by Meghan Edwards
Any seasoned gardener will tell you that landscaping can feel like a full time job – and who needs extra work cramping their summer style? We tapped someone whose job actually is gardening to clue us in on one easy element: planters. New York-based Brook Landscape’s creative director Brook Klausing, whose design roots sprouted at his family’s business back in Kentucky, tells us how to green up these two 16-inch-high and 23.5-inch-wide ceramic vessels from dealer R.T. Facts. Once used as smelting pots for holding hot liquid glass at a now defunct New England glass factory, the vessels have a beautifully aged, cracked glaze that can withstand anything Mother Nature throws their way. Inside one pot lies a hidden treasure: glass from its final project, which could even be showcased by throwing on a glass top and calling it a coffee table.
Brook Landscape’s Brook Klausing lends us his green thumb to bring these planters to life.
1. “For a standalone look that’s not lonely, try a weeping Taxus Media (Green Wave Yew) or Blue Juniper. They’ll work in either shade or full sun.”
2. “For a more modern look,” says Klausing, “just add some Agave with Tradescantia.”
3. “For a loose but chic look, I love Black Mondo grass and Ajuga around the edges with a Pieris Japonica in the middle.”
4. “The shape of these planters will allow for a smaller shrub. For that hot spot by the pool, try Lavender Cotton.”
Bonus planter tips from Klausing:
http://brooklandscape.com
-The plant ball/container should take up a maximum of 70 percent of the pot’s space. Anything over that means you will need to water it like a second job, and it won’t grow as much.
-Make sure the pot has at least a few good drain holes. If it fills up with water and starts to stink, then your hole is clogged. Jam the hole with a s screwdriver and swirl it around to create a larger opening in the root-bound soil.
-In any tapered pot, don’t wait for a plant to reach its maximum size before you transplant it or it dies. If you do, be prepared to lose the pot during the removal process.
