Every step can feel overwhelming when you’re new to landscaping, especially with the hefty price tags and time commitment of research, buying, planting and maintaining. To minimize risk, I tapped my friend and Vectorworks Product Marketing Manager – Landscaper Eric Gilbey, PLA, to offer advice when planning for planters this fall season. I met Eric while working at global design and BIM software provider, Vectorworks, Inc. several years ago.
The Backstory
Like many homeowners, the front steps to my home has large open areas on either side of the main entryway. While a white bench filled one side, it left the opposite side looking even more empty and unbalanced. My husband and I decided that three planters in different sizes would fix the problem and create a more welcoming doorstep.
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“When choosing your vessel, you need to decide if you want a permanent planter made of something like protected wood, terra cotta, painted pottery, metal, or a temporary planter such as a coco liner, coconut coir liner, or even a hollowed-out pumpkin or squash,” Gilbey shared with me.
Always on a budget, my husband found affordable, concrete modern planters in a set of three on Amazon, perfect for outdoor and indoor use. The brand was Kante in sizes 20”, 16.5” and 13.3”.
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We went simple for our planters, but Gilbey had other fun ideas for the more adventurous.
“Some interesting and trending vessels to consider include reused or antique objects like milk cans, wheelbarrows, and new or patinaed metal basins,” he said.
The Project
This past summer, my husband and I purchased the following flowers with the hopes of playing off our purple wreath (and my favorite color), plus complementing our pink door nicely.
Our Flowers:
We wanted each planter to provide a range of heights to help fill the volume of the space and create interest. The taller plantings — Crocosmia “Norwich Canary” — were put in the back of each pot with our flowering plants (Supertunia Bordeaux and Salvia Cathedral Lavender) in the middle and the Dichondra Silver Falls in the front spilling over the edge.
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Given the size of the planters, my husband bought Ups-A-Daisy planter lifts to raise the bottom of the planters. The largest planter was too big, so we added bricks and plastic bottles from our recycling to fill the majority of the planter. These two tactics allowed us to use less planting soil, thus saving money.
Luckily, our plant choices held on nicely for the early fall. We followed Gilbey’s advice to select plants that aren’t fast-growing and flexible to accept over-watering or under-watering. As we ensured we got the full bang for our buck, we incorporated fall décor items like mums and pumpkins of various sizes, colors, and textures to phase into the season.
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First, some inspiration I sought out incorporating fall elements.
Homestead Gardens provided all our original plants, plus our mums and various pumpkins. To offset costs, I found a small bag of six pumpkins from BJs for $3.99 and decided to try them this season. “Skelly” our family skeleton added the perfect spooky touch.
A must-do mums tip:
Don’t water mums from above, it’ll make them wilt sooner. Fill a bucket of water and let the bottom soak for 30-60 minutes.
More Planter Ideas
With the upcoming cooler temperatures and frosts, I’m starting to plan my next planters phase and determining which plants can stay. I enlisted Gilbey’s advice, given our region’s climate, plus advice for those that receive an abundance of sun or shade. For homeowners still learning — or if you simply need a refresher — perennial plants regrow every spring, and annual plants live only for one growing season.
SUN PLANTS:
Perennials
Annuals
SHADE PLANTS:
Perennials
Annuals
SUN AND SHADE PLANTS:
Grasses (perennials): Especially the red or purple tinted blades, which add that rustic hue for fall.
These are less hardy, but other fun, perennial suggestions include the sun-loving Dwarf Egyptian Papyrus; the shade-preferring Croton; and Caladium, a shade- and sun-loving plant.
Gilbey pointed out that many annual plants, like those mentioned above, may not be available now – they could be acquired in spring, with the idea that they’d persist into their fall planter.
The best advice from Gilbey is to have a plan before you begin and to be aware of impending frost. “If you do include plants that will go dormant, remember these can be integrated into your landscapes, so it’s good to think of a plan in advance for transplanting them later,” Gilbey said.
He also noted that if you incorporate tropical plants into your arrangement, remember to bring those inside once temperatures drop. “Have a plan to get tropical plants indoors over winter and match their sun preferences in the indoor setting,” Gilbey noted.
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By Lauren Burke Meyer