Brainstorming ideas for container gardens is really no different from any other type of garden inspiration process. An idea can jump-start from anything really.
Garden art:
Or the container itself can demand a certain color combination:
My “Teal Pot Theory” in action 🙂
But in this case, it was a little plant that inspired this combination for me! The “Phantom” Black petunia, with its creamy, rich stripe had me at “Hello”! Even through the pouring, cold rain, I was inspired to maximize the caramel, chocolate, purple tones of the petunia to the max.
This container design was a custom request, with my very FAVORITE requisite, “make it awesome”. I love a challenge like that! Below is the result of my creative passion today. Hopefully it will fill out the way I think it will and be a huge, sexy mass of interesting texture and luscious colors and tones.
The “Black & Tan” name for this combo is thanks to @MJausson via Twitter, with a little nod to @PatFitzgerald thrown in for good measure!
I made this in mirror image so that it could be viewed from both sides too!
This turned out to be one of my favorite containers that I have ever done, I can’t wait to get a picture of it in a month or two!
**Bonus for staying with me all the way to the bottom of this post: If you want to win a super cool spin composter from
Clean Air Gardening, then leave a comment on this post. I will draw a name randomly from a hat and you will have a new composter on your doorstep before you can say “sustainable gardening”!!
Thank you Clean Air Gardening!
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THE Personal Garden Coach 
Once again, your combos ROCK THE UNIVERSE! Gorgeous Christina.
Wow! I love those petunias. Striking.
Chris,
Love it, Love it, Love it! Can’t wait to bring it home. Now hubby has to come lift it in the truck for me! You are awesome! Thank you so much!
Amazing Christina! It’s like a wonderfully curated art gallery.
Beautiful! I saw this petunia the other day & it’s lovely! You did a great job with the combination!
Beautiful! I saw this petunia the other day & it’s lovely. What a striking combination!
Absolutely inspirational.
Love this combo! So many interesting textures and colors. I envy your skill.
OK, first of all, that petunia makes me weep…the colors are MAGNIFICENT! I love that you used it as inspiration and think the resulting containers are fab. You are super creative!
I hope that I get to see this in a month or two. I expect the petunia to kick this over the top, when it blooms. It’ll be fun to see how this evolves. (beautiful container!)
The container is beautiful, definitely a piece of art!
OMG!!! Christina—you’re doing it again. We grow EVERY single plant in this combo already, available to all our wholesale and mail order customers. We will steal this idea with gusto, use it ad nauseum, and let everyone think we came up with it ourselves. But…deep down, inside our soul, we’ll KNOW that we are total shams, usurpers, weak and unworthy of accolades, and where the true genius comes from. Then we’ll make more…..
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Just beautiful. I have never seen a petunia like this!!!
Love this container……both for the design and the beer reference!
Wow, gorgeous. Hope you can post more pictures of this later in the season.
I LOVE the container! I am going to remember some of these that look so good together! Thank you!
Love the black petunia- where can I get it? I’m in OK- zone 7.
Beautiful. You are such an inspiration.
I found your blog via Life on the Balcony and boy am I glad! Those creamy dahlias are lovely… and so is the pig. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your corner of the world with us.
What a great combination! I wish I had talent like that!
That ‘Phantom’ petunia is a stunner. Great container ideas, Christina.
Beautiful container. I came here via ‘Life on the Balcony’.
Really lovely!
Absolutely lovely – great combos.
LOVE that black and tan petunia
SOOOO very cool- just like you!
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I completely am in awe of this blog 🙂 totally gonna have to put this on my bookmarks.
Great article.. Keep it up!
Your container gardening combos look great! You are very talented.
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Petunia’s are a favorite of mine since childhood. I love how they smell on a warm summer evening. The arrangement of them in this container is just amazing! The colors and the variety =WOW ! I am impressed!
Thanks Melissa! This was a special one that I did for the Boss- I was really happy it turned out too. Phew!
Thanks so much for the great ideas!