Love Your Landscape, June 2014

It’s easy to add splashes of color to empty and challenging spaces on patios, porches and decks. This time of year, with flowers and landscapes in-bloom all around us, open spaces on patios, porches and decks can be challenging to soften due to a lack of color and/or greenery. One of the best and easiest ways to add the splash of color you’ve been looking for is by adding pots, wood planters or hanging baskets. The placement is important as each pot, planter or hanging basket needs to feel as if it belongs where it’s placed. Usually, entry or exit points in these challenging areas are good places to put some color. One pot or planter placed alone may be fine, but a grouping has a better impact and helps give a feeling of balance. The sizes of the pots or planters you choose are important because they need to be proportionate in size to the area you are trying to beautify.

When choosing pots, traditional terra cotta pots are great but have a limited life span unless you bring them in out of the weather during the winter. Glazed clay pots are another good option that offer many colors options. If you go this direction, think about the color scheme used in the painting of your house and try to pick colors that flow or complement those colors. You want to think about the larger design picture and try to tie everything together.

Choosing the plantings to fill the pots is the easy and fun part. Good potting soil is essential and will help ensure that your new plantings thrive in their new spot. Usually, the best options for bright colors come in several varieties of annuals—but don’t forget to consider planting perennials that give great color and long-lasting blooms that will come back year after year.

Another good planting option is the different bulb varieties that are available in our area. You can plant bulbs to bloom at different times throughout the growing season in the same pot or planter, giving you continued interest in the same planter.

Larger pots are a great planting option for larger dwarf evergreen trees or larger shrubs. This is an added benefit because of the four season interest you get from evergreen plantings throughout the winter when local landscapes are in-need of interest.

These are some quick and easy ways to dress-up those empty spaces on your patio or deck and get that added splash or color you’ve been looking for. With just a little work, you’ll have plenty of returns all year-long.

Adam Haynes is the owner of Artisan Landscapes, Inc. Contact him at 541-292-3285, adam@artisanlandscapesinc.com, or visit his website at www.artisanlandscapesinc.com.

Posted May 30, 2014