On the joy of beautiful planters
To me, one of the single most joyful and eye-catching items to beautify a home is a luxurious planter.
What makes a planter luxurious?
The container material - usually not plastic, but ceramic or stone or terra cotta (although I have seen black or grey hard plastic work at times).
The container size - the larger the better, but in scale with the size and shape of the home. A tall, multi storied house might look great with a narrow, taller container, or a trellised vine.
More plant, less container - In my opinion, the bigger the plant, the better! The most joyful ratio is at least 2:1 plant to container. The more sprawl, the more exuberant - to hint at the “uncontainable” beauty of nature. A mixture of plants and shapes can work, providing that the overall effect is “filling up and spilling out.”
Less plant material, more free space - While I do think there is a place for their bright spots of color in fall displays, I will freely admit that I am not a big fan of most mums. To me, their tightly packed heads and almost mushroom shape feels restrictive.
I lean toward the flowers, plants and trees in nature that are less tightly “packed,” allowing for breezy movement. To me, this makes them more joyful, because they almost seem to dance.
A Personal favorite: The mandevilla (there are two varieties - one that climbs upward). The pink seems to fade more than the red, but I am really a brown thumb so they could all probably use more food!
How about you? I’d love to hear what flowers bring you joy when you add them to your planters.
