Decorate for Halloween with plants!

As a plant-loving apartment dweller, I have to get creative with my collection. Thankfully, container gardening works for me, because it's my only option!

I'm a plant lover. I'd probably make a pretty crummy landscape architect if I wasn't, huh? I love plants of all kinds, but I'm especially drawn to unique and unusual varieties. I was browsing around at the local hardware store over the weekend looking for spray paint and (as always) wandered into the small garden section. I spotted this great deep purple Oxalis, and that was it for me. I decided to plant a halloween themed dish garden with this Oxalis as a feature. What's spookier than an almost black plant? Here's what I ended up getting. Thank you to my new owl for playing Vanna White for these photos.

Oxalis 'Charmed Wine'


Coleus 'Peter's Wonder'


Heuchera 'Apple Crisp'


Three things to consider when selecting plants for a container garden:

• Take their water and sunlight needs into account. Choose species with similar needs.
• Consider the color, size, and form of the plants. Find plants of varying heights and varying textures. When selecting for color, I typically choose two that compliment each other, and a third that contrasts.
• Select an odd number of plants. Odd numbers always look more natural in landscape settings.

Starting with the deep purple leaves of the oxalis, I knew I needed at least one other plant with purple. The coleus was a great find, because of its interesting leaf shape, tall form, and cool variegated leaves (with purple!). Those two plants compliment each other in color and form, so next I went looking for something with contrast. I found this great lime green heuchera, that when paired up with the other two, really pops. It also satisfied my need for something low. All three of these work well in containers and part shady conditions of my porch. I picked up a simple clay pot and a bag of soil and I was ready to get started!



To arrange the plants in the pot always place the taller ones in the back and the shorter in the front. I like to add a little something extra in my container gardens (as seen in my succulent dish garden) so I kept a little space open in the front for this skull that I found in my box of Halloween decorations.


Done! And it'll make a nice centerpiece for evening get-togethers this fall. Just add some creepy spiders. In the meantime, it looks great on my front porch and reminds me of fall every time I walk by.