Backyard Style - Outdoor, Backyard Pond and Birding

Flower pots can add a great look to your outdoor decor. There are so many easy-to-grow flowers around and the color combinations are endless. I like to have 2 big matching pots on my front porch and a variety of pots on my deck. Whether you are planting one pot or ten pots, there are simple steps to follow.

There are no strict rules to follow when picking flowers. Colors can be mixed or matched, but be careful the color does not clash with the colors of the house, patio, or deck. Leaf textures are important --all rounded or all small leaves will be boring. Also, the plants you pick should be a variety of heights. The simple way to remember plant height it to: Thrill, Fill and Spill. The Thriller should be tall and in the middle of the pot. (If your pot is backing up to a wall, the Thriller can be toward the back of the pot). The Filler are shorter plants that add color/variety to the pot and should be planted around the center plant(s). The Spiller will be plants that spill or hang over the edge of the pot.

Remember to pick plants that do well in sun conditions where the pot will sit. There is a great variety of shade lover plants, if your porch or patio is covered.

The flowerpot you pick is even more important than the flowers. The flowerpot pulls the flowers together. The choice of flowerpots is endless.

Some of the nicest flowerpots I have seen are by CobraCo. My favorite for the spring is the CobraCo Bravo Basket Plant Stand pictured above. It is a 14 inch round basket plant stand with a wrought iron look and a coconut liner. A really cool idea for a planter is the CobraCo Classic Black Stake Planter. This planter is a black powder coated steel planter basket with a coconut liner and 65 inch segmented stake pole. You can use several of these planters and stake them at different heights. They are great along your front walk or along your deck. The classic hanging pot is still a good choice. The hanging pots look best with lots of Spillers in them (remember - Thrill, Fill and Spill).