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Having limited space for potted plants doesn’t mean you need to give up flowers in order to grow tasty tomatoes or a pot of herbs. Ornamental plants in potted edible displays not only look beautiful but can also attract pollinators and, in the case of marigolds, ward off pests. Take a look at these 10 potted vignettes by landscape designers on Houzz that combine ornamental and edible plants in fresh ways. 1. Hot-Colored Trio Glazed containers and attractive trellises provide growing space for a trio of pepper and cherry tomato plants. The potted gardens seen here, by landscape designer Pamela Crawford, are just as decorative as ornamental-only versions yet offer the sweet rewards of a summer harvest. The bright zinnias that fill in around the edges attract pollinators — great for producing high tomato and pepper yields — and beneficial insects like ladybugs. Water requirement: Moderate to regular Light requirement: Full sun Shop for pots and planters on Houzz
After: On the upper terrace, the custom-made ornamental Bath stone fireplace adds a sense of romantic ruins, aided by the ‘Étoile de Hollande’ climbing roses that will trail up and around it. The crumbling wall nearby is original to the house. A flowering crabapple (Malus ‘Evereste’) tree, which has pink blossoms in spring, sits above the fireplace and screens the neighbor’s shed. Kilimanjaro’ viburnum (Viburnum plicatum ‘Kilimanjaro’) grows nearby, providing spring flowers and autumn color. Framed panels of confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) grow along the yard’s perimeter fence. “It produces fragrant little white star flowers in the summer,” Hazell says. A multistem kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) grows near the vines. “It gives stunning white flowers in late spring and good autumn color,” Hazell says.
Before: The yard before the renovation was completely overgrown, concealing much of the underlying sloped terrain. “When we started digging down, there was just rubble from where the previous owners had built an [addition] and dumped stuff,” Hazell says. “We worked with the existing slope and set new levels in order to create a better relationship with the house and a better flow,” she adds.
With its rustic stone walls, planted terraces, gorgeous grasses and sunken hot tub, this sloped cottage garden in the middle of Cheddar Gorge, in Somerset, England, attracts a lot of attention from visiting tourists. “We do get a lot of people stopping and looking,” landscape designer Abigail Hazell says. The garden, which looks out onto the gorge’s limestone cliffs, was designed for a homeowner who works in fashion. “My main brief was to create a garden that looked stunning, was relatively easy to maintain and fitted in with the landscape,” Hazell says. “The owner also wanted something quite contemporary.” The garden has become the homeowner’s retreat.
Plants include: ‘Double Otto’ fuchsia (Fuchsia ‘Double Otto’, zones 8 to 12) Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, zones 5 to 8) ‘Midnight Rose’ coralbells (Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’, zones 4 to 9) Mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus, zones 6 to 11) Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia, zones 5 to 9) Princess flower (Tibouchina urvilleana, zones 9 to 11) Scotch moss (Sagina subulata ‘Aurea’, zones 4 to 8) Variegated flax lily (Dianella tasmanica ‘Variegata’, zones 9 to 11) Variegated winter Daphne (Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’, zones 7 to 9) Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Filtered sun to shade, depending on time of dayGarden at a Glance Who lives here: A fashion industry professional Location: Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England Size: 1,240 square feet (115 square meters); 46 by 89 feet, plus balconies and terraces Designer: Abigail Hazell Landscape & Garden Design The surrounding natural landscape drove the garden’s design. “We took inspiration from the local flora — evergreen ferns, cheddar pinks — and used similar plants,” Hazell says. The upper terrace sits on a Cor-Ten steel platform. “Already orange and rusted, this was inspired by farm gates in the area. It allowed...
. Dynamic Foliage in Toronto Beneath the dappled shade of a mature birch tree, landscape designer Candace Carter of Flowers in the Front Yard has created an exuberant shade garden with a rich mix of colors and textures. The bold leaves of variegated hosta contrast with strappy Japanese forest grass and ruffled bronze coralbells. Hydrangea and goat’s beard form a backdrop of frothy blooms and screening for the deck. Plants include: Coralbells (Heuchera sp.) Goat’s beard (Aruncus dioicus, zones 5 to 7) Hosta (Hosta sp.) Hydrangea (Hydrangea sp.) Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, zones 4 to 9) Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum, zones 3 to 8) Juniper (Juniperus sp.) Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis, zones 3 to 8) Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum, zones 3 to 9) Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum, zones 5 to 9) Water requirement: Moderate to high Light requirement: Partial shade Caution: Sweet woodruff and lady’s mantle can be aggressive spreaders and can become invasive in some areas. Check with your local nursery or county extension office before planting.
