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..."
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)...
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.
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!
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