Sunday, June 8

A garden of potted pleasures

Limited mobility draws Frankfort gardener to containers

Yellow, the favorite color of Sylvia's daughter, Annie, is sprinkled liberally throughout the garden in the form of cascading yellow tuberose begonias, sparkling mini roses and yellow alamanda vine, a prolific bloomer. Additionally, variegated ivy, Felicia (daisy-like flowers with pristine white petals and a yellow eye), pink mini roses, pink wax begonias, white mandevilla vine, Perilla 'Magilla,' Dicondra 'Silver Falls' and even a few perennials tucked in here and there all conspire to produce a show-stopping effect. Photo by Betty Earl

Afflicted by arthritic knees, Frankfort gardener Sylvia Triumph has created a lush landscape primarily through the use of container plantings. Photo by Betty Earl

Most gardeners have a few containers of flowers tucked in here and there throughout the garden for bold splashes of summer color. Few, however, possess the skills of Sylvia Triumph, a retired floral designer, who -- with a profusion of containers and some floral sleight-of-hand -- creates awesome floral magic in her Frankfort landscape.

Once an active, dig-in-the-dirt gardener, Sylvia turned to container gardening on her terrace when her arthritic knees limited mobility. Now, when the strain on her knees becomes too much, she gardens while sitting down on a chair or a garden scooter.

Sylvia has treated the terrace, an extension of the house, as a garden room. "I look at the trees as a natural canopy -- a sort of roof over the terrace," she says. Thus she created a natural garden room defined by the trees. As a garden it is not large, but as a room it is huge.

Coleus -- that splashy denizen of Victorian floral schemes -- has been updated and today reappears in hundreds of new forms. In Sylvia's side garden, Kong(tm) Series 'Rose', with its extremely large leaves and unique patterned combinations, is planted with herbs and vegetables. This eye-catching choice is a well-branched plant that grows tall and full in the ground or in a container. Photo by Betty Earl

What creates impact?
Starting with the rose, white and green of the cushions on her outdoor wrought iron furniture, Sylvia quickly established a color scheme. By sticking to this color theme and varying the flowers and foliage in the numerous containers spread throughout the property, she brings rich color and dramatic substance to the terrace. Raspberry pink zonal geraniums are her signature plant. Lush containers of this cheerful flower greet visitors at the front door, welcome guests at the side entrance and, at the far end of the terrace, ride high atop concrete statuary in overflowing baskets reminiscent of grand European gardens.

In addition to the plants on the terrace, there is also "Annie's garden." So named for Sylvia's daughter, it is located at the side of the house. This small vegetable garden contains six tomato plants and a line of plastic urns planted with herbs and colorful foliage. An avid cook, Sylvia has come up with an ingenious "pot-in-pot" method of growing her culinary herbs. The inner pot containing the actual herb plant, such as basil or parsley, is surrounded by the vivid hues of richly colored coleus planted in the outer container -- filling out the planting in a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors. At the end of the growing season, Sylvia merely pulls out the inner pot for over-wintering in a specially-constructed greenhouse window in the garage, giving the gourmet cook plenty of fresh herbs throughout the winter season.

Containers of Sylvia's signature raspberry pink zonal geraniums fill a corner of the terrace. Their hot color is cooled by pale yellow calibrachoa, trailing mounds of bright blue lobelia and the tiny blossoms of white bacopa. The spiky burgundy leaves of Cordyline 'Red Sensation' was added for height while variegated Lamium 'Beacon Silver' cascades over the edge of the containers. For the fullness that Sylvia loves, a lower layer of plants was placed at ground level. These repeat the geraniums, but add licorice plant (Helichrysum 'Limelight') and Boston fern. Photo by Betty Earl

Pink shrub roses are fronted by white impatiens and dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) in this bed, while Sylvia's signature urns and the white picket fence itself add height. Photo by Betty Earl

Her formula for success
Basically, Sylvia's containers are planted according to a formula that incorporates three kinds of plants -- tall plants for structure and height, trailing plants for cascading over the edges and filler plants in complementary colors that bloom all season long.

Sylvia believes that choosing the right container is critical. For her terrace she chose concrete containers because they are heavy enough to withstand the stormy weather that sometimes blankets the area and because they blend seamlessly with her terrace. She uses soil-less potting mixes that are lighter, absorb more water and drain better than standard potting soils. Though Sylvia waters her plants daily and fertilizes on a regular basis, she notes that the amount of watering and fertilization required depends on the type of soil used, the variety of plants, on the climate, and even the containers themselves.

Sylvia's colorful terrace demonstrates just how effective potted containers can be, creating the illusion of a mixed border and providing the lush display generally only seen in greenhouses or solariums.

Her advice for others who desire to create the same effect? "Define your space" she says. "Create the theme, arrange your composition and enjoy the results!"

It's that simple.

Author of "In Search of Great Plants: The Insider's Guide to the Best Plants in the Midwest," Betty Earl is a Master Gardener, photographer and lecturer. She writes for numerous regional gardening magazines, is a garden scout for both Better Homes & Gardens and Midwest Living magazines and also serves as a regional representative for the Garden Conservancy. She lives and gardens in Naperville.