Happiness at Home - Part II:

EXTERIOR PLANTING DESIGN TIPS:

1. Tips for creating striking planting arrangements

If you've seen this before - it really is true:

ALWAYS GO BY THIS RULE FOR INTERESTING PLANTERS:
1. A thriller for height
2. A couple of fillers for color/texture
3. A spiller for drama/interest

My mom and grandma already basically did this before it was a "pinterest trend."  I learned from them, so I guess that's a good thing that we already had the instinct to do this.

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2. Colorful plants to add to your planters and pots [we are in zone 6]

Some of my favorite annuals for varying textures, heights, and a rainbow of colors are:
- Coleus (thriller/filler) [lime, lime/magenta, purple, purple/red, red, burnt orange]
- Kangaroo Paw (thriller) [red, orange, & yellow]
- Divine New Guinea, Sun Patients & Impatients (filler) [purple, magenta, pink, orange, white, & red]
- Waterfall & Bonfire Begonias (filler/spiller), Rex, Richmond, Non-stop, Begonias & Double Begonias [orange, red, & white]
- Purple Heart (spiller] [purple]

Favorite Perennials you can add to your planters and pots:
- Dusty Miller (filler) [blue green]
- Blue Fescue Grass (thriller) [blue green]
- Creeping Phlox (filler/spiller) [magenta, pink, lavender, white]
- Hostas (thriller/filler) [lime, green, variegated with white or lime edges, blue/green]
​- Wandering Jew (spiller) [purple/green]
- Creeping Jenny (spiller, will spread) [chartreuse green] 

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3. How to split Hostas
[Best done early spring when they are sticking out of the ground, but haven't leafed out much yet]

- First, dig a circle around the base of the hosta plant
- Pull out the whole root ball and plant you've dug up
- Take a large sharp knife and cut straight through the root bulbs in between stalks
- Re-plant the pieces wherever you'd like

[Depending on how large your hostas are to begin with, you can split the hostas into halves, thirds, quarters, or more for desired fullness]

Hostas are such an easy low-maintenance plant that can almost live anywhere [prefer more shade than sun] and in any soil.  They really are one of my favorites because they come in so many different colors and sizes, they are sculptural, and they take such little effort!