Though it may seem like the time to put ideas of gardening out of our heads, a little effort now can reward you with a season of beautiful flowers and foliage at your doorstep each day. We live at the boundary between hardiness zones 7b and 8a which allows for some variety in selecting plants for your container. Of course, with a pretty pot you’re already off to a good start, but the addition of some pansies and violas (and several hours of sun each day) will give you blooms through the winter months.
Flowers aren’t everything though! Colorful foliage really adds to the palate with purples, reds, bronzes and greens. Consider dusty miller for its silvery gray foliage and rosemary for deep greens. Ornamental kales have purple and green ruffles, while ornamental mustard offer long dark purple and red textured leaves. For height, an ornamental grass provides a contrast to the low growing trailing plants that make nice fillers around the edges of the pot. Be sure to choose plants that are a few zones hardier than our 8a/7b rating to make sure they can handle winter life in a container here. Your best bet is to talk to others about what has worked for them or stop by your local nursery to hear their suggestions.
Always use good quality potting soil and a container with a drainage hole to keep your plants from getting waterlogged. It’s a good idea to put a mesh screen or a few rocks in the bottom of your pot to keep the soil from draining out. Adjusting the height of the soil in your pot to a few inches below the top of the container allows for easier watering.
Happy gardening!
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