Don’t get hung up on specifics when it comes to containers

I consider myself a speed planter. I can plant a large pot in less than five minutes and probably in about three minutes as long as you don’t mind plastic plant pots flying every which way.

You would think that given my speed-planting prowess all my containers would be planted by now. You would be wrong.

And that’s because although I can plant quickly I can’t plan and procure plants quickly. For every five minutes of planting there are hours of overanalyzing and then searching for plants.

If I would just follow my own advice, I could be speed-planting containers right now instead of still hunting for a specific plant.

When it comes to containers, specific plants don’t really matter that much. Texture matters more than anything, and color does in some cases, but there are plenty of plants that can meet the criteria in that category.

I tell gardeners to only pick one plant that they really love when they plan a container and think of the rest of the plants in broader terms.

If you love the look of a dark-leaved Colocasia in a sun container, make it the focus plant and design around it. For high contrast, something chartreuse or white would work well, so that could be a lime green sweet potato vine or perhaps a white trailing Verbena. And since both of those are medium texture plants, a third plant could be something with fine texture, like a small-flowering euphorbia such as Diamond Frost or a short-growing Cleome that will also fill the middle of the container.

For a more monochromatic container, you could use a dark flowering annual, perhaps a purple petunia or even a sun coleus, and then bring in fine texture with creeping wire vine (Muehlenbeckia).

This approach also helps keep you from getting carried away with all of the exciting new plant varieties on the market and trying to jam them all into the same pot.

Limiting our options can be helpful in a world full of interesting plants. This is why I think shade containers are easier to design than sun containers. There are simply fewer plants that will work for shade, and it forces gardeners to think beyond specific plants and more about texture and form. Limited palettes are almost always better in the garden, and being forced to work with what’s available is a good way to look like a genius container designer.

Knowing all this, how is it that I’ve found myself with a list of must-find plants to complete container designs? The only explanation I can offer is that there is a certain amount of fun to be had in plant shopping and finding the perfect plant.

But if the thrill of the hunt isn’t part of the fun in your gardening world, take my advice and think in generalities rather than specifics.

If you do, I guarantee you’ll have your containers planted before I do. Otherwise, I’ll see you at the garden center.