Time to Shine: Summertime Containers

From being able to grow many varieties in small spaces, to serving as a gateway for the beginner gardener to start small and not get overwhelmed with a large area of space to fill, container gardening has many benefits—and can lead to beautiful displays, as you can enjoy right now in our Rose Arbor, outside of the Peirce-du Pont House, and outside of The Café. Follow along as Horticulturist Jocelyn Kline takes us on a tour of her Rose Arbor and Peirce-du Pont House containers and Horticulturist Avery Haislip of her containers outside of The Café. Explore the plants they chose—and why—and learn how to incorporate their expertise into your own seasonal containers at home. 

Comprised of containers of various sizes placed in the center of the space, the Rose Arbor container display of cosmos, petunias, begonia, and more is a light and wispy burst of flowers experienced soon after first entering the Gardens. 

When planning the plants for the Rose Arbor and Peirce-du Pont House containers, on view through August, I first picked a color scheme, deciding on silver, dark burgundy, purple, and orange. From there, I found it to be a silly—and fun—challenge to pick plant cultivars with names that sound as if they could be ice cream flavors. As a result, nearly all of the plants within these containers sound like they could be a tasty treat!

Part of the challenge with designing and caring for containers in the Rose Arbor and outside of the Peirce-du Pont House is picking plants that can not only tolerate full sun but can also stand the heat of the pavement in those spaces. I have found that silver dollar gums (Eucalyptus cinerea), zinnias, petunias, and licorice-plant (Helichrysum petiolare) typically do very well in such an environment. To keep the display vibrant, fresh, and thriving in the summer heat, I make sure to deadhead the plants easily all the way back to the next bloom … and I make sure to water, water, water. 

When designing the containers, I started with the base plant—in this case, eucalyptus, which can handle many different environments and gives a great element of texture and height. I added petunias as a classic spiller plant that adds bright color. Giant-hyssop (Agastache ‘Peachie Keen’) are exceptionally fragrant, easy to care for, and well-loved by pollinators. I also incorporated zinnias, another classic plant that add nice, bold color. 

When designing your own container, don’t be afraid to try unexpected combinations. Let your plants grow big into one another to see how they mesh. I love watching the cosmos pop through the palms and silver dollar gums in these containers. You can always let your containers grow a little large and then dial it back when you need to—that’s what gives it character and helps you learn and refine the aesthetic along the way. 

Also on display through August, an array of vibrant containers can be found around The Café and Beer Garden, adding splashes of color to the mainly greens, yellows, and whites of the surrounding landscape. You’ll find 19 full-sun containers throughout the patio outside of The Café. These containers were designed around a contrasting warm and cool palette, including hues of orange, red, pink, yellow, blue, dusty white, and maroon. The design leans more towards a cottage-like feel with the containers’ tall, wispy flowers and textures. Above, four hanging baskets of Pseudorhipsalis ramulosa add texture and interest … and showcase a fantastic plant choice for summer, as they are dry-loving and placed in baskets that drain quickly.

At the front entrance of The Café, you’ll find 24 shade containers with dry, shade-loving annuals that offer bold textures and splashes of color to brighten up this shady alcove. While it has a bit more of a traditional summer tropical look with its ferns, caladiums, and begonias, I added in some punchy elements with stonecrops—which are also great in full sun and typically drought-tolerant.

I always try to utilize edible plants to connect with The Café, and this year I used a chartreuse Thai ginger and sweet-potato-vine. I focused on placing plants with contrasting colors and textures together (chartreuse with dark maroon, blue with chartreuse, etc.), while overall the containers complement the bold texture of the kiwi vine (Actinidia chinensis) that grows along The Café’s railing, adding brightness to the surrounding landscape of mostly ivy and mature trees. 

I’ve also designed four boxes in the Beer Garden, adjacent to the garden’s new hut. The boxes’ design falls in line with the patio containers’ design, with contrasts in warms and cools, and highlighting edible and culinary plants from sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Wild Magic’), ornamental carrot, and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). 

Enjoy these vibrant, textural, thoughtfully designed—and beautiful!—summer containers through August … and find firsthand inspiration for your own seasonal containers.