Front Planters - Thrill, Fill, and Spill!

 I'm running WAY behind on my planters this year. I normally have all of my patio planters done before Mother's Day. That didn't happen, but I did manage to get the two front porch planters done last week.

I decided to go with a purple and white theme to match the fan flower hanging baskets I purchased recently.

Earlier this spring I cleaned out all of my pots so they were ready to go. These particular pots have drainage holes in the bottom -- a good thing, but I've found that slightly covering the holes prevents the dirt from leaking out over the summer.

Of course, you don't want to completely cover the holes because then the pot wouldn't drain properly. So I cover the holes with shards from broken clay pots. This allows the water to drain and keeps the dirt IN. I also just like the word SHARDS. :)

When purchasing my plants, I kept in mind this rule of thumb for creating a nice looking planter: THRILL, FILL, and SPILL. I chose a tall plant to THRILL -- provide height and interest from a distance. The vincas will FILL in the space, and the small white trailing flowers will SPILL over the side.

I hope to finish the rest of my planters before next week!