Heat has zapped many North Texas landscapes, but here’s how to give yours some life

Following a couple of challenging winters, this summer has taