Spring Planter Ideas for You

Pastel colors and cool weather flowers rule

Grape hyacinths can be added with Lamium ‘Pink Chablis’. The blue pot definitely helps. Lamium is normally a groundcover for shady areas but works in a planter.

Spring has sprung! Buds are bursting and birds are chirping. And you are in the mood to celebrate. May I suggest planting up some outdoor pots with spring flowers? They will gladden your heart and soothe your winter-weary eyes.

I have found that people always see the color in planters first. So I add planters and flowers in every landscape project. The colors of spring are ‘sherbet’ colors - pastels that do well in the gentle rays of the spring sun. These colors will wash out as the sun goes higher in the sky in summer. So grab the moment - and the light - and indulge yourself in light, Easter egg colors. Here are 5 spring flower combinations to try:

Combo One

Bicolor purple and yellow Johnny Jump-Ups with white and yellow ‘Banana Split’ Nemesia and pure white Nemesia.

Pots full of flowers cheer us up. Here is boxwood in the center surrounded with Johnny Jump-ups and dainty Nemesia. Photo- Jan Johnsen

Nemesia does not do well in hot weather - by late June it is pretty much done. But Nemesia is perfect for early spring color. The flowers resemble small snapdragons and come in a wide array of colors. The new varieties of Nemesia such as Nesia have improved heat tolerance and disease resistance. They are wonderfully fragrant! Buy as seed or small plants.

Nesia ‘Tropical’ Nemesia - the Nesia series have upright habit and larger flowers. They are said to flower all summer...

A word of advice - don’t fill a large planter completely with potting soil - add chunky bark nuggets (buy in a bag) and fill in one third to one half of the pot with chunky nuggets. Smaller planters may not need this but large ones become too heavy if filled totally with potting mix.

I also don’t use hydrogels, those small crystals of man-made, water-absorbing polymers that reduce the need to water the pots. They hold a tremendous amount of water in comparison to their size. The liquid is released gradually into the soil. Some experts say that polymers are neurotoxins and may be carcinogenic. I just don’t like the idea of it…not too scientific but that is my reason.

Combo Two