Mixed baskets and containers for summer

Planting container mixes and single specimens has been my passion for more than 30 years. I’ve watched the market for ornamental plants change, yet container gardening has remained stable. Container gardening provides fabulous mixes that complement homes, patios and commercial sites.

It shows from the road

Strong primary colors and earth tones are best for this sort of mixed container. These conditions are usually, but not always, hot, sunny locations requiring sturdy materials. Tropical plants suit this need because of their love of the sun. Choose a large, nonporous container and have a water source handy.

Salvia ‘Dancing Flame,’ lantanas, pentas and Pennisetum purpureum ‘Princess’ are strong, colorful plants ideal for sunny locations. Their orange, red and gold flowers remind me of the time when more people planted a group of colorful flowers down by the road or by their mailbox.

The brilliant tones of coleus foliage will never grow old, especially when mixed with ‘Purple Majesty’ millet, Ipomoea batatas ‘Blackie,’ red verbena and Solanum jasminoides (jasmine potato vine).

Senecio confusus (Mexican flame vine) is a floriferous vine with hot-looking red-orange daisy-shaped flowers. It can accent hanging baskets, trellises or cascade down handrails and banisters.

Hot spot, cool colors

Many times consumers want a sun-tolerant combination, but wish to have a cooler color scheme. Pastels and shades of white are becoming increasingly popular with consumers who want to entertain in the evenings or at night. Light-colored foliage (silver and whites) show up fabulously under these conditions. They show off even better in the moonlight.

Mix chartreuse-colored ‘Margarite’ sweet potato vine with ‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbia and a vegetative white petunia.

Nierembergia ‘Starry Eyes’ is one selection of this sun-tolerant flowering species. It maintains countless flowers throughout the summer, becoming better looking as the months wear on.

Many hanging basket mixes are destined to become container combinations. When they have grown large enough to fill a pot, they can be shifted into larger containers such as coco hanging baskets and glazed jars for the patio.

Older varieties of heirloom geraniums provide colorful foliage as well as brilliant flowers.

Ipomoea batatas ‘Tricolor’ and the silver foliage of lotus are the backbone when combining verbena and lantana. Holding foliage and flowering plants together is helpful when planning combinations. Look for interesting contrast or texture and then add complementary flowers.

Large plants like lemon grass, anise hyssop and pineapple sage provide fragrant filler, with cascading tricolor hypericum (Hypericum tricolor) and golden oregano (Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’) below.

Shade containers and baskets

Shaded areas sometimes require bright warm tones, which can be a challenge. I often find there are not quite enough yellow-, gold- or orange-colored flowers for shady locations. Here are a few ideas.

Tropical plants like Stromanthe sanguinea can brighten up shade containers with its striking variegated foliage. The rosy color on the back of the leaves matches well with pink impatiens.

Plants are arranged together on display tables with a large finished container in the center.

New Guinea impatiens ‘Tango’ is at home with the bright, variegated foliage of croton and sansevieria and the golden foliage of Rita’s Gold Boston fern.

Large stoneware pots hold ligularia, heuchera and lysimachia to create a cool-looking planting on a shady patio. Perennial foliage plants like hosta, heuchera and ligularia can create a cool, interesting spot in the garden. There are so many shades of green. It’s fun to experiment with these monochromatic mixes. Hardy ferns, mosses and lysimachia add a lush groundcover effect.

Many shrubs, like Sambucus racemosa ‘Sutherland Gold,’ provide texture and excellent foliage color for containers. It can be combined with Isolepis cernua and a rex begonia. Top-dress the potting medium with gravel to keep the arrangement clean and give it that finished look.

Impatiens combined with bacopa and torenia provide a cascading effect. Many of our hanging baskets are later potted up into the customer’s own containers or larger coco baskets.

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- Rita Randolph

Rita Randolph is co-owner of Randolph’s Greenhouses, (731) 422-2768; www.randolphsgreenhouses.com.