Using potted plants as part of your landscaping scheme can add beauty to your outdoor environment even in the dead of winter. And the good news is container gardening does not differ significantly from gardening in general.
To get started, you’ll need to buy pots that have good drainage and are also frost-proof. Containers made of fiberglass, metal or stone resist low temperatures especially well.
The soil should also have good drainage. If you decide to put two or more different plants in a single container, make sure they have similar growing requirements. Be aware that you’ll need to repot your plants every two to three years to ensure they don’t get root-bound.
Some good choices for container plants include:
Sedium spurium
Decorative in appearance, sedium spurium produces scallope-edged reddish-bronze foliage all year long and blooms in the summer. It grows to approximately half a foot in height and thrives in full sun. However, it can also tolerate partial shade.
Variegated redtwig dogwood
This deciduous plant produces dark red branches and variegated leaves with white margins and gray-green centers. To keep it looking beautiful, be sure to remove old branches after winter has passed.
Heucheras
Heucheras are colorful, low-growing plants that produce white, pink and red flowers. Its foliage is shot through with silver veins that run through green or purple leaves. This plant can tolerate full sunlight to full shade.
Golden sword yucca
The foliage on this variety of yucca is shaped like a 2-inch wide sword that is dark green with a golden center. The margins of its leaves produce curly fibers. It can grow to between 2 and 3 feet tall and produces a 3 to 6 foot flowering stalk in summer. The golden sword yucca prefers full sunlight but can tolerate some shade.
Winter landscaping doesn’t have to be dull.
