Portable Spring Blooms--Choosing a Container for Real or Silk Foliage

Spring is almost here, bringing into bloom the beauties of the floral world. Even if you aren't a regular 'green thumb' you can create the illusion of life on your porch or a path to your front door. Add just a touch of Corinthian panache to your yarn or deck with a few hours of design. Here's how.

What's your style?

Do you have an old home, or a modern looking home? Depending on the look and color scheme of your home, you need to decide on what earthen tones and styles of containers will work best. Do you want an 'urn' type of potter or a tall water pitcher? Urns are generally designed with a raised 'cup' base and a long stem, similar to a wine glass, with decorative handles on either side for symmetry. Water pitchers, on the other hand, can make a beautiful display on a step of a porch or before a path near your house due to their elegant height and antique look.

Next you should consider materials. Fiberglass is generally used for outdoors because it is durable. If may be a little heavier on average than Resin, but is definitely more resistant to breakage than Resin. You can also find them in 'stone,' but you need to be sure that you can lift it without strain. If you are considering Metals, you should consider the climate you live in to understand how it will 'rust' and age; they can become more 'charming' with weather wear. Other choices include ceramic, terra cotta, and even wrought iron. As far as cost is concerned, fiberglass is the most cost effective. You can find these at craft stores for $50.00 or less, and if you look at discount stores like TJ Max you may be able to find a real deal on different materials you wouldn't purchase new.

Fake or Real

Urns or water pitchers can contain real or silk arrangements. If you aren't confident in your gardening skills, there are still a few options. Because these containers make your plants portable this can be to your advantage if you don't want to dig up your yard or you move frequently. Consider herb gardens that are decorative as well as functional or fragrant flowers like lavender, which add color and height to your potted arrangement.

If you decide to use silk flowers, make sure that they are 'covered' by a porch or overhanging during most of the season you have them outdoors. Silk flowers are very durable if you find the right brand, but they aren't an 'all-weather' solution. You should consider 'greenery' for taller containers and a mixture of greenery and flowers for a larger-mouthed container. If you are going the silk route, than be sure the top opening of your chosen container is not huge; you want it small enough to place a green floral 'brick' into the bottom, arrange the greenery and flowers in it to suit your tastes, and cover the 'see-through' portions on the bottom with moss. Wider-mouth containers will make it more difficult to fool any passer-by on the authenticity of your arrangement.

Cleaning

To avoid pesky bugs and other molds that might injure your plants, be sure to clean out your planter at least once a year (more if you are in a particularly humid climate). Remove the contents, use a good strong bristly brush and scrub it out. With porous materials this is the only way to ensure healthy plants next season. Let it air dry and try to avoid replanting right away. It's okay to give it a rest during the winter. You can transport your plants to a window box or other indoor planter in the meantime.