Happy Monday, GPOD! Today we’re heading to New Jersey for some fall container inspiration from garden designers Ellen Goldfarb and Tracy Buttrick. The two have shared a collection of seasonal arrangements they’ve created for homes throughout the area, and there’s so much to enjoy!
We’re starting with four designs by Tracy, who shows just how much color and texture you can fit into a pot, even when planting space is limited. These arrangements are full of ideas worth borrowing for our own front entrances. Let’s take a look!
Tracy designed this pot, one of a pair flanking the front door on a large porch. Because the house is white, she wanted the pots to have lots of color to stand out. At the top is purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’, Zones 8–11), along with balloon plant seed pods (Gomphocarpus physocarpus, Zones 8–10), broom corn (Sorghum bicolor, annual), great millet (Sorghum bicolor, annual), ‘Intenz’ celosia (Celosia argentea ‘Intenz’, annual), pumpkins-on-a-stick (Solanum aethiopicum, annual), ornamental peppers (Capsicum annuum cvs., annual), garden mums (Chrysanthemum × morifolium cvs., Zones 5–9), and ornamental cabbage (Brassica oleracea cvs., annual).
Tracy designed this pot with broom corn, ‘Jade Princess’ ornamental millet (Pennisetum glaucum ‘Jade Princess’, annual), crested celosia (Celosia argentea var. cristata, annual), ‘Durango Red’ French marigolds (Tagetes patula ‘Durango Red’, annual), pumpkins-on-a-stick, mums, ornamental peppers, ‘Concertina Pink’ celosia (Celosia argentea ‘Concertina Pink’, annual), and Snow Princess sweet alyssum (Lobularia ‘Inlbusnopr’, annual).
Although this pot looks big and round, it has a very small planting area, so it is always a challenge. Tracy used purple fountain grass, pumpkins-on-a-stick, ‘Dragon’s Breath’ celosia (Celosia argentea ‘Dragon’s Breath’, annual), ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea cvs., annual), ‘Twisted Dark Orange’ celosia (Celosia argentea ‘Twisted Dark Orange’, annual), heather (Calluna vulgaris, Zones 4–8), and Snow Princess sweet alyssum.
This matching smaller round pot at the base of the porch steps presented similar challenges. With only an 8-inch opening, branches helped give height and body to the design. Tracy used yellow winterberry (Ilex verticillata, Zones 3–9), pumpkins-on-a-stick, ‘Intenz’ celosia, ornamental kale, ornamental peppers, ‘Concertina Red’ celosia (Celosia argentea ‘Concertina Red’, annual), heather, and ‘Violet Knight’ sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima ‘Violet Knight’, annual).
Thank you to Ellen and Tracy for sharing these beautiful fall containers with us! We’ll be featuring more of their designs throughout the week, so stay tuned!
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