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Container Garden–A Green and Blue Theme

by Debbie Teashon

When I found a green and blue container, I immediately fell in love with it. The real fun began when I chose plants that would coordinate with the color of the vessel. The pot was going to dwell under a shady porch so each plant had to be shade tolerant. The selection included Brunnera macrophylla 'Langtrees' (Siberian bugloss) for its cool green color and silver variegated, heart-shaped leaves; Hosta 'Big Daddy' for its blue heart-shaped leaves; Epimedium rubrum, another heart-shaped, green leaf; and Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) for a contrast in texture and color.

Both the hosta and brunnera were in gallon size pots and the athyrium and epimedium were in four-inch size containers. It was a tight squeeze to fit them all into the larger container, but as you can see in the photo, the affect was a mature look four days after planting.

Three years later, my well-loved container and its contents are unchanged. The hostas grew a great deal larger, almost concealing everything with its leaves. In winter, the container is set under a deck roof to protect from frost. In spring, I feed the plants a time-release fertilizer scratched into the top layer of the soil. Ultimately, the plants will grow on in the garden. In the meantime, they remain imprisoned in a container for my enjoyment on the shady deck.

2005 Update: Four years later, the container has a whole new look with coleus.