The key to pulling together an aesthetically-pleasing, always-interesting composition of plants and pots comes down to contrast.
Contrasts in texture, colour and form are a vital part of creating interest in a garden bed – and they are just as important in creating an interesting group of potted plants.
For the terrace of this stylish holiday home we started with a collection of containers, contrasting a contemporary slick white cylinder with the warmth and softness of two different shapes of terracotta and the irresistible patina and individuality of three handmade Turkish containers. The containers were arranged in a loose pyramid form, with enough room between each that they can be clearly seen and appreciated.
The planting needed to be absolutely bomb-proof as this exposed site cops the full brunt of scorching summer sun, lashing rain and salt-laden winds. We mixed textures, colours and forms from a selection of super-hardy succulents.
The upright candelabra tree, Euphorbia ingens, gives a strong vertical, while the intriguing form of donkeys tails, Sedum morganianum, spills over containers in the opposing direction, and gives a sense of movement in the way it twists and lumps over itself. Copper spoons, Kalanchoe orgyalis, and panda plant, Kalanchoe tomentosa, have soft, felted leaves, in contrast to the spiky, stiff, sculptural form of an agave.
Pictured Turkish Odemis, Air Praia, & Turkish Dagar.
With a limited colour palette of white, earthly browns, greys and greens, the textural contrast and details in the grouping draw the eye and keep it moving, tempering the minimalism of the interior and the great expanse of sea and sky.
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