Plan Your Summer Planters NOW!

It may be chilly right now, but a great way to beat the Winter blues is to look to the future and think of all the gorgeous flowers planters you can plan ahead!

Keeping planters overflowing with beautiful annuals is a perfect way to add color and interest to your front porch, back patio, or anywhere around the home that you think could use a burst of vibrance. 

This lush entrance to our Ewing garden center was designed by Ross, and features thrillers, fillers and spillers—the three core elements of any successful planter. 

We always like to plant in layers, using thrillers to draw the eye up as a focal point, fillers of different colors and textures to catch the eye, and spillers, which will hang over the sides, softening the overall look of your arrangement. 

One of Dan’s favorite planters is potted in a converted fountain and features a great variety of complimentary flowers and foliage to visually feast upon. Some stand-outs include:

The golden-yellow pops of ‘Zahara Double Yellow’ Zinnia

The striking fuchsia of this ‘Fuego Pink’ Verbena

And the gorgeous tones of the Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’

Joe’s favorite Summer planter also happens to be a converted fountain, which lets the imagination run even more wild! 

Joes advice? Get creative! Your planter is your space to experiment—there are no limits to what you can plant, and so many innovative options to use as vessels for your creation! 

Planting with a mixture of Summer and Fall annuals is a great way to seamlessly blend your planters with the seasons. And again, get creative! Swap out your tropical annuals with Fall annuals for endless blooms.  

And while you can opt to use only annuals and perennials in your planters, evergreens like Boxwood, Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Inkberry, Dwarf Hinoki False Cypress and more offer year-round focal points when used as thrillers.

Simply plant your fillers and spillers around your evergreen centerpiece and voilà! Some great annuals to dress up your evergreen focal point include: 

Lantana, like this multi-toned Dwarf Lantana

Bright colors like this Vinca ‘Cora Apricot’

The yellow-chartreuse of Creeping Jenny

And multi-toned petunias!

If you don’t want to plant in a pot, you can always spread some seeds or plant some seedlings like we do! 

And if you live in a colder climate, you can remove spent annuals when frost comes and dress up your evergreen planter with natural decor for the holidays. 

When it comes to planter placement, there’s no limit on where you can put them! As long as it gets sun and you can water it, your planter will thrive. 

Once Spring finally arrives in the Northeast, you can head over to our New Jersey locations in early March to find a full assortment of Pansies, Ranunculus, Primrose, Bacopa, Stock, Snapdragons and so much more. 

We hope this inspires you to hop out of those Winter blues and get excited for all the planting possibilities that come with the New Year!