Planters

How to Decorate with Containers and Planters

Like any decorative assessories, containers and planters are great items to use to bring out a focal point, and fill up an empty space. Larger containers can be placed at an empty corner of the floor in a group, smaller tabletop container can be used on a coffee tabletop or shelves to give an elegant feel to the room. Containers can be used on their own or filled with plants or floral arrangements. Some containers are used even for other purposes such as to keep away any trinkets and loose items on the table, or to store walking sticks and umbrellas.

Containers used with plants, either life or artificial, will surely make a grand impact on any interior decoration.

How to Decorate with Potted Plants and Trees

Like greenery, potted plants and trees are completely versatile in any interior décor. They can be used to decorate what would otherwise be bare, unusable corners, or to serve as "buffers" by subtly directing traffic between rooms or closing off an interior space. Plants on stands can range from a few feet to six or seven feet in height, giving the consumer a wide range of areas for placement of these impressive plantings.

Trees and plants are often used to reinforce a particular theme in a grand way. Some examples include:

• Green ficus trees are used basically in transitional settings, whereas red ficus trees are more suited to traditional styles and color schemes
• Mango or banana trees can be used to accent a tropical décor
• Bonsai or ming trees reflect an Oriental theme
• Cactus portrays a Southwestern theme
• Palms are generally transitional, but if planted in urns or brass containers, palms can be used in more traditional settings. For a contemporary look, palms may be planted in rustic stoneware or Florentine porcelain.

Therefore careful selection for your containers and planters is very important as in selecting any piece of furniture in your interior décor.


Container Gardening - An Abundance of Choices, Styles & Value

It does not matter what style your home is - informal or formal, casual or stately - potted plants can immediately highlight whatever 'look' you are trying to achieve.

To create a focus point in the garden, you can use pots of plants in a group. Using different shapes, colors and levels, and a variety of materials to add to the interest, your container planting can create a garden full of energy.

Steps are a great opportunity for lining up pots to one side, giving color to a plain setting. Potted plants are the most versatile form of gardening. Surround the seating areas with carefully placed pots and hanging baskets to add a bright, colorful show. The seating areas will become part of the whole garden, somewhere to relax and enjoy the scenery. You can also create a container garden right in the heart of the city, using your balcony or roof space.

Containers are perfect for mixing a variety of plants, colors, textures, and shapes; plant them individually then group them together to create a floral explosion. Don't forget your walls and empty spaces; hanging baskets add an extra dimension.

Planters provide more than just a home for your plants. They not only accentuate the beauty of the plants, but also have become decorative items themselves. Traditional containers are pottery derived from fired clay or earthenware. Estate planters used to be made of stone or concrete, which effuse a stately elegance but also made them very heavy. The trend is continuing to see planters made of lightweight materials: fiberstone, fiberglass and polyethylene. These lightweight garden planters are finished to look like they are made of the real thing: stone, concrete or metal. Some even have textures like stone or metal that you can actually feel. The key advantages: easy handling due to their lightweight, durability ((they do not break or chip easily like real stone or fired clay and earthenware planters do), frost-proof, and versatility (they come in a great variety of shapes, designs, colors and finishes).