Lila’s Colorful Containers in Washington

12.08.2024 - 04:21 / finegardening.com / GPOD Contributor

Happy Monday GPODers!

Last week we did a little call to action on our Instagram (be sure to give a follow if you aren’t already!), asking folks to send in photos of their summer containers in all their glory. Lila Johnson, who gardens in Mill Creek, Washington, so kindly answered our call, and today we’re checking out her colorful containers full of the most vibrant annuals.

Hi, I’m answering the call, photos of my containers in full summertime bloom.

I’ve been gardening forever (almost 60 years) and planting containers has never been my strong suit. I know the old saying of “thriller-filler-spiller,” but this year because of the cost of plants, well, I just sort of tossed what was leftover into my pots.

We have a very big yard for our HOA community and although over the past 27 years we’ve added perennials, annuals still eat a lot of our Plant Dollars. This year we consolidated the pots/containers around our two main patio areas, where we spend most of our days and they are visible from inside our home too.

Both my husband and I are in our early 80’s and I am starting to feel that we may have to plant more containers and less in the many ecosystems around our yard, but we’ll figure that out next spring! BTW, I plant and he fertilizes and deadheads for me. (My hands break out in a rash when I deadhead flowers, petunias are not good to me! And it’s pretty difficult to “pinch” off a spent blossom wearing garden gloves.) We make a good team! Enjoy!

A beautiful grouping of cohesive containers bring a pop of color to the shade, however, my favorite part of these creations are ornamental branches that add a bit more height and interest. While branches, pinecones, and all sorts of cuttings are commonplace in winter