Articles Directory | Free Articles | New Articles Daily | The use of colours, textures and Shapes in planter and planter box gardening.

I like to compare the expertise as well as the art involved in creating a planter to that of flower arranging. The vast majority of us have at sometime placed one or two flowers in a pot and enjoyed the results. A few of us have taken a bit longer and arranged the flowers so they show themselves off to best advantage. A smaller number of us really go to town on flower arranging and will always be on the lookout for new flowers or foliage and unusual vases and vessels. There is a lesson to be learned from the "go-ahead" flower arrangers, and I believe gardeners could do worse than borrow some of the energy and ideas. However the flower arrangers have a simple time compared to the planter gardener. They've the advantage of having the ability to place their arrangements out of the way of strong winds, baking sun and drenching rain. Florists can always work happily in the knowledge that what they arrange will stay just about the same for the life of the display.
The planter gardener - with a few exceptions - has to possess a vision of how the display will look several months on, when the planting matures. The few small plants planted at the start of the season are going to grow and by the end of a summer you will see a container burgeoning with flowers and leaves.
In the meantime, you have needed to water, feed, prune and pinch out as well as do battle with the pests and diseases that do their best to thwart your efforts' It is not off-putting; its gardening.
Texture
The sole object of ornamental
Gardening is to excite the senses and bring us pleasure.
Plants with textural foliage not only stimulate us visually, but additionally encourage us to get up close and touch them. Without doubt, you will want to feel or stroke their leaves to see if they're as smooth, silky, rough, hard, soft or as spiky as they seem to be. The opportunity to experience pleasurable tactile sensations is unquestionably among the many joys of gardening.
As a container gardener, you can work with the range and interplay of textures by putting together plants with a similar feel such as those with soft and furry foliage and stems, or those that ate fleshy and smooth. You may also develop interesting contrasts of texture by planting the hard and smooth next to the soft and velvet-like. With the textures of the plantings that you use within a given space, different moods and effects can be created. Sharp, spiky plants make for a lively and energetic mood, while softer more pliable plants induce a more relaxed and mellow feel. These principles apply not only to foliage but also to flowering plants. And always remember to include the container within the equation. Decide on a material or a finish that will enhance your textural planting as well as create a distinctive display.
Scale and proportion
Getting these two significant design elements right is one of the greatest challenges of planter gardening. The proportions of each planting are continually changing as plants grow and mature. This certainly presents a problem for planter gardeners who should try and see the finished display in their minds eye when planting: a tough task when young plants, at this stage, may perhaps be less than a quarter of their eventual size. When planning the scale and proportion of a display, it is very important to consider the growth habit of the species you've chosen; this helps you figure out how a planting will look over time. For normal styles, which include a tall central plant in a round pot, ideally the finished height should be between one and one-and-a-half times the height of the planter, and the planting roughly triangular in shape. However this proportion of planter to planting isn't a rigid rule to be applied in each instance. As I add to these articles you will see that it is a flexible guideline being adapted based on the form of the container. Normally, I try to avoid large plantings in planters with narrow bases because they disturb the eye by appearing top-heavy, whereas the identical plants in a wide-based pot look stable and pleasing.
Shape
Careful use of shape can help to produce drama along with excitement, or
calmness plus serenity. The most obvious expression of form in the planter garden is topiary, where plants are trimmed into geometric or spectacular shapes for effect. Less manicured expressions of form, though, will be achieved through the use of plants with big or distinctive leaves or impressive arrangements of branches and stems. These "architectural" plants often work best when used on their own in containers, instead of as a mixed group, so that their form really stands out. lndeed, an individual well-shaped plant can have enough presence to stand alone as the centrepiece of a small courtyard or patio garden. When grown in containers, plants such as Mahonia japonica, Aralia elata 'Variegata' Aucuba, Yucca, Cordyline, Phormium,
Acer palmatum 'Dissectum', Rhus glabra, Fatsia japonica and many palms and bamboos offer a wide range of foliage and shapes to enhance a garden design. Effective on their own as garden focal points, additionally they work well as the primary element in a larger grouping of planters. When relying on plant shapes to generate impact, avoid unduly fussy planters as the detail will detract from your main theme. Planters with simple outlines and strong shapes will work much better.