FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 7, 2002
Contact:
Kara Krehbiel
(816) 960-3119
Containers Add Convenience, Creativity To Gardening
New Proven Winners Varieties Provide Fresh Container Gardening Ideas
(DeKalb, Ill.) It's not hard to understand why the container gardening trend continues to grow. Busy people want gardens that are quick, easy to maintain and provide immediate decoration. Container gardening is the best solution for everything from patios in high-rise apartment buildings to spacious decks surrounding suburban homes.
"Container gardening is like the plug-n-play version of gardening," said Josh Schneider, Proven Winners spokesman. "You don't have to worry about soil problems because the potting soil used in the containers is perfect. Once you plant your flowers, your garden decorations are ready for use."
Container gardening allows gardening creativity to blossom. While there are several pre-fabricated gardening containers available at garden centers, the fun lies in finding unique items that are a perfect fit for an outdoor decorating style. Anything that can be filled with soil and has a good drain makes an ideal container. Watering cans, wash tubs, wheel barrels and antique coal buckets are great examples.
"The ability to match containers with your outdoor decorating theme makes container gardening so much fun," said Schneider. "Unique containers with vibrant flowering plants are a wonderful way to accentuate your outdoor living space."
Once containers are selected, choosing the right plant combinations is next. Traditional landscaping rules apply to container gardening. Planting in odd numbers and using a combination of structure, form and color are important steps to follow in designing containers. The structure comes from plants with height and gives the container an airy, fresh look. The form is considered the trailing items that drape over the edge of the container and color is provided by the flowers in the container.
Excellent Proven Winners examples of each container garden element include:
| Structural Height | Trailing Form | Color |
| Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' | Vinca major "Vinca vine" | Osteospermum 'Lemon Symphony' |
| Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus' | Lysimachia nummularia 'Goldilocks' | Supertunia(r) 'Royal Velvet' |
| Pennisetum 'Red Riding Hood' | Muehlenbeckia 'Creeping Wirevine' | Verbena Babylon(r) 'Red' |
| Carex flagelifera 'Toffee Twist' | Lamiastrum galeobdolon 'Hermann's Pride' | Nemesia 'Blue Bird' |
Proven Winners provides winning container gardening combination ideas, such as the Veranda Garden recipe and American Pride recipe.
Veranda Garden Recipe
The Veranda Garden recipe uses a collection of three new plant varieties. Start with three Osteospermum 'Lemon Symphony' in the center, surrounded by two petunia Supertunia 'Royal Velvet' and two Sutera (Bacopa) 'Giant Snowflake.' (Click here to download a high resolution photo of Veranda Garden.)
American Pride Recipe
The American Pride recipe provides a great showcase for patriotic colors. The Pennisetum 'Red Riding Hood' provides the structure in the center of the container. Lamiastrum galeobdolon 'Hermann's Pride' provides the form around the perimeter of the container. And in between, Verbena Babylon(r) 'Red,' Nemesia 'Blue Bird,' and Nemesia 'Compact Innocence' provide the color. (Click here to download a high resolution photo of American Pride.)
Signature Proven Winners Spring Recipe
Brighten up your spring decorations with this beautiful container recipe. To create the Signature Proven Winners Spring recipe, start with three Supertunia(r) 'Priscilla' in the center and surround with two Verbena Babylon(r) 'White' and Calibrachoa Million Bells(r) 'Terra Cotta.' (Click here to download a high resolution photo of the Signature Spring Recipe.)
For additional Proven Winners recipe combinations, visit www.provenwinners.com.
"Containers make gardening easy and fun," said Schneider. "Gardeners have more flexibility and can be more creative."
About Proven Winners
Proven Winners is an international marketing cooperative comprised of some of the world's best propagators. As a group, they are dedicated to developing new hybrid color varieties that will perform well for both the grower and consumer. Proven Winners plants are found in more than 5,000 retailers nationwide. To find a location near you, visit provenwinners.com.
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Editor's Note For additional container garden recipe ideas and photos, visit www.provenwinners.com. A complete collection of print-quality images are available online at www.pwcertified.com/photolib/login.cfm. To request images immediately, contact Kara Krehbiel at (816) 960-3119 or .
