Shaun’s Containers

When I think of flowers and arrangements one of the first names that comes to mind is my friend Shaun. Shaun is a master at floral design. I have watched him create arrangements from weddings to corporate events and have even helped on some really big jobs placing flowers and greenery in hundreds of vases. I was delighted when he allowed us into his garden. Since his garden is so big I broken it up into three separate posts: Shaun’s Containers, Shaun’s Perennials and Shaun’s Vegetable Garden. I visited his garden on three different occassions: July 8, July 25 and August 19.

July 8

When you first enter his backyard these three fantastic containers greet you. Shaun likes both symmetrical and asymmetrical design and likes to use an odd number of items. You can see this here with three containers, three different clematises with trellises and three plants that fill the bottom of each container.

The clematises are three different shades of color: dark blue, pink and purple. The clematis was left over from last year and cut all the way back.  Also in the container thrives a Liatris spicata ‘Gayfeather,’ vinca and petunia. The vinca was also carried over from last year, while the liatris and petunia were planted this year.

This container is one of two that sit by the entrance to the patio from the backyard. The container holds a canna in the center surrounded on this side by three different coleus creating eye-popping brilliance.

On the other side of the container you can see two spillers; a potato vine and a lotus vine.

On July 25 I visited his garden again. A covered porch lines the back of the house and you can see the two containers in the center of the picture that frames the porch entrance from the yard. The canna in the container on the left has bloomed red.

This is the container on the right side of the porch with two other friends a strawberry pot in front of it and a large liatris in the bed to its right. Note the trailing lotus vine spilling out of the container's right side.

This lotus vine or ‘Parrot’s Beak’ bloom is beautiful and exotic.

The canna blooms in the left container.

Hanging from the porch are three begonias.

Shaun used plants from his garden to make these floral arrangements with liatris, sage and begonia blossoms.

August 19

The two containers that frame the porch entrance continue to stun you with their beauty. 

Shaun's aesthetic of symmetry and asymmetry and his working with odd numbers can be seen with these two formations. The left side of the porch with the canna container, strawberry pot and liatris.

The right side of the porch with the same. 

The begonias continue to stretch their vines.

Thanks for sharing with us Shaun. We’ll see you next time for Shaun’s Perennials.