Garden Photo of the Day

Simple, Elegant Container Plantings

Today we’re in Malvern, Pennsylvania, visiting Carla Zambelli Mudry’s wonderful garden again. We’ve visited it before in the summer and earlier in the spring when the daffodils were blooming, and today and tomorrow we’re checking in to see how it has grown as we move into late spring.

My garden is now moving through spring, so I thought I would share more photos with you.

Please note that the way I do containers is somewhat different from how a lot of people do them because I like to mix it up. This year I have chosen scented geraniums with interesting salvias and nasturtiums, along with pots with little hostas, herbs, and other things like little English daisies.

My objective remains to welcome the visitors into my garden and hope they enjoy it for a while.

Colorful pot with scented geranium (Pelargonium sp.), salvia, and nasturtium. Though filled with fragrant foliage, this container gets most of its color right now from the pot itself. There are many species in the genus Pelargonium with strongly scented foliage. We have links to articles about many of them here. All make great annual container plants, especially if placed where you can brush your hands through the foliage to release their wonderful scents.

A pot full of little English daisies (Bellis perennis). Though technically hardy in Zones 4–7, these sweet little flowers are best grown as cool season annuals in much of the country, as they cannot survive hot summer weather. In spring, however, they are a wonderful addition to the more usual cool-season annuals like pansies.

Foliage-forward containers. Containers are a terrific way to show off small hostas. Containers lift them up where you can appreciate their beauty without having to get down on the ground, and in the Southeast, containers protect hosta roots from hungry voles.

Garden seating, plus another place to enjoy a container plant.

The containers in the garden.

‘Miss Kim’ lilac (Syringa pubescens subsp. patula ‘Miss Kim’, Zones 3–8) starting to bloom.

Peony in bud, about to burst out in glory!

Carla sent in so many great photos that we split them over two days. Check in tomorrow for more of her woodland garden and garden art.

 

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Comments

  1. User avater
    meander_michaele 05/29/2019

    Good morning, Carla. It's always nice when the GPOD photos are from a previous contributor and there's the opportunity to look at the earlier sharings. I like how you plant your small leafed hostas in a container so their dainty prettiness can be better appreciated. Your colorful Mexican container is quite eye-catching and you were wise to pot it up with foliage type plants. Looking forward to seeing more of your garden tomorrow.

  2. User avater
    simplesue 05/29/2019

    Even with all the space one may have in a garden, it's always nice to have containers with plants as you have. Love that rectangular classic cast cement container you have in your garden. Nice seating arrangement, and I spy a bird bath in the background! I'll be back tomorrow to see more!

  3. btucker9675 05/29/2019

    The English daisies are delightful - as is all of your garden!

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