The instructor taught us a very important concept in creating any basket: the more plants/flowers the better. Just when you think that you can't fit anymore and they're going to crowd one another out, add one more. The results are amazing.
The fundamentals of a good container, I learned, are having a thriller (a bright, high plant), a filler (a medium height bulky plant) and a spiller (something that will come over the sides and creep). This is a very important point--you will be able to see this in all of your favorite container creations.
Once you grasp that concept, you can begin to think about color--sometimes a monochromatic color palette is great or an opposing primary color group. Think about what colors you have outside of your home and complement or work with those. In my case, I have an abundance of purple and red and I've worked those as well as yellow and white earthy tones into my side yard.
Think also about the style of your home and your own personal style. Are you a Victorian lover with antiques about...or do you tend to be a Traditional fan with darker woods and simpler pieces...or do you prefer the modern minimalist approach? There are plants that work well in every style and some that are more modern on their own work well in more Victorian-type groups as well, like the grass I used above.
Texture plays an important part of container gardening as well. You could keep all the textures the same or go for three stark different textures. One of my favorite examples of texture is the Lamb's ear...the possibilities are endless there.
If you garden in an area where you'll be sitting a lot, you might also consider scent. It might be nice to incorporate a plant with a pretty fragrance or one that might attract butterflies or such.
Lastly, you will absolutely have to consider the spot where this container will go. How much sun does it get? I tend to have a full sun side and rear yard so anything I plant must be suitable for these conditions. Because containers do not hold as much moisture as the ground does, be prepared to water twice a day. Our instructor discussed a drip irrigation system but that is a little crazy of a concept to me.
My container is a wire basket from Terrain; my apologies if that is not entirely visible from the photo but forgive my iPhone camera quality! I lined my container with sheet moss, which I first wet and then wrung out before placing in the container, making sure to place the green side out. Because I have full sun, the moss is going to dry out. If I had shade, the moss could be the sole liner, helping hold moisture in the container, cutting down on the amount of water needed. However, in my case, I had to add a coco liner to the inside, which is hidden by the decorative moss on the outside and the potting soil on the inside.
Terrain uses an organic potting soil mix in a huge bag for $16. It's apparently all that Longwood Gardens uses. She explained that in Miracle Gro Potting Mix, no one really knows how long the fertilizers last and it's chemically based...so they've had better results at Terrain using organic fertilizers in this organic potting mix that isn't "pre-fertilized".
Most of my containers are planted with Miracle Gro or some other brand of potting soil. Her arguments were tempting enough to make me consider purchasing the brand we used and see how the plants do with that as opposed to Miracle Gro soil.
Our final word of advice yesterday was to not immediately immerse our plants in the sun after they had been disrupted. Since I don't really have a shady spot, my container is sitting in my house on my counter, awaiting return to the sun tomorrow, out of the way of the potential TORNADO we are supposed to get!!
Later on this week, I'll be making a hypertufa trough and will post my recipe and results!
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