For the 2011 Container Design Challenge, we asked our readers to add a little something extra to their container designs. Just like the perfect purse or a snazzy tie can make a ho-hum outfit sing, an extra object add some pizzazz to a planting. We left the concept wide open, inviting our readers to interpret it as they wished, and you certainly were inspired.

We’re sharing with you here the winning photo, along with photos of all the finalists’ entries.

And the winner is…

A walk in the woods

Cindy Young, Brewster, New York

Accessory: Deer antlers

Plants:

• ‘Moonlight’ caladium (Caladium bicolor ‘Moonlight’, USDA Hardiness Zones 10-11)
• African mask (Alocasia amazonica, Zone 11)
• Elephant ear (Alocasia lauterbachiana, Zone 11)
• Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana cv., annual)
• English ivy (Hedera helix cv., Zones 5-11)

Runners Up

Once upon a time…

Ellen Mann, Fox Point, Wisconsin

Mushrooms often bring to mind fairy tales, and these colorful mushrooms, combined with an abundance of cheerful flowers, are sure to spark anyone’s imagination.

Accessory: Ceramic mushrooms

Plants:

• Cordyline (Cordyline australis cv., Zones 10-11)
• Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum cv., annual)
• Angelonia (Angelonia angustifolia cv., annual)
• Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas cv., Zone 11)
• Calibrachoa (Calibrachoa cv., annual)

Plants out loud

Moira McQuarrie, Hanson, Massachusetts

Succulents are the perfect match for this vintage gramophone horn—especially the agave, which mimics perfectly the horn’s shape and colors. A dash of red flowers highlights the rusty accents on both the gramophone and the container.

Accessory: Gramophone horn

Plants:

• Happy crown agave (Agave ‘Kissho Kan’, Zones 7-10)
• Blazin’ Glory senecio (Senecio cephalophorus, Zones 9-11)
• Thornless prickly pear cactus (Opuntia cacanapa ‘Ellisiana’, Zones 7-10)
• Burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum, Zone 11)
• Madagascar palm (Pachypodium lamerei, Zone 11)
• ‘Golden Glow’ sedum (Sedum adolphi ‘Golden Glow’, Zones 10-11)

A trip to the tropics

Cindy Voigt, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Cindy set out to create a design with tropical flair— a challenge in central Wisconsin. She started with two jeweled golden peacocks and filled in with lush, bold, and colorful plants. Dark, dramatic leaves and dashes of hot red turn up the thermostat.

Accessory: Decorative metal peacocks

Plants:

• ‘Coffee Cups’ elephant’s ears (Colocasia esculenta ‘Coffee Cups’, Zones 8-11)
• Purple sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’, Zones 5-8)
• ‘Sweet Caroline Bronze’ sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas ‘Sweet Caroline Bronze’, Zone 11)
• ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’ fuchsia (Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’, Zones 9-10)
• ‘Mosaik Lava Red’ coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Mosaik Lava Red’, Zone 11) ‘Gay’s Delight’ coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Gay’s Delight’, Zone 11)

Other Finalists

Michelle Baldwin, Bluffton, South Carolina

Accessory: Garden lights

Plants:

• Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla, Zones 9-11)
• ‘Blue rows’ rush (Juncus inflexus ‘Blue Arrows’, Zones 5-11)
• Breathless™ Blush euphorbia (Euphorbia Breathless™ Blush, annual)
• Silver drop eucalyptus (Eucalyptus gunnii, Zones 9-11)
• ‘Redhead’ coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Redhead’, Zones 12-13)
• Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas cv., Zone 11)

Deborah Trickett, Milton, Massachusetts

Accessory: Birdhouse

Plants:

• Plectranthus (Plectranthus cv., Zones 12-13)
• Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides cv., Zones 12-13)
• Cherry sage (Salvia coccinea, Zones 9-11)

Alice Dann, St. Cloud, Wisconsin

Accessory: Perfume bottle

Plants:

• Rex begonia (Begonia cv., Zones 12-13)
• Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides cv., Zones 12-13)
• Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’, Zones 12-13)

Sherry Schmidt, Shaker Heights, Ohio

Accessory: Candelabra and white candles

Plants:

• ‘Purple Flash’ ornamental pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Purple Flash’, annual)
• Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus, Zones 9-11)
• Rex begonia (Begonia cv., Zones 12-13)
• Petunia (Petunia cv., annual)
• Purple heart (Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’, Zones 8-11)
• ‘Mona Lavender’ plectranthus (Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’, Zones 10-11)

Susan Bautsch, Edwardsville, Illinois

Accessory: Metal crane

Plants:

• Yellow mandevilla (Mandevilla urchites lutea, Zones 12-13)
• Crotons (Codiaeum cvs., Zones 12-13)
• ‘Saturn’ coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Saturn’, Zones 12-13)
• ‘Black Velvet’ petunia (Petunia ‘Black Velvet’, annual)
• Lemon thyme (Thymus X citriodorus, Zones 6-9)
• ‘Silver Falls’ dichondra (Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’, Zones 10-11)

Brenda Addington, Suwanee, Georgia

Accessory: Pink China plate

Plants:

• Dragon Wing® Pink begonia (Begonia Dragon Wing® Pink, annual)
• Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus, Zones 9-11)
• Petunia (Petunia cv., annual)
• Tuberous begonia (Begonia cv., Zones 12-13)
• Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana cv., annual)

Carol Corbin, Troy, Michigan

Accessory: Wine bottle corks

Plants:

• ‘Cora Burgundy’ vinca (Vinca ‘Cora Burgundy’, annual)
• ‘Sangria’ ornamental pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Sangria’, annual)
• ‘Dipt in Wine’ coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Dipt in Wine’, Zones 12-13)

Roxane Hutchins, Marshfield, Wisconsin