Master Gardener shares experts tips for stunning container gardens

09.02.2024 - 16:54 / theprovince.com

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Container gardening is perfectly suited to sunny condo patios where carefully selected small-space plantings can deliver dramatic and eye-catching results.

Vancouver Master Gardener Julie Paul says a no-fail recipe for a spectacular container planting is to include a thriller, filler and spiller.

“A thriller is the star of your planter that creates a statement; filler plants fill in the spaces in the container and complement the thrillers and spillers — think texture and variety of colour; and spiller plants spill down the sides to soften the [visual] edge of your planter,” she says.

A colourful combination she suggests for a container on a sunny patio is Salvia Rockin’ Fuchsia, Osteospermum Bright Lights Horizon and Supertunia Mini Vista Midnight.

Many of the criteria that apply to backyard gardens, such as sun exposure, also apply to container plantings, says Paul.

Before heading out to the nursery or garden store, she suggests analyzing how much sun the patio gets.

“It’s a simple procedure. If you are home one day, just see how often the sun is on the deck. Do you have full sun — which is a good six hours of sun — partial sun, or do you have shade? And if you purchase plants that meet your sun requirement — the sun that you have — you’ve already started on a great foot. But if you put a shady plant in a sunny spot, it’s going to struggle,” she cautions, noting tags on plants from commercial growers always provide information on how much sun a specific plant needs.

A must-have is good-quality soil.

“When you go into the nursery or garden store, you