Annie Huston
Containers 1
Provence-like decorative containers
Containers 2
Provence-like decorative containers
Bio
Annie Huston is the Co-Founder of Columbine Design, Landscape Professionals in Englewood, Colorado. A native of France, Annie is an award-winning seasonal container designer and her creations have been featured in numerous publications, including Colorado Homes and Lifestyles and Sunset magazines.
She likes to share her enthusiasm for her latest discoveries in the gardening/landscaping field and welcomes feedback from her readers at annie@columbinedesigninc.com.
Columbine Design Landscape Professionals provide homeowners in the Denver Metro are the expertise of a full-service landscape design, construction and maintenance company. Since 1985, Columbine Design’s design teams and construction crews have installed thousands of gardens in Colorado and continue to take the lead in water conservation landscaping projects. Columbine Design’s maintenance department offers residential gardening services including award-winning seasonal color.
Visit Columbine Design online at www.columbinedesigninc.com or read more at their blog here
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Posted: Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:01 am
Community Media of Colorado
Every year, each spring brings me to France to check in on the latest nuances of container gardening and annual beds.
This year in the Provence region, the most striking containers were the ones planted with solitary trees. These containers can easily be planted in lieu of annuals beds to frame an entrance or a terrace. Doing away with container groupings, these simple and elegant containers are a versatile look that complements any taste of existing landscaping.
Get the Look
The traditional look can consist of sculpted trees on either side of formal entryways. For a more natural or rustic look, try using a single container with an olive tree as a twist on this formal look.
Similar plantings can be created in our Colorado climate with specimen trees, large shrubs such as boxwood or burning bush, tall grasses, or even bamboo. Your plant choices will determine the specific feel of the container. For instance, an olive tree will give you a rustic, Mediterranean feel, while an Alberta spruce has the charm of a formal French garden.
Putting the Containers to Use
These containers can serve as either the centerpiece of a simple garden or a place to rest the eye while taking in a more elaborate landscape.
For a splash of seasonal color to complement the look, add bulbs, annuals or trailing vines to the containers, though simplicity in the design should always be the rule. The larger the container and the tree, the better. This way, the containers become an unapologetic aspect of your garden; the emphasis of the look itself is on the container, which becomes an architectural statement in itself.
For such a centerpiece in your landscaping, I highly suggest purchasing organic containers, made of terra cotta for example, as opposed to those made of inorganic materials. These containers will last all season long, and can be brought inside over the winter to protect both the tree and the container from the frost.
A conservatory or greenhouse is perfect for wintering your plants, and the container will become an element of your interior design. If the tree should outgrow the container, it can be transplanted permanently to your landscape.
We often marvel at gardens on journeys abroad; with this simple container, you can easily bring the charm of the French countryside to your own home.
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Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:01 am.
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