Maybe it’s because my first gardening venture was three window boxes in a 14th-floor apartment in New York City, but I love it when it’s finally warm enough to plant containers.
Every spring I would head to the Union Square Farmers Market with my neighbor Barbara, the queen of Greenwich Village window boxes, to buy tried and true annuals like petunias, ageratum, vinca and as many herbs as I could squeeze in.
Planting containers can be an art form, and a very forgiving one.
Containers allow you to create whole new gardens in miniature. The possibilities are endless. And if something isn’t working out to your satisfaction, you can put it somewhere else and try another plant in its place.
Another happy thing about container gardening is that, unlike perennial gardening, which requires years of patience, you get nearly instant gratification with containers. You want to give your plants some room to grow, but you can plant a container that looks abundant from the start.
Clever container designers think of variation in terms of size, shape, color and habit. They often combine a vertical element such as calla lily or angelonia; a trailing foliage plant like vinca, licorice plant or sweet potato vine and lower-growing plants such as impatiens or petunias.
The sizes and shapes of the containers themselves are also limitless, from low, round terra cotta pots to tall ceramic planters in every color imaginable. And consider some of the “fake” pottery options. They’re a lot lighter than the real thing, and they are more durable.
Choose plant color combinations that please you. Chartreuse and deep purple, perhaps. Or patriotic red, white and blue. If you want a restrained color palate, try using all white flowers of various shapes and sizes and accent them with silver foliage plants.
As you shop you can experiment by grouping different plants together in your cart. How does this deep blue lobelia look with a yellow petunia? With a purple sweet potato vine? Just remember to handle the plants gently and put them back in their places.
Consider how much sun your planter will get. Keep in mind that any surrounding trees will leaf out and provide more shade than you might anticipate. If your spot gets full sun, that’s great. But there are lots of great part-sun to shade options, too.
There are way too many plants to name, but here are a few favorites.
For sun, try heliotrope, with purple clusters of blossoms with attractive dark green foliage and a sweet scent that butterflies love.
Lantana is another good choice for sun; its clustered florets come in an array of yellows, pinks, oranges and reds. Hummingbirds and butterflies love it.
For fragrance, nothing beats scented geraniums. These wondrous plants have lemon, rose or mint-scented foliage and simple, sweet flowers. They love sun and are easy to care for.
If your container is in the shade, try one of the many lovely fuchsias, some upright, some trailing, in a variety of colors. Hummingbirds love their trumpet-shaped flowers.
Begonias, known for their colorful flowers and interesting foliage, are also shade-lovers. Coleus is another great shade plant; it’s grown mostly for its foliage, which comes in an amazing assortment of color combinations: gold, lime-green, bronze, bright red and burgundy, even purplish black. Coleus can stand the sun too.
If you’re stumped, gardening magazines offer lots of colorful photographs to stir your imagination. The important thing to remember is that there’s no right or wrong approach. And you can keep trying until you find something that makes you smile.
Foraging is fun! Take a walk on the wild side Saturday with herbalist, wildcrafter, permaculturist and author Dina Falconi through the gardens, meadows, and woodland edges of the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge. The trek is set from 10 a.m. until noon.
Participants will learn to identify a variety of edible and medicinal plants using basic sensory skills and discover how these plants are used for cooking, healing and some pleasurable pursuits.
This walk will include practical information on harvest and preparation of foraged plants.
Falconi is a founding member of the Northeast Herbal Association, a chapter leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and an organizer of Slow Food-Hudson Valley. She has been teaching classes about the use of herbs for food, medicine and pleasure, including wild-food foraging and cooking, for more than 20 years.
Following the program, she will be selling and signing her beautiful book, ”Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook.” Bring a notepad, camera and water bottle.
The cost for members is $25; Nonmembers: $30.
To register, go to berkshirebotanical.org.
If you’re looking to dress up your garden with something that doesn’t need to be weeded, watered or mulched, consider an outdoor sculpture, stone birdbath or quirky metal structure from Northampton’s award-winning Paradise City Arts Festival.
Among the 260 extraordinary exhibitors are dozens of craftsmen and artists who specialize in fabulous garden creations. Consider one of Stephen Procter’s giant ceramic pots, Louis Pomerantz’s smooth stone water sculptures or Whitmore Boogaerts’s outdoor kinetic sculptures.
The festival will also feature an exhibit titled “From Landscape to Dreamscape,” with artists offering fresh interpretations of the landscapes that surround them.
There will be a benefit silent auction, sensational cuisine by Northampton’s best chefs and live music by regional and national luminaries.
Boston Magazine writes, “There’s no better place in the country to pick up original artwork than the Paradise City Arts Festival.”
The Festival will take place Memorial Day weekend, May 28 to 30, at the Three County Fairgrounds, 54 Old Ferry Road, Northampton.
The hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday.
Admission is adults $13; seniors 65+ $12; students $8; three-day pass $16. Children under 12 are free.