Dan Heims, Terra Nova Nurseries president and co-owner, treated OFA attendees to an early morning, information-packed presentation titled Container Crazy (and Plants for Small-Space Gardens) on July 13. There were a lot of workshop participants (including myself) taking plenty of notes as Dan breezed through a selection of photos that showed how cool and creative container plants can be when you add a healthy dose of imagination to the plan. A few highlights from his presentation:

• The new trend: there might not be a set trend; if it looks good to you, do it.
• Container plants don’t have to reside in traditional-looking ceramic pots; think outside the norm and consider troughs, cupcake pans (yes!), picture frames and funky metal sculptures.
• Dan reminded us there are still three key ingredients in the recipe for a good container planting: the thriller, the spiller and the filler.
• Euro-style containers often offer a smooth, architectural presentation.
• When selecting plants for a container, remember to pick plants that play well with others.

While Dan took us through a good number of plants during his slide show, there were several plants that I absolutely loved including the Begonia ‘Madam Queen’ (Pictured), Corydalis ‘Berry Exciting’, Eucomis ‘Oakhurst’, and Tricyrtis ‘Gilty Pleasure’. You can check out each of these plants on the Terra Nova Nurseries Web site at www.terranovanurseries.com.

We thought we’d share a photo of some of us from EPR with Dan following the session – from R to L: Dan, Leslie, Don, Jeff, and me.

Do you have a favorite container plant or a unique container idea? Feel free to post your comments below and let us know!

~ Audrey