Plants include: Dogwood (Cornus sp.) Eastern hayscented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula, zones 3 to 8) Forget-me-not (Myosotis sp.) Hosta (Hosta sp.) Ladyfern (Athyrium filix-femina, zones 4 to 8) Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris, zones 3 to 8) Water requirement: Moderate to high Light requirement: Partial to full shade with high overhead canopy
Fern-Filled Woodland on Cape Ann Sitting beneath the dappled shade of deciduous trees, this Asian-inspired garden house in Massachusetts acts as a calming retreat within the larger woodland garden, by landscape designer Hilarie Holdsworth. Swaths of mainly native fern varieties form a sea of green every spring as fronds unfurl beneath the trees. Hosta, white flowering dogwood and naturalized forget-me-not border the flagstone pathway.
Plants include: Bugle weed (Ajuga reptans, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone) Coastal doghobble (Leucothoe axillaris, zones 6 to 9) Deer fern (Blechnum spicant, zones 5 to 8) Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, zones 4 to 9) Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, zones 5 to 8) Japanese skimmia (Skimmia japonica, zones 7 to 9) ‘Lime Rickey’ coralbells (Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’, zones 4 to 8) Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum, zones 3 to 10) Water requirement: Moderate; the designer says that all the beds are irrigated as needed with lake water via drip lines. Light requirement: Partial shade; a few hours of some afternoon sun Caution: Bugle weed may be invasive in your area. Check with your local nursery or county extension office before planting.
6. Ornamental grasses. Ornamental grasses are best for privacy during the summer and autumn seasons, since most ornamental grasses reach their full lushness in the warm months. Planting tips. Plant ornamental grasses in highly visible areas adjacent to spaces in your yard that are used most often in the summer. Choose species that reach at least 3 to 4 feet in height, and use them to fill in gaps. Example Species Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii, zones 3 to 9), native throughout the Midwest, West and Southeast U.S. ‘Shenandoah’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’, zones 4 to 9), cultivated from a plant that’s native to the U.S. Midwest ‘Karl Forester’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, zones 5 to 9), cultivated from a European native Pacific Island silvergrass (Miscanthus floridulus, zones 6 to 9), native to the Southeast U.S.
5. Bamboo. Bamboo can be a troublesome plant because of its invasive nature, so please choose your bamboo species with care. There are two types of bamboo: clumping and running. Clumping bamboo sends up new growth close to the original planting and becomes denser over time. Running bamboo sends out longer rhizomes underground that sprout farther away from the original planting. Planting tips. Bamboo is most useful in confined spaces and in containers. Use a root-barrier liner if you are planting it in the ground to help keep it from spreading extensively. Plant the bamboo culms, or hollow stems, as densely as your budget allows for fast privacy. Example Species Warm climates: Several cultivars of clumping hedge bamboo (Bambusa multiplex, Zone 8), including ‘Alphonse Karr’ Cold-hardy: Running bamboo (Phyllostachys spp.); many are suitable for cold climates but are highly invasive throughout the U.S. South
4. Robust vines. Vigorous vines that spread outward as well as upward can provide dense growth by forming a living wall. Planting tips. Choose a support structure for your vine based on how the vine climbs. There are climbing vines that grow up by wrapping their tendrils around a support, and there are clinging vines that have little feet or suction cups that grip onto a surface. Climbing vines do well on cables and trellises. Clinging vines do well wherever they can attach to a surface, such as on a stucco site wall. Example Species American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens, zones 5 to 9), Native to the Southeastern and south-central U.S. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia, zones 3 to 10), native throughout North America. Caution: The berries are poisonous. Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris, zones 4 to 8), native to Japan and Korea; does not do well in warm, humid climates
2. Evergreen shrubs. Coniferous evergreen shrubs and broadleaf evergreens provide privacy for sight lines that are lower to the ground. Use shrubs to create a low screen around your patio or other sitting areas. Planting tips. As with evergreen trees, space your planting of evergreen shrubs so that their branches slightly touch. This will give them room to grow in and will allow their branches to overlap some over time. Example species: Inkberry (Ilex glabra, zones 5 to 9), native to the eastern U.S. Caution: All parts are poisonous if ingested. ‘Sungold’ sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Sungold’, zones 3 to 7), native to Japan. Caution: All parts are poisonous if ingested. Dahoon holly (Ilex cassine, zones 6 to 9), native to the U.S. Southeast. Caution: The fruit is poisonous. Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens, zones 8 to 11), native to the U.S. Southeast.
2. Evergreen shrubs. Coniferous evergreen shrubs and broadleaf evergreens provide privacy for sight lines that are lower to the ground. Use shrubs to create a low screen around your patio or other sitting areas. Planting tips. As with evergreen trees, space your planting of evergreen shrubs so that their branches slightly touch. This will give them room to grow in and will allow their branches to overlap some over time. Example species: Inkberry (Ilex glabra, zones 5 to 9), native to the eastern U.S. Caution: All parts are poisonous if ingested. ‘Sungold’ sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Sungold’, zones 3 to 7), native to Japan. Caution: All parts are poisonous if ingested. Dahoon holly (Ilex cassine, zones 6 to 9), native to the U.S. Southeast. Caution: The fruit is poisonous. Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens, zones 8 to 11), native to the U.S. Southeast.
1. Evergreen trees. Evergreen trees make excellent privacy screens because they provide year-round coverage. Evergreens with large foliage or evergreen conifers with branches that extend to the ground are the most useful for privacy. Planting tips. To create a dense privacy screen, evergreen trees should be spaced so that their branches just touch one another. Or mix evergreen trees with evergreen shrubs, like in the photo here, if you have the space to create a wide privacy screen. Example species: ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae (Thuja ‘Green Giant’, USDA zones 5 to 8; find your zone), garden hybrid Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, zones 5 to 9), native to Japan Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris, zones 7 to 10) or slash pine (P. elliottii, zones 7 to 10), native to the U.S. Southeast Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora, zones 7 to 9), native to the U.S. Southeast White spruce (Picea glauca, zones 2 to 6), native throughout Canada and the northern United States, or blue spruce (Picea pungens, zones 2 to 7), native to the Rocky Mountains and some of the U.S. Northeast
Tips for Responsibly Using Plants for Privacy Choose dense growth over quick growth. It’s easy to be enticed by fast-growing trees, like poplar or pear, for immediate privacy. Fast-growing trees are often more affordable, but they are not good investments: They are not long-lived and are often weak-wooded and will be the first to suffer damage during a storm. Instead, choose plants that grow densely, like the examples listed in the article, for solid coverage. Choose the right plants for the right place. Do not plant invasive species, no matter how easy they might be to grow. Invasive species are those that aggressively displace other species and degrade biodiversity as a result. There are many instances of invasive species that were introduced because they made quick, easy-to-grow privacy screens, and you can see them spreading relentlessly and choking out desirable natives. Work with a landscape designer or check with your local nursery before planting, as this varies by region.
7. Break up a Larger Garden into Smaller Nooks This technique, a bit counterintuitively, works well even in small gardens and narrow city lots. By interrupting how far you can see across a yard, one’s eye is tricked into thinking the space is bigger than it is. The screening itself, whether you’re using fencing, walls or hedges, provides a perfect opportunity for nestling in a seating arrangement. Here, the designer used wood slat screens running laterally across the lot to selectively interfere with how far you can see and carve out multiple nooks for seating.
Screen for Privacy Give each area in your landscape even more of a separate feel by using screens. The designer of this yard, for example, framed the dining area with an on-trend slatted fence. The linear design creates a gentle screen, which lets in light while adding privacy. The screen gives the area a calm, secluded feel while being less intrusive than a solid wall. See more of this yard
What Else Should I Know? Don’t be afraid to make a big statement in a small space, Silva says. “Many people end up having small pots and plants that don’t make any impact on the space, as they’re afraid to choose bigger ones.” “As a general rule, the larger the pot, the less watering is required,” Lyne adds. “Last year, I designed a balcony using two large containers on each side and planted them with [birch] trees,” Silva says. “The white bark with the deep blue of the container was a good combination, and the [7½-foot-high trees] were enough to make the balcony on their own.” Tell us: What are your tips for designing a balcony or roof deck? Let us know in the Comments.
In a raised bed behind the bench seen here, Shipman planted a flowering dogwood (Cornus kousa), which she bought as a mature tree. “It has little starry-shaped bracts, which are very beautiful when you’re looking down from the windows above,” she says. “It’s important to consider the views you’ll have of your plants when you position them.” The potted plants are hostas. “They’re very heavy and in large pots,” Shipman says. “I’ve put them on pot trolleys that take up to [about 350 pounds]. They roll at a touch, so I can easily sweep underneath them without help. It’s part of me being independent in my own space.” The stands are made of recycled plastic and have good-quality wheels from Germany. Wheeled stands “can easily buckle if they’re not strong enough,” Shipman says, “so it’s worth investing.” These were about $55 each.
4. Tuck Under a Deck If your entryway is elevated, put the area under the deck to good use by enclosing it with wood siding and shed-style doors. This design by Land2c Landscape Architecture for a home in Seattle incorporates a bench seat at deck level that can be conveniently opened to drop garbage or recycling straight into the open bins concealed below. While only a few steps from the back door, the bins are completely concealed from view and easy to access.
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