Has your garden gone to pot? Well, if so, you're not alone. All over the country, cool containers are being used to create gorgeous gardens. And there's no better place to find examples of this than at the Denver Botanical Gardens. Pots are purposely planted throughout the place to produce a parade of floral fantasies. A staff horticulturist guided host Rebecca Kolls through the myriad of pots.
At the aquatic garden massive groupings of pots crowd together for a dramatic effect. The pots contain water hyacinth, papyrus and water cannas for brilliant orange color. Taro and a variety of grasses such as corkscrew rush add height and interest, while plants like variegated water carrot spill over the sides.
Returning to soil-based plants, we found the pot of poison, with its devilish rich mix of chocolate coreopsis, a bold bounty of lion's ear, some cosmos and the poisonous but beautiful castor bean. It can create a dramatic arrangement but one you'll want to keep away from children and pets.
Gardeners don't need to get extravagant with their pots. For example, a large black urn is filled with variegated ivy curling down over the sides, and for an extra touch, parsley is sticking out on top. It is quite beautiful, conveying an English touch without the pomp and circumstance. Another example of English elegance is a picture-perfect set of three pots. The center pot holds a large bromeliad, flanked by simple tree roses surrounded by variegated thyme at the base.
If your passion is pink, try planting large silver coleus, mixed with cuphea, lavatera and verbena. Or if you prefer purple, purple coleus and spike dracaena perform perfectly in pots. And there's the monochromatic container, filled with variegated figs, bacopa, white flowering maple and some mother-in-law's tongue.
Finally, some planting tips: To plant a big pot, first put a five-gallon pail inside to take up space. Then add a soilless potting mix, mixed with a time-release fertilizer. Stay away from peat moss because it expands too much. Lastly, pack in the plants, so the pot looks good right away.
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