Who doesn’t like stepping out of their front door on a beautiful July morning and being greeted by the birds, the sun, the morning dew, and of course your beautiful planters that you put so much time and effort into in May that are now showing their true beauty.

You start your planter with a showpiece sun-loving plant – like a Mandevilla, Draveana Spike, Dragon-Wing Begonia, Hibiscus, or Grass (just to mention a few fan-favourites).  Usually we like to plant the showpiece in the centre or centre-back of the planter.  There are hundreds of other options, but we have had lots of success with the plants mentioned above.

After the centerpiece is chosen and installed, you will then step down to the four-inch pot varieties.  These could be any type of sun Impatien (note that due to the Downy Mildew disease, normal cell pack Impatiens are no longer recommended), Tuberous Begonia, or Gerannium (note that Geranniums need regular dead-heading so while beautiful, they do require a bit more work).

After the centerpiece and step-down flowers have been installed, you will likely want to focus on filler plants, unless of course your planter is very large and you have enough room for another step of flowers.  Recommended filler plants are Fiberous Begonias or Marigolds (for a pop of yellow or orange colour).  Your local garden centre may have other options and you should really at this stage go with something that catches your eye.  At this stage, you can’t really choose wrong as the four inch pots that you planted in the last step will eventually take over the filler plants.  With that said, however, you will need to add more fillers to avoid any early-on bare spots – which will likely exist until approximately July.

Now that you have completed the centerpiece, the step-down flowers (maybe one or two layers, depending on the size of your planter), and the fillers, it is time to focus on the finishing touches.  Vines, Ivy, Ivy Geranniums, and Lobelia look amazing hanging or draping from your planter – this will add platform and depth to your planter.  These flowers also serve a practical purpose – their health are a good indicator of how much (or how little) water your planter is getting.

We have touched on “sun” planters – that is, planters that are exposed to practically full-sun.  When working with shade planters, you do have far fewer options – you might want to stick to a grass in the centre (that is at least part-shade) and more leafy annuals like Coleus, Caladium, Ferns and Hypoestes.  You may experience success with New Guinea Impatiens, but you might find that they prefer more sun than part-shade.  When looking for Ivy, just make sure that you find a variety that works in the shade (you will likely be fine with most varieties found in southern Ontario).

Annuals are great for a number of reasons… they provide amazing colours and are changeable – if you dislike it this year, take note and change it up next year for minimal cost compared to perennial planting.  Good luck and happy planting!

The very fact that we are discussing anything related to OUTDOOR PLANTING is a welcoming sign that winter is nearly past us and we are ready to welcome Spring with open arms!  We are regularly discussing with condo clients the best ways to spruce up their front entranceways – while of course working within their budget.  When a tight budget is the constraint, we often recommend simple: a few fibreglass planters (or cast iron, depending on the conditions) filled with gravel as a base material (to allow water flow) and then a seasonal display of potted florals – we can usually put this entire package together for under $1,000.

There are numerous benefits to investing in planters and having them flank the front entranceway (or most common throughway).  The primary benefit is that the planters themselves are permanent fixtures – so their cost is a one-time-only.  Once the permanent planter is in place, we charge a nominal seasonal cost for the insert that we install into the planters themselves – and because these are seasonal, they are changing four times a year which means that they are always adding refreshment to the unique charm and character of your property.

One of the largest challenges to overcome when planting anything is the balance of dominant sunlight and wind.  Not considering these elements is probably the biggest mistake that we see and as a result, plants die very quickly.  As Landscape Designers with extensive knowledge, expertise, and experience, we take these factors into consideration first and foremost when making any recommendations for planting.  Some buildings will get sunlight only at certain times of the day and others will have consistent wind – these are considerations that we must take seriously if we want to ensure that we are recommending the most suitable materials.  We try our best to balance these important considerations with what the client is looking for.  At the end of the day, it is better to have a beautiful and natural display of flowers in a slightly imperfect position than half-dead looking plants in a visually ideal spot!  This is the message that we try hard to underscore in every recommendation that we make.

One of the largest changes that we have seen happen to planters is the design of the planters themselves.  Once upon a time, planters tended to be only for the Spring\Summer season and as a result, they would be filled with vines and the like that would grow downwards and outwards to cover the actual planters themselves – thus it did not matter what the planters themselves looked like.  Now that we do planter inserts for every season (including fall and winter), the design of the planters is something that we take into serious consideration.  Some of the planters on the market today are very artistic and can be quite bold just on their own – this can pose some serious design challenges when it comes to balancing the planter itself and the planting materials.  We are always cautious to ensure that the planter design fits the space itself and that the materials we are going to be installing complement the planter – one should not try to overpower the other.

In terms of complementing, our Landscape Designers work on designing the materials in planter inserts in “levels” for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, the levels that we design with ensure that every plant in the mix has its presence and adds either colour, texture, or order to the presentation.  While we certainly plant vines, we are sure to trim them as part of our regular weekly service so that they do not overpower the artistic impression that the planter itself can have.  Planting in levels also allows us to install a “showpiece plant” in the middle of the pot (or at the centre-back) to ensure symmetry and that each of the component plants work together in unison.  Levels also ensure that “shade annuals” have the appropriate exposure to sunlight and that “full-sun annuals” have just that.  A general rule of thumb on this note is that sun plants typically provide brighter flowers and flower more often and that shade plants make great fillers and usually provide the best cover.

One very important component that we have not yet touched on is water.  It does not matter what type of vegetation you are planting, flowers need water!  Depending on the type of property and again on budget, the best idea is to alter the existing irrigation system by installing drip lines – this is something that we often recommend doing and certainly specialize in.  Drip lines will provide the appropriate amount of water to the planters and will ensure that there is a consistent and regular-interval flow.  Without an adequate irrigation system, someone will be required to water the plants regularly – that is seven days a week, every week (sometimes twice daily during the dry months).  One weekend without water during hot and dry weather can kill your planting materials.  The price range for making these irrigation system amendments can be anywhere from $500-$1200, depending on the property and existing components.  It may seem as though this is a large cost, however, depending on the type of impact you want from your front entrance flower display, irrigation systems really are the best way to protect your investment.  There is no better way to ensure your flowers and vegetation is getting the correct amount of water at the correct intervals than an irrigation system.  Our regular maintenance contracts include a regular inspection of the irrigation system to ensure that it is doing what it is supposed to be doing and when.