When Comfort Meets Challenge: The Hidden Gift of Redesign
CONTAINED
BRILLIANCE
As designers, whether we’re working with plants, paint, or pixels, we all hit that sweet spot where everything just works. You know what I mean: the combinations you can count on, the go-to favorites you trust to perform. That’s exactly where I was with one of my longtime clients. They loved warm colors. They loved aeoniums. And honestly? So did I.
The Comfort Zone
Each year, I’d refresh their containers just a little. I'd tweak a thing here, swap out a plant there, but the core of the design stayed the same. Aeoniums for drama. Geraniums for that reliable, happy filler. A few supporting characters to tie it all together.
We were in a groove, and it was comfortable. Familiar. Easy.
And then the first email came.
"Cindy, we have a new puppy. Can you make sure nothing is planted that's toxic to dogs?”
Attached was a link to an BBC Countryfile Magazine article about seemingly harmless plants that can pose risks to curious pups.
Sure! I thought. Easy enough. I’d just double-check the plant list against ASPCA’s toxic plant database for dogs and cats. Well, that presented some challenges. No more geraniums and begonias, but I figured we could easily swap in other annuals for color.
Then came the follow-up phone call.
“Also… we’d love to see more flowers this year. LOTS of flowers, but still keep it low maintenance, please!”
This would be a bit more challenging. Flowers by nature create more maintenance. The bright pops of color and seasonal showstoppers we all love comes with a bit of commitment. They need to be watered, fertilized, and deadheaded to keep blooming strong through summer.
So just like that, my well-worn, go-to, comfortable design was gently set aside. What my clients wanted wasn’t just a refresh. It was a full-blown redesign.
And I’ll be honest: it caught me off guard. What we had was working. I was on autopilot.
The Spark
But once I got past the initial surprise, I remembered something really important.
Design challenges aren't interruptions to creativity. They fuel it.
When we’re asked to rethink our tried-and-true designs, to work within new boundaries like “no aeoniums” or “more flowers but still low maintenance”, we’re being invited to grow. We stretch, reimagine, and find new solutions.
It’s like stepping off a familiar well-worn walking path and switching to a slightly steeper, more adventurous trail. It’s might be a little more work, yes, but the view is often much more rewarding.
Design challenges push us out of autopilot and back into curiosity. They nudge us to look at the familiar in unfamiliar ways, ask better questions and explore new solutions. And when we do that, creativity tends to show up, often in bold, beautiful ways.
The New Parameters
Here's what I was bound to:
- More flowers
- Less toxic to pets
- Still low maintenance
- No aeoniums (this one stung a little)
- Stick to the warm color palette. Absolutely no pinks, blues, purples or whites
In short, recreate the same warm, tonal feel with a new plant palette. Move away from understated and lean into abundance - a more abundant, floral-forward look.
Getting Grounded
To make sure I was on the right track, I created a mood board. This helped confirm I was heading in the right direction, especially since I planned to add tropicals for more floral drama and impact. Creating a vision board is something I do for every new client and design. It gives us something visual to ground our ideas and ensures we're aligned before I start sourcing plants.
Happily, the client was in. With their green light, I began building out the new plant palette – one that checked all the boxes without sacrificing beauty.
As I started curating plants, I was reminded that thoughtful plant selection is at the heart of every successful design. It's not just about color and shape, but how a plant behaves, how it supports the design goals and how it fits the client's lifestyle. If you're curious about the deeper layers of that process, I break it all down in "The Art of Selection: Crafting a Container Garden with the Right Plants".
What I Focused On
- Texture – A mix of fine, medium, and bold textures to create depth and visual interest.
- Repetition – Echoing similar shapes, colors or plants for rhythm and harmony.
- Proper Scale – Ensuring the arrangement feels balanced and appropriate for the space.
- Smart Use of Color – Whether bold or subtle, color choices needed to be intentional.
- Overall Cohesion – The best designs feel like art. Nothing would be accidental and every element would play a role.
The New Line-Up
Here's where I landed:
- Canna ‘Tropicana’ brought back the dark, bold foliage I missed without the aeoniums — plus its orange blooms tied perfectly into the warm color palette.
- Hibiscus ‘Jazzy Jewel Ruby’ added big, showy color (and honestly, the name alone is a delight). And, while Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon) is toxic to dogs, tropical varieties like Hibiscus rosa-sinensis are generally considered safe.
- SunPatiens 'Compact Red' replaced the now off-limits geraniums. They're also lower maintenance. No deadheading needed, just a quick comb through and sweep.
- Osteospermum ‘Orange Burst’ created a beautiful transition from the hibiscus and the SunPatiens, while offering a cheerful, daisy-like form and extra layering.
- Osmanthus ‘Ogon’ and Sedum ‘Angelina’ brought in warm golden notes and extra texture.
- Abutilon ‘Lucky Lantern Red’ and Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister’ gave a sense of whimsy and height, while staying on-theme with the warm color palette.
- For a trailing touch, I tucked in Calibrachoa ‘Aloha Kona Mango’, with soft sunset hues, and paired it with Sedum 'Angelina' to echo the calibrachoa’s center perfectly.
From previous seasons, I held onto Uncinia 'Belinda’s Find' for its rich texture and Cuphea micropetala for its tangerine-orange and buttery-yellow blooms that attract hummingbirds which is always a win.
In one planting, I incorporated an aeonium and phormium, both legacy plants from earlier designs. This time though, they weren't the stars of the show. But instead, played quiet supporting roles, offering a subtle nod to the past.
The Result
In the end, the final design felt familiar to our old standby but with more flair, being more florific, and no longer being reliant on the aeoniums for texture and structure. And that’s the beauty of it. It was fresh, full of movement and color, and completely aligned with my client’s evolving needs.
The plantings felt new, vibrant, dynamic, and deeply personal. A joyful reflection to their lifestyle shift.
The Takeaway
Design challenges aren’t roadblocks. They’re invitations.
They invite us into deeper creativity and problem-solving. They help us understand our clients better, build trust and flexibility, and often lead to better, more meaningful work. Because here’s the thing. I wouldn't have gotten there without that puppy and that call.
So, the next time a client (or life) throws a curveball your way, don’t resist it. Welcome it. Let it shake things up. Let it nudge you out of it autopilot. Let it challenge you.
Let it grow your creativity.
You might just find your best work on the other side.
Happy Container Gardening!
Omg I saw myself! Without meaning to I always ended up with the same theme/colors! It’s hard to change habits. Of any kind. With your help one corner of containers now has more pop and appeal. Now I have to try and expand it to other sections 🤞.
Isn’t it wild how we can repeat patterns without even realizing it? The fact that you noticed and made a shift, even in just one corner, is a win. It sounds like that little change and pop of color has sparked some momentum. I’m cheering you on as you keep experimenting—can’t wait to see how the rest of your containers evolves!
I love all your insights.
I too had a curveball when I moved from Seattle to Port Townsend. In PT we have deer everywhere so I really had to think twice about my garden designs and pots. I had to study the gardens here and see which plants were being left alone. Deer like wet leaves so deer resistant plants aren’t always foolproof. I always say to clients fawns are like Mae West, they’ll ‘try anything at least eleven times.’
Talking to the locals and having timely resources ready like ‘The Deer Resistant Garden’ are helpful. It has pushed me to find new plants and stretched my knowledge.
Thanks for the kind words and sharing your “curveball”! I felt it! Moving from city life to somewhere like Port Townsend sounds so appealing, but yes, those deer definitely can be a challenge in containers and the garden. Your Mae West line made me laugh – so spot on.
I love how you took the challenge and ran with it. Stretching your plant palette, getting curious, talking to locals, that’s exactly the kind of resilience and creativity I was writing about. You’ll have to send me your go-to “deer-proof” container plants! I get asked all the time, and since I don’t deal with deer much here in the city, I really lean on gardeners like you who’ve been in the trenches.
And just to double-check, was The Deer-Resistant Garden, the book written by Karen Chapman? I’d love to include that in my list of resources.
Thanks again for jumping in and sharing. You’ve definitely helped add more heart and perspective to the conversation.