Add Spice to Your Containers

   Are you looking for unique plants for your containers or window boxes? Do you need more space to grow healthful herbs and veggies? Try tucking a few herbs or veggies into your containers and you’ll solve two problems at once! Using herbs in your containers is much like using herbs in cooking . . . they add a depth to each “dish” and heighten the flavor and beauty of everything around them. Herbs and veggies, too, will stay in bloom or full-green all summer long keeping your pots looking full and fresh. Our wide variety of super healthy plants gives you the design freedom to select by color, scent, texture, leaf size, or height.

TIP: Select containers that can be moved inside for winter and you’ll extend your growing season and have access to fresh-cut herbs all year.

If you need ideas for how to create a container, click over to our How to Build a Container Garden article for some great tips on building the perfect pot. But as we always say, there are no right or wrong answers in gardening so pick what you love! Here are a few selections to get your creative juices flowing:

For colorful or showy thrillers: Lavender, sage, stevia, ornamental peppers, red kale, cabbage, or chives.

For texture and fillers: Basil, lemon balm, curly parsley, chamomile, dill, or lettuce.

For thick spillers: Mint, thyme, rosemary, strawberries, or vining cherry tomatoes.

When you start looking at herbs or veggies as a container element – instead of in a garden row – you’ll be surprised by the range of textures and colors. Combined with flowers, herbs add depth to your patio pots and all alone they create interesting combinations. Try putting a spiller-type herb like Creeping Lemon Thyme with a thriller flower such as French Vanilla Snapdragon. Or create an entire container of herbs with contrasting colors and textures such as the multi-colored Tricolor Sage, light Silver Edge Thyme and the lovely flowering Hidcote Lavender. Herbs such as basil and mint add rich undertone scents to your spaces and will attract birds or butterflies. Be sure to choose combinations, though, with the same water, sun, and drainage needs and be aware that some herbs will grow profusely and need occasional trimming to avoid overcrowding.

Little Gardeners Tip: Gardening with herbs shows your kids the connection between scent and flavor. Rub a leaf between your fingers to release the smell and ask your children to guess the food they’d find that herb in. They’ll be amazed when they see what a “dill pickle” plant looks like!

Once your plants really take hold, be sure to snip off occasionally to keep their growth in check . . . and then take those herbs right into the kitchen for a delicious summer dish. Beautiful and yummy!