In my book,
Fearless Gardening, I wrote: "Putting together vignettes within the garden is a chance to be creative on a small scale... The process—and it is a process—may start with a newly acquired plant...Or maybe it’s a spur-of-the-moment stop at the salvage shop, where an interesting piece of metal starts my creative wheels turning. When these things come home with me some go into the garden right away, because I know instantly what I’m going to do with them. Others spend a little time in storage while ideas simmer..."
That simmering is very important! Late last June I returned from long weekend in Vancouver, BC, with a pair of
Leo Wall Planters from
Pot Inc, thanks to the generosity of my friend Todd, owner of the company. (I shared photos
at the end of this post).
I loved them, but never found the time to rework the spacing of the planters already hanging on the fence, a requirement to make room for these new additions (they're two and a half feet long). Fast forward to this spring and I was excited to finally work them in.
Because of the design of our fence I was able to hang the planters by two heavy-duty hooks—which meant it was easy to move them around to find the ideal placement. I moved them around a lot, which color looked best where? And then I auditioned different plants for the role of occupant.
I discovered that 5-qty square 1-gallon nursery pots fit right in and fill the interior space perfectly, a bonus since I wasn't keen on planting directly into the planters themselves. Being able to pull a pot allows for changes should a plant die or I want to change things up. It also gives me choices when it comes to overwintering and makes the container a little lighter too (less potting soil). The pots are easily hidden with a generous topping of moss and there are multiple drainage holes so the Leo doesn't fill with water.
The orange Leo went on the fence beyond the orange wall of the neighbor's garage, to the back of the stock tank table planting. It looks hidden in this photo, but it's just the pop of color and green that part of the garden needed.
Here's a video to help you picture it in situ. Tucked into the wall planter are three pots of Hedera colchica ‘Sulfur Heart’ mixed with Aspidistra minuti flora 'Leopard' and Aspidistra typica 'Old Glory', along with a pot of Farfugium japonicum var. giganteum (it's slug food in the ground, I thought it might stand a fighting chance up on the fence)...
The green Leo is on the fence behind the shade pavilion...
This one also contains several Hedera colchica ‘Sulfur Heart’, an Aspidistra guangxiensis 'Stretch Marks', and a trio of colorful tillandsia.
There are matching
Hover dish planters from Pot Inc in the same green and orange in my garden, so they fit right in with the overall color scheme. With chartreuse and orange, you really can't go wrong around here.
Here's a short video showing the green planter. Note: these colors aren't currently part of the
Leo online offerings (
here) but there are other fine options!
All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
These are fantastic, I really enjoyed the video shots - I could really "see" them. Great idea with the moss as well, makes replacement not such a daunting task.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the videos, I never think to do them...
DeleteThey're sleek planters and I like the idea of filling them with removable pots. Yours are the perfect colors for your garden.
ReplyDeleteThose colors were discontinued but definitely perfect for me! Most people probably want neutral colors so the flowers blooming within stand out, but around here the green foliage benefits from a nice color pop.
DeleteYou do get the best gifts and how very fortunate that the colors are just right! Those new creations join the other fabulous hanging plans on the fence. I for one, would enjoy a (considerably ) longer video featuring them all.
ReplyDeleteChavli
I have very generous friends! And I promise to do a longer video soon.
DeleteVery nice! I like the idea of pot-in-pot too. As you say, very easy to switch things out and no worries about breaking or ruining the pot if the plant's roots stick to the interior. The videos are a nice touch, showing how it fits with the existing, overall landscape.
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning the videos, I wasn't sure I wanted to include them but I'm getting positive feedback.
DeleteOoh, video! Nice way to start the week! Those planters are excellent.
ReplyDeleteIs that moss a packaged one or home-grown? I've bought bagged stuff online and some hasn't been great. Do you have any recs for reliable products/sources local or otherwise?
The moss is a mix of homegrown and picked up on walks when the wind brings it down either still on a broken branch or all by itself. Earlier this spring I carefully scraped the moss off the brick border around my small lawn. It was amazing how much moss will grow there over the winter!
DeleteLove your planters! The colors are fantastic and, of course, so are the plantings. Nice that you can pop the plants out as needed also!
ReplyDeleteI love them so! I'm sure there are many different iterations to come.
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