Planters have enjoyed popularity for thousands of years. The Greeks, Romans and Persians used planters (mostly in the form of urns) to plant and grow herbs. Choices for the type of material used to make most of the planters was limited to either stone or clay. If you were wealthy you could have had a planter made in cast bronze. The choice of materials today for planters are quite varied, as are the shape, size and color.
Choosing and Placing Planters
Planters are considered an architectural element that gives you added dimension and provides functionality. They can stand alone, fill a gap in the landscape border, provide privacy, delineate an entryway, be used as a focal point, grouped together, or line a driveway.
Things to Consider:
Decide where your planters will be positioned. Will they be in full sun, full shade, part shade?
Will you want to plant the planter with foliage plants or flowering plants or a combination of both?
Will they be planted in the summer only, or will the plants be changed for spring and fall? If so, will all the planters be used for the fall and/or spring?
Do you plan to overwinter your plants? In northern climates, certain planters cannot be left to overwinter outside or they will crack. Materials like ceramic, plastic, clay usually end up in the garage or the basement. Other planters can be left in place and wrapped in Styrofoam and burlap. I'll cover overwintering your planters in greater detail in Part 2 of Planters later in the year, so stay tuned.
Take your time and do the research.
The choices for the varieties and types of plants for use in planters are endless. You may wish to plant your planters with nothing but foliage plants; or all flowering plants; or a combination of both. Remember, the location of the planter will dictate the choices that you make. Flowers like begonias, impatiens, coleus, and arum lily prefer shade to part shade; whereas flowers like canna, dahlia, marigold, and zinnia like full sun.
Cannaas are usually small when you purchase them and may take most of the summer to be mature enough to blossom. The same can be said for dahlias - they will flower earlier, but their flowers will be small. You may wish to keep them and overwinter the plants. By doing so, plants will flower earlier and they will be bigger the next year.
When it comes to planters, like with all gardening projects, a couple hours of planning will save you tenfold in time and toil. Do your research, plant your planters, and sit back and enjoy the blooming results. Happy planting!
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