Decorative pots are an enrichment for every house and balcony. Large planters, however, are more suitable for large areas such as a terrace in the garden and can quickly beautify bare corners. They can also serve as a privacy screen or hide garbage cans. However, the right planting is particularly important so that the large pots can be functional and fascinating at the same time. Read our tips and tricks for successful plant combinations and look at the beautiful examples!
Choosing the right plants is particularly important when planting large flower pots. Not only do they have to have the same requirements for light, air and water, but they also have to look good together. You have various options available here:
– Same plant species, different colors
– Same color, different plants
– Variations on a common theme such as Mediterranean etc.
A particularly successful trick when combining plants is the “Thriller, Filler, Spiller” concept. That means one plant as a highlight, one as a gap filler and one that hangs over the edge. For the “Thriller” you can use a fairly tall plant such as canna lilies, New Zealand flax or pennisetum orChoose fountain grass. Check out the examples below and you will get a better idea of the concept.
In the large planter: Phormium, pennywort 'Aurea', strawberry plant, white dahlias and begonias, yellow Cape baskets.
In the medium-sized pot: light yellow Cape baskets in the middle, a yellow Calibrachoa “Million bells” and a small leaf of fat.
In the middle – pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum). The evergreen spurge Euphorbia Ascot Rainbow, Coneflower Sombrero, rust-colored chrysanthemums and licorice strawflowers complete the arrangement.
This one is also a nice arrangement for large flower pots. It consists of a dwarf maple, the purple bell with its purple leaves, a dwarf conifer, Libertia ixioides Goldfinger and the large-leaved evergreen “Maculata”. As you can see, different levels have been designed in the pot with the plants. The tallest plants are at the back while the lower ones are planted in front.
The canna is a sun-loving plant that is perfect for locations in the sun. You can also create beautiful textures and put together combinations with grasses. You can not only plant very tall pots with plants at different heights, as just explained. Also take advantage of the height of the flower pots and choose types that fall downwards and decorate the outside of the pot.
Here you can see another beautiful use of canna. Because it grows very tall, it can either form the background of the arrangement or be used as the focal point with some lower flowers planted around it. For the example above, white-flowering specimens were chosen, including petunias, as well as ornamental grasses and hanging plants.
Since ivy grows lushly, you can use it as a ground cover or gap filler in your planter. Ferns in the same color again add texture, while you can add some accents with plants with colored leaves. Coleus like here or flowering begonias are wonderful and create a pleasant atmosphere.
In this composition for the summer, the Pennisetum was combined with Helichrysum, Calibrachoa crossanda, Alternanthera and asparagus fern. A rectangular pot was used in which the plants were planted alternately, with the grass forming the middle and background. Feel free to play with the colors when creating your arrangements.
Light and dark colors have been successfully combined in this plant arrangement. Pennisetum grass can be found here again, standing out among the other densely grown plants. Geraniums can also be found and delight not only with colorful leaves, but also with attractive flowers throughout the season.
Hanging plants can be used wonderfully, especially on house facades, and as decoration. If you have planned a flower box in front of each window, you can easily consider these types of plants. For example, choose two species with different leaf colors and combine them with flowering specimens that grow upwards for the background.
You can even use conifers for large planters. Arrangements do not always have to consist of many plant species. Depending on the size of the plant, three can be enough, as here. You can see the dwarf pine in the background and heuchera and ornamental grass in front of it. Of course, these types can also be replaced by others.
And if you don't just want to get a decorative benefit from the pot arrangements, why not use herbal plants? You can combine these with salads or other vegetables and not only get a pretty eye-catcher, but you can also soon look forward to the harvest and enjoy your products from your own garden. Here too, you can consciously choose plants with colored leaves to make the pot arrangement look even more interesting.
Coleus comes in a wide variety of colors. So it only makes sense to combine them with each other. Create a lush composition or plant just two to three specimens and fill the gaps with any flowering or green plant species, as was done in this example. Ground cover plants are also suitable for this purpose.
In principle, you can use any type of plant you like and feel free to come up with something yourself. Our examples are intended solely as inspiration and as a brief overview of some of the most popular types you can use.