Sparkle and Splash

By Jan Johnsen

How can you make your garden extra special this summer without breaking the bank (or losing all your weekends)? It’s simple: decorative pots and planters.

I learned long ago that no matter how beautiful a swimming pool, how expansive a patio, or how stunning a front entry may be, the addition of several large pots filled with blooming flowers give extra flair to the scene. At the completion of each landscape project that my company designs and installs, we work with clients to add the finishing touches—just the right pots and flowers to complement the property.

If you’re wondering how that technique might work with your home, have no fear. After all, the variety of looks and effects are endless. A modern house may require simple, geometric pots, like a square-shaped teak container planted with the hair-like grass called Stipa surrounded by deer resistant, drought tolerant Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ while a Colonial residence may call for a more profuse and colorful look, with a large terracotta planter filled with colorful blooms such Lantana ‘Cherry Bandana’, hanging purple verbena and golden Creeping Jenny. Either way, it’s a winning look.

Check out these examples of chic containers and their contents that I used to add dazzle to the property of some of our Westchester clients.

Understated Elegance

Every year I place pots on the grounds of a gorgeous, ultra-modern hose in Armonk. My company developed the landscape years ago and, each year the property owner and I have fun choosing the plants that best fit this garden. Because deer are a problem, we opt for plants that are resistant to these ravenous, uninvited guests. We keep the pots close to the house and stick to tried-and-true—and maintenance free—geraniums with white flowered, hanging Bacopa. An effective trick: the pots sit on pot feet, which allows for the soil to drain freely—essential for drought-tolerant geraniums. Another tip is to place the pots in a corner or other place where they draw the eye, as you see below.

Mod Pods

The other side of this lovely Armonk home calls for a more dramatic planter. For this spot, I added four tall terracotta pots planted with the ultimate in maintenance-free contents: nothing at all! I placed gravel in the containers for stability, and then the client and I decided that the striking effect of the pots alone was sufficient for the scene. At least we don’t need to worry about the deer eating her flowers!

I find that tall pots seem to mesh well with many styles. Here, on a Chappaqua property, I filled a tall, gray zinc planter with purple angelonia and pink petunias, with a gray licorice plant hanging over the edge. The addition of gray plants—such as licorice plant, dusty miller, eucalyptus, or lamb’s ears—adds depth and interest to any flower combination.

Profuse and Exuberant

Free flowing, colorful displays in pots can be stunning in their simplicity. This beautiful planter, below, chosen by a client in Chappaqua, is from Campania International Inc. All we did to complement its easy elegance was plant a few reliable New Guinea Impatiens. This color, called Mango, is one of my favorites.

You also can go to the other extreme and plant a profusion of flowers in a colorful pot. This pot below is well situated near the pool of a Katonah client. The deep red mandevilla in the center is a striking contrast to the drooping yellow sweet potato vine. (Of course, it looks great against the magnificent flower garden we created around a pool we installed!) Add ‘Bloom Food’ (or some other slow-release fertilizer designed especially for flowers) into the soil when you plant the pot. This is critical to maintaining constant blooms through the summer. Another way to feed flowers is to water with a very weak solution of Miracle Gro. While I’m a proponent of organics in the soil, when it comes to the manufactured potting soil, I opt for the commercial fertilizer.

Flower Pot for a Front Entry

The front entry to a house always looks better accented by a pot of flowers. It draws attention to the front door and adds a sense of drama to the area. The entry area pot can be a formal statement of Boxwood surrounded by Surfinia petunias and golden Creeping Jenny, like the pot below. I bought this pot from Haddonstone http://www.haddonstone.com and placed it near the entrance to a phenomenal home in Chappaqua. In the fall, we remove the flowers and add small gourds around the Boxwood; during the holiday season, we add small sparkly pinecones and red berries.

On this large property in Bedford Hills, we festooned the front entry with an elaborate affair of orange fuchsia and blue verbena. At my request, Michael’s Garden Gate of Mount Kisco created this particular pot (Michael’s is a great source for wonderful and hard-to-find flowers and pots).

Clusters of Pots to Add Interest

One of my favorite planter techniques is clustering assorted small pots on steps, near doorways, or by walls, which dresses up a yard. The look is casual and adds a sweetness to a scene. Here, small pots sit on curved fieldstone steps that my company built. At night, a step light illuminates them from behind. The flowers in the pots are small, clear pink Callibrachoa with white Bacopa. Small pots tend to dry out more quickly, so I add a very small amount of Soil Moist, which are gel-like crystals designed to reduce the need to plant water by 30 percent.

Jan Johnsen is the owner of Bedford Hills-based Johnsen Landscapes & Pools. Her sculpted gardens and custom pool designs have been featured in the pages of This Old House, Redbook, Women’s Day, and Better Homes & Gardens.