Can You Use Potted Plants in Your Front Landscaping?

Specimen Shrubs and Trees

• Dense evergreen shrubs make a strong impression when planted in identical containers and spaced along a walkway or driveway. Neat, careful pruning of boxwoods or yews creates a sculptural feeling. Pairs of container-planted shrubs can grace a front door or mark the beginning of a path. Larger, specimen trees look best in individual containers on their own in the center of a planting bed. Rotating the containers weekly insures even light and growth.

Seasonal Color

• Spring bulbs, flowering summer annuals and fall chrysanthemums, purchased at the local nursery, can be potted to provide seasonal interest. Investing in quality containers pays off as the display is changed from one season to the next. Another trick of experienced gardeners is to purchase plants in small pots and partially sink them in landscaping beds. Existing ground cover and mulch can conceal the containers. This gives a boost of color during times like early spring or the hottest parts of summer when few plants are flowering. During times when water use is restricted, only the sunk pots need be watered, not the whole bed.

Mixed Containers

• Sometimes a container is a miniature garden unto itself. Topiary roses or other flowering shrubs are easily combined together with annuals or ground covers like ivy. Be sure the container is large enough to provide ample room for the roots of both plants. Use this look to provide a striking accent near a door or gate.

Container Styles

• Containers work best when they complement the architecture and style of a home. A Colonial-style home with a black iron fence would look good with evergreens in black metal embossed planters flanking a brick walk. Planters that look like carved stone also work well. A contemporary style home would be accented by sleek, silvery containers, cream-colored concrete or pottery pots with clean lines.

Container Plant Maintenance

• Container plants are happiest when they have good drainage. Additional holes can be made in the bottom of the container with a hand drill. Adding a layer of sand or gravel at least two inches deep prevents standing water from rotting the plant's roots. Slow-release fertilizer added to a good soil mix gives the container plants a strong start. Until plants are well established, frequent watering is required. Check with a finger and water when the top inch of soil has dried for large containers and 1/2 inch for smaller ones.