N

O

A

T

N

I

E

R

MANIA

C

Plants in pots are all the rage—and for good reason. They are easy to care for and movable (if they’re not too large), and add a decorative accent in just about any spot. As you pick your pots and plantings, keep these ideas in mind.

■ Combine eye-catching mixes of annuals, perennials, flower bulbs, and even vegetables.

■ Group several containers for impact. Too often, people use the same container in the same place every year—for instance, one big container by the front door. Instead, put seven—even ten—containers there.

■ Create balance, then add a zinger. Choose plants that go together but don’t quite match—this repetition of related colors ties the big picture together. Three to five colors work nicely as a base, but don’t stop there. Toss in a zinger, something oddball that is just “off” enough in color or texture to punch up everything else a notch.

For example, start with a selection of one or more of the following, as illustrated in the photo at right: variegated cannas with multi-striped leaves of green, orange, gold, and pink; magenta-and-gold coleuses; hot-pink-and-green caladiums; hot-pink pentas; and even-pinker trailing petunias. For the kicker, add taxicab-yellow lantanas. As the plants mature, they take on a life of their own.

■ Go for intertwining plants. The best plantings are those in which the plants fall in love—growing intertwined, looping through

one another, holding others upright, peeking and creeping through in odd places, or simply making one another look good.