More Container Options

Posted in Gardening Tips on January 18 2011, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.

Last week we looked dwarf conifers as container plants. Single containers – particularly with a small to medium sized tree or shrub can happily fill a corner on a patio. Sometimes, however, they look a little lonely, particularly if they don’t have enough pizzazz or weight to hold up on their own.

Many container plants look better when clustered in groups to form miniature landscapes. There is great latitude in how a homeowner can approach this task. The containers could all be the same giving a uniform look or you could go for a more eclectic arrangement of colorful and expressive pots. One way will give a formal feel to the arrangement while the other will give it an ‘arts and crafts’ feel.

You likewise have endless possibilities with your plant choices. Are you trying to create the feel of a miniature woodland on your patio, replicate a foundation planting or have a foray into a mixed perennial garden? It is important to have a vision of what you would like to create before you start selecting your container plants.

Last week we spoke a little bit about the mechanics of planting a container and looked at miniature and dwarf conifers that would thrive in a well-contained environment. While you can create a beautiful setting with all conifers, experimenting with different shades of green, yellow and blue and accenting this with all of the wonderful textures and forms that ornamental conifers come in these days having some broadleaf evergreen or deciduous playmates is always a good idea to increase interest.

Japanese Maples are particularly suited to container culture. They don’t mind having their roots restricted by the containers and do not require frequent repotting. There are many dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties to choose from.

A wonderful Japanese maple that is semi-dwarf is Acer palmatum ‘Shaina’. Shaina is a bright red in the spring, turning to a deep purple red in the summer and then back to bright red in the fall. Other Japanese maples that you can look into are Acer palmatum ‘Koto no ito’, ‘Kamagata’, ‘Sharp’s Pygmy’ and ‘Tsuma gaki’.

Mountain laurels always look spectacular in containers and are often at their best when their glossy foliage and explosion of spring color is displayed at close proximity. Some of the diminutive cultivars that are very successful are Kalmia latifolia ‘Elf’, ‘Little Linda’ and ‘Tiddlywinks’. For slightly larger yet still nicely compact varieties try Kalmia latifolia ‘Sarah’ and ‘Carousel’.

A few weeks ago we spoke about winterberry. Several of them are also very adaptable in containers such as the compact Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’, ‘Shaver’ and ‘Aurantiaca’. Don’t forget to add a male holly into your mix otherwise you will be disappointed with the lack of fruit (winterberry is dioecious – needing both a male and female plant to produce fruit).

Other candidates that you could toy with are the dwarf red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ‘Kelseyi’), a dwarf boxwood (Buxus) such as Buxus microphylla var. koreana ‘Green Gem’ or Buxus sempervirens ‘Schmidt’ or a buttercup winterhazel (Corylopsis pauciflora). There are many to choose from – this is just a few to get you thinking about how to refurbish your patio.