Container success

I’m so excited. I just can’t hide it. I’m about to lose control and I think I like it.

Yes, I’ve finally found some decent pots for the front patio. At a Home Hardware, of all places (I don’t know what they’re like elsewhere, but my local Home Hardware is a dinky little store that closes at like 4:00 and never has what you need – hence my surprise).

They’re sleek and smooth and stylish. They’re bold, but match the look and feel of the building. They were cheap. And they don’t weigh 900lbs. Sold!

This is the inner courtyard of our townhouse complex. I think it has kind of a Whistler feel to it.

Here’s our front patio, adjacent to the courtyard. I haven’t done much with it, really, just added a few plants among the landscaper’s yew hedges, oak tree and euphorbia (not shown). You can see a bit of one of the pots. There’s a matching one on the other side of the kitchen (closed) door.

Now to plant them up. I was thinking of grasses, to add some height. Naturally, I turned to Bluestem Nursery, known locally as the source for ornamental grasses. Bluestem is located in Christina Lake, BC’s warmest lake, which is in the southern Interior of British Columbia, right on the border with Washington State north of Spokane. They’ve got a great article and list of grasses for containers, all of which sound lovely.

But I’d love your suggestions. What would look great in these pots? (Part-shade, zone 8, prefer a foundation plant that has winter interest…) The pots themselves are about 3′ high, and about 16″ in diameter at the rim. Anyone had success with grasses in containers?

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