The grass is green, the birds are singing, and for our magazine editors that can only mean one thing: It’s time to plant our containers. This year the staff of Fine Gardening turned their favorite garden task into a friendly competition. They designed and planted up individual containers, filming the entire process for your viewing pleasure. In this video you will not only get style and plant choice inspiration for your own containers, but you will also have the chance to vote for your favorite design.
Scroll down to see our finished containers and decide which competitor won the Fine Gardening Great Garden-Container Challenge. The winner will be announced in mid-July.
The Contestants
Container 1
Designer: Carol Collins, associate editor
Plant list
Wabi-Sabi® doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘SMVPTFD’, Zones 5–8)
‘Aureola’ Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’, Zones 5–9)
Holy Smokes!® calibrachoa (Calibrachoa ‘BBCAL85805’, annual)
Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum, Zones 3–8)
Container 2
Designer: Stephanie Fagan, executive art director
Plant list
Giant elephant’s ear (Colocasia gigantea, Zones 9–11)
‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbia (Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’, annual)
‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Lime’ (Ipomoea ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Lime’, annual)
‘Feather Falls’ sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Feather Falls’, Zones 5–9)
Kong® Red coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides ‘Kakegawa CE12’, Zone 11)
Bandana® Pink Improved lantana (Lantana camara ‘Bant Pin09’, Zones 9–11)
‘Wedding Train’ coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides ‘Wedding Train’, Zone 11)
Container 3
Designer: Steve Aitken, former editor at large
Plant list
‘Tidal Pool’ salvia (Salvia nemorosa ‘Tidal Pool’, Zones 3–8)
‘Powis Castle’ artemisia (Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, Zones 4–9)
‘Superbells Yellow’ calibrachoa (Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Yellow’, annual)
Red cabbage (Brassica oleracea cv., annual)
Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare, Zones 9–11)
‘Summer Sunshine’ germander (Teucrium chamaedrys ‘Summer Sunshine’, Zones 4–8)
Mealy blue sage (Salvia farinacea, Zones 7–10)
Container 4
Designer: Danielle Sherry, executive editor
Plant list
‘Delta Dawn’ heuchera (Heuchera ‘Delta Dawn’, Zones 4–9)
Golden Scotch moss (Sagina subulata ‘Aurea’, Zones 4–8)
‘Autumnale’ fuchsia (Fuchsia ‘Autumnale’, Zones 10–11)
‘Kumquat’ nemesia (Nemesia ‘Kumquat’, annual)
‘Visions in Red’ astilbe (Astilbe chinensis ‘Visions in Red’, Zones 4–8)
Rex begonia (Begonia rex cv., Zones 10–11)
Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides, Zones 9–11)
Red Abyssinian banana (Ensete maurelii, Zones 9–11)
Voting will go until July 17th, 2022. A winner will be announced on our website and on our social channels.
