Believe us when we say that we understand that the whole “go big or go home” thing probably sounds a touch cliché but hear us out – with about twenty years in the landscape business, we’ve learned that some things always hold true.

This is exactly the case with large Container Plants.

When it comes to planter placement, proximity, and proportions, we will always adamantly shout to our clients, “go big or go home!”

Large Container planters are a gift from the landscaping gods. They grant us the ability to think big (really, really, really big) and work a little magic that’s a touch out of the box. Giant containers (we’re talking supersized-holding-trees-containers) can make an immediate impact on your landscape space, especially if you’re working with a little less green space a little more urban area than you’d prefer.

Now that we’ve made our opinion on large container plants abundantly clear, it’s about time we got down to brass tacks and gifted you with some large container planter knowledge. Read on for more!

Bigger is Better, Right?

You’ve heard the old adage before, bigger is better, but does it really apply here?

Absolutely.

We’ve been in the landscaping biz for about two decades now, and if we’re still singing the praises of large container plants, you know there’s something classic, impactful, and unique about them. In other words, we cannot get enough of large container plants, especially when they’re done right. But why?

First things first, large container plants allow you to plant unique, beautiful blooms that might not flourish on the ground. More than that, using big containers allows you to use bigger, better, more noticeable plants, making one heck of an impact for your landscape.

Other than sheer aesthetic, though, big container plants can provide a lot of function for your landscape space. They can create privacy by acting as a screen, they can become a focal point in a snap, and they can give an otherwise urban area a splash of much-needed green space. Even better, they can help to cover up part of your building you don’t appreciate but can’t yet fix and even break up the monotony of your current landscape.

Our Fave Tips and Tricks for Large Containers

It’s not enough for us to just tell you about planting your favorite plants in large containers – we need to give you more than that! To truly understand the power of the potted plants, you need to plant some yourself. That being said, we don’t expect you to go out there and get planting without a little info – we wouldn’t send you out into the wild like that!

First, check out some of our tips and trips below to get a better idea of how to plant, what you should plant, how to take care of large container plants, and how big planters can shine the spotlight on your unique landscape!

It’s like Real Estate, Location Matters!

Location, location, location, friends – it matters for more than just property. If you carefully consider and strategically place your large containers, you can do wonders for your landscape. We suggest placing your large potted planters at entrances to act as focal points.

Another great spot for potted plants? Signage! Large potted plants make for great attention graspers near your signage.

Make a Statement with Big Pots

We’ll be straightforward here – you want people to notice your property, and you’re not going to draw in someone’s eye with a puny little potted plant (sorry, little guys).

People are bound to notice giant pots with impressive, unique plantings inside of it, we’re talking everything from Banana Trees to Palms to Blue Point Juniper.

This works especially well if you have a tall building with several stories – tiny planters in this kind of environment will just be even more dwarfed by your building.

Don’t be afraid to get big with your statements. You’re trying to make your landscape a focal point, and large, beautiful potted plants can do just that.

Pick the Right Plants

The overall goal is to make your visitors walk toward your landscape, drop their mouths open, and let out an involuntary “wow!”, right?

Right.

That means you can’t just throw any old plant into a pot and hope for the best. You need to strategically and carefully pick the right plants for your large containers. This means considering your color scheme, your building type, your developed landscape, and most importantly, seasons.

Seasons can be tricky, so let’s start there. You can’t (well, technically you can, but we don’t advise it) leave the same plant in your container year-round — that gets boring, monotonous, and most of all, routine.

Instead, arrange a seasonal rotation for your large container plants to help bring in new colors, textures, and feelings with each new plant.

For summer seasons, we suggest you get big, bold, and tropical – that’s’ right, we want to see palms, banana plants, Meyer lemon, Plumbago, and Creeping Jenny. For Fall and Winter, cool it down (just the colors, not the size) with yellow twig dogwood, Green Giant arborvitae, and Holly.

But Also, Pick the Right Pots

We don’t need to spend the entire article on this, but we will say that some of the biggest issues we see with large container plants have less to do with the plants and more to do with the planters themselves. When it comes to picking the right pots, don’t skimp! The pots make a statement about your plants and your landscape, so look for the right kind that packs the punch you’re hoping for – whether it’s tall, cylindrical, squat, elegant or bright, ensure that it fits into the message your landscape aesthetic is trying to send.

Use this opportunity to unleash your inner artist!

Water Makes All the Difference

The best part about large potted plants? They’re low maintenance, but that doesn’t mean no maintenance at all. Once you install those giant planters, they need giant amounts of water! If you’re not watering them enough, they won’t thrive. Large pots can dry out quickly in the Florida heat – even faster than plants that have the advantage of drinking up water from the ground.

Your best bet for healthy potted plants is to water them as often as needed — if you’re unable to provide them with the maintenance they need, consider hiring a landscaping company to help manage them!

Watch Out for Soggy Bottoms

It’s a silly sentiment, but it’s an important one – make sure you’re taking care of the fertilizer-soaked water at the bottom of your planters. While large potted plants are pretty easily maintained, there’s typically one big issue – water logged roots and plants.

Ensure that you’re doing all you can to let water drain from the pots, not drown your plants. One of the easiest ways to ensure this doesn’t happen is to cut mid-size holes through each of the pots and then fill them with stones. Water will be able to drain through the stones and won’t drown your plants.

Did you love our tips and tricks for large container plants? We hop you did! Remember, if you’re looking to chat with us directly about how we can help make your landscape top-notch, give us a call at (727)-201-3947.

We’d be happy to hear from you, talk about what we can do for your landscape, and pass along our two decades of insight. What’s even better? We have an entire blog focused on bringing that insight directly to you! Check out our Landcrafters blog for unique tips and tricks, Florida-friendly advice, and overall, lots of landscaping magic. Enjoy!