Articles Directory | Free Articles | New Articles Daily | Repetition is among the resources in thePlanter gardeners tool chest for use alongside style, colour and shape to provide many diverse and delightful displays.

Repetition:

#In the# planter garden, repeating of and symmetry are pleasing to #the eye# #and comfort# the mind.
Repetition and symmetry are design fundamentals that are essential to many of the grand gardens with their avenues of trees, balustrades, steps, topiary and knot gardens. Seeing a single component recurring time and again does instil a sense of abundance and richness. Rows #of large# potted orange trees, for example, flanking a path are an impressive sight. While the #vast majority# of us cannot emulate #the scale# of grand designs, we can certainly apply the idea to our own, #more modest# gardens, to generate #a sense# of largesse and comfort. Even on #a small# scale, identical repeated plantings engender admiration and convey a suggestion of wealth. Rows of pots can be used to emphasise or exaggerate perspective along a path or a walkway, and you can transform a normal rise of three or four garden steps #into a# garden entrance by placing #an identical# pot at either end of each step. Recurring plantings can be incorporated amid the plants #in a# border. Use large planters that stand above #the existing# planting and place them #along the# length to produce continuity and provides the border coherence. Harmonising the planter box planting #with the# border either by colour or style will enrich the general effect.

Grouping:

Moving planter boxes around, trying them in this way,then trying them that way, #is one# of #the joys# pot gardening. With careful placement, #a group# of contrasting planters can be built #into a# cohesive, collection which has far greater impact than the sum of #the individual# containers. Grouping planter boxes together #is a great# opportunity to #make #the most# of# their varying heights and styles. Another advantage of groups is that any gaps created by less mature plantings can be effectively disguised through skilful placing and overlapping. In making planter groupings you are combining the principles of balance, shape and proportion you have already applied to a single planting. #A group# arrangement also has more potential, providing you with #the flexibility# to continuously rearrange #the individual# planters for maximum effect. When the plants begin to grow taller and begin to fill out, move the pots apart slightly to give each planting the possibility to develop fully and to produce a more magnificent display. To add #variety of# height #to your# grouping, consider raising some of the planter boxes on other upturned pots or stand them on shelves. This is especially effective for smaller containers, making them more noticeable and increasing their stature.

Container choice:

#Available in# a host #of new# and traditional materials, the selection #of outdoor# containers has never been better.
The surge in small-space living and a desire for instant results has renewed popular interest in planter box gardening. This, consequently, has led #to huge# innovations in pot design and use of materials from which these are made. Traditional container materials like terracotta and stone are being used to create modern adventurous styles, while experiments with new materials like moulded resin have given rise to an extraordinary choice of planters. There's now #a style#, shape, size and colour of pot for each gardening situation and, if what you want does not exist, #a one#-off container or group of containers may be commissioned at #an affordable# rate. Such #variety of# containers gives ample scope for innovation and indulgence.

Which material is best?

#There is a# mixture of both practical and aesthetic decisions #to be# made when selecting the best planter box #for your# needs.
Wooden planters #have a# natural appeal but unless they are manufactured from the dearer hard, woods, like oak, they will need frequent preservation #to prevent# them from deteriorating #in the# wet. Like wood, terracotta #has a# natural empathy - with all plant material and appears good when teamed up with most plant combinations. But terracotta is permeable and dries out more rapidly so plants in terracotta planters need frequent watering. Steel planters produce a clean, pared down modern look and their durable surfaces are easy to clean. Terrazzo and some synthetic pots produce the identical visual effect as metal with their simple designs. You #can also# get currently some very good synthetic copies of lead cisterns #and large# terracotta containers which #can achieve# a grand effect #on a# budget.