One pot. Three ways.

This winter I created many different containers for various Garden Clubs. During one particularly busy week I challenged myself to use similar materials without creating the same container. In this instance I had a beautiful bright red pot, birch poles and greens. By using different design aesthetics I was able to put together three pots that, while they had similar elements, could not have been more different.

 

First Pot

The first pot was exuberant. Birch poles took center stage and were surrounded by lush greens in many textures. Cryptomeria and pine provided nice contrast. Artificial red berries echoed the reddish tint of the leucothoe, as well as the stems of the pieris.

 

Second Pot

The second pot had a more contemporary feel due to the nature of its linear, segmented parts. Like the first pot, the birch poles were in the center. Next was a very tight circle of red huck. The red huck was slightly shorter than the birch. Extra-large pine cones held upright provided the next level. Working my way down I used deep green Nordmann fir, and stood it upright. I knew that the green would provide great contrast at the edge of my pot since green and red are opposite each other on the color wheel. I needed to somehow tie the color of the pot into the arrangement so I added some artificial red berries.

 

Third Pot

The third pot combined the linear feel of the second pot with the lushness of the first. Red huck and silver fir stood tall and straight encircling the birch. Then the softness took over with cryptomeria and cedar draping over the edge of the pot. To make things even more dramatic I added some pretty frosted ornaments. The silvery white ones picked up the colors of the silver fir while the reddish complemented the container.

It is so fun to see how a container’s look can be changed just by using its components in different ways. If you haven’t tried mixing things up a bit, I highly recommend it!