Add soil amendments, such as fertilizer, compost and leaf mold, if necessary to improve the soil’s nutrient levels and consistency. Mix the soil amendments in completely.
- 5
  Set the plants in front of their intended planting locations. Dig the planting holes, making sure they are far enough away from the sugar pot to accommodate the plants' mature sizes. Plant the landscape plants at the same depth they were growing in their containers. Water them generously. Mulch the plants to a depth of 2 to 3 inches.

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