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Transformation: One Container at a Time
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE What Containers Teach Us About Transformation Every container garden holds more than soil and plants. It holds a story: who lives there, how the space is used, what season of life they’re in, and a bit of the gardener’s personality. That’s one of the reasons I love container gardening so much. With just…
Holiday Gift Guide for the Container Gardener in Your Life
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE It’s December, and like many of you, my inbox is overflowing with “last chance” deals, countdown clocks, and limited-time offers. And while I appreciate a good deal, I try not to let all the noise dictate my spending. Instead of clicking impulsively, I keep a running list of thoughtful gift ideas throughout the…
Fall Thrillers That Pair Beautifully with Spring Bulbs
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Designing for Fall Containers When I design in fall, I think in layers: what looks good now, what will hold interest through the quiet stretch of winter, and how bulbs will play their part come spring. That kind of layering creates containers that hold their beauty across the seasons instead of fading with…
Vacation-Proof Your Pots: How to Keep Your Plants Thriving While You’re Away
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE August is known for its sizzling heat and as the time when our container gardens hit their peak, overflowing with everything we’ve nurtured for months. Right now, mine are bursting with blueberries, crisp lettuce, armfuls of blooms like verbena bonariensis, echinacea, and dahlias. Every glance out my office window gives me a little…
Seven Summer Sizzlers; Color That Keeps on Blooming
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE We all want our container plantings to stay full of color and texture, even on the hottest days of summer. With a little care and some smart plant choices, they absolutely can. This week marks both the first official week of summer and National Pollinator Week. As container gardeners, we have a front…
When Comfort Meets Challenge: The Hidden Gift of Redesign
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE 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.…
From Ordinary to Outstanding: What Sets Great Container Gardens Apart
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Last month, I had the privilege of judging the City Living Gardens at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, selecting the winner for All Around Best Container Garden Display. As a container gardening professional, I had the pleasure of judging alongside two incredible women – Grace Hensley, a professional garden photographer, and Barb…
Beauty, the Brain, and Container Gardening
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE I learned a new word last week, neuroaesthetics, thanks to Melissa Gerstle at the Digging In Association’s Winter Conference. I’ve always known that a well-tended garden or even just a few plants, can brighten my day. I understand the science behind Biophilia, which explains the proven mental and physical benefits of gardening. But…
A Fresh Start; Trends, Goals and Inspiration
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE January is a time to refresh, regroup, and set the tone for the year ahead – perfect time to talk trends, set goals, and embrace learning opportunities. For me, it’s a time to take stock of what worked, what didn’t, and what I’d like to change as I step into the new year.…
Faux and Fabulous: Stylish Tips for Winter Containers
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Have you ever watched the game show Is It Cake? Contestants craft cakes that look exactly like everyday objects, trying to fool celebrity judges into thinking they’re the real deal. It’s a whimsical concept that playfully questions our perception of reality. I like to play a similar game in my container planting designs…
Overwintering Tender Plants: Tips for Keeping Your Tropicals Cozy
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE As temperatures drop this time of year, my phone buzzes nonstop with texts and calls from friends wondering how to protect their beloved tropicals-like hibiscus, citrus trees, and aeoniums-from the chill of winter. It all boils down to one word: overwintering. Overwintering is about giving your plants the care and protection they need…
Fall Foliage: The Secret to Stunning Container Gardens
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE One big reason fall is a favorite season is the focus on foliage. Yes, those classic wine purples, burnt oranges, and golds that people travel to see. But as a container gardener, I appreciate foliage not just for its color, but as a design element for its texture and form. Just like layering…
Summer Garden Hack: The Self-Watering Planter
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Gardening enthusiasts and newbies alike can agree on one thing: maintaining healthy and thriving container plants during the summer can be both rewarding and challenging because many gardeners struggle with either underwatering or overwatering their planters. One innovative solution that has gained popularity in recent years is the self-watering planter. These planters significantly…
Give Your Houseplants a Summer Break Outdoors
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Houseplants Outdoors? You bet! Summer offers the perfect opportunity to give your favorite houseplants a rejuvenating vacation while simultaneously creating a beautiful outdoor oasis. By moving these indoor favorites outside, they can easily transform into stunning shade container beauties. This shift allows you to think beyond traditional seasonal choices and create a lush,…
The Art of Selection: Crafting a Stunning Container Garden with the Right Plants
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE As garden centers burst at the seams with an array of plants in all sorts of pretty colors and interesting textures, the task of plant selection can at times seem daunting. But, following a few nifty guidelines and simply decoding the plant tag will help you select plants that will give you success…
Designing a Container Garden for Sensory Delight
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Container gardens offer a fantastic opportunity to craft a lasting experience that engages, sight, smell, touch, even taste, right outside your door whether it’s at your front entry, balcony or patio. Plus, sensory stimulation enhances our well-being. At this point in my career, incorporating the five senses into my container garden designs and…
March Makeover: Tips for Refreshing Your Spring Containers
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE March can be such a tease, luring us with its transition from winter to spring and often bringing about unpredictable weather changes. It can be a mix of warm spells and sudden cold snaps. During this period, our container plantings might start looking a bit dreary. So how do you transition your container…
Growing Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Citrus, the fragrant, fruit-bearing beauty Citrus has a special place in my heart. When most people think of citrus, they think of its fruit but some citrus is grown for its fragrant leaves and flowers. It’s all of this and more for me. My parents have been taking care of kumquat trees since…
Designing a Winter Planter with Style
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Get Creative and Stylize Your Winter Container Planting this Holiday Season I recently partook in a “Winter Style-It Container Challenge” sponsored by Monrovia and Digging In Gathering. The structure of the competition was to have a small group of container gardeners from various regions across the country design a winter planter using Monrovia’s…
Bring a Sunny Disposition to Your Container Plantings
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE There’s just something about yellow Last month, I shared that tete a tetes signify the arrival of spring for me. I recently found myself thinking about what is it about tete a tetes that makes me feel so cheerful and happy. Is it something as simple as their color? Yellow symbolizes happiness. One…
Narcissus ‘Tête `a Tête’ – The First Sign of Spring
CONTAINEDBRILLIANCE Narcissus ‘Tête `a Tête’ nodding to a new season’s arrival Because of the Narcissus ‘Tête `a Tête’, there is literally no need for a calendar to signify spring. One of the first signs of the new season, it offers up sweet fragrance, bright color and cheer. ‘Tête `a Tête’ is a French term,…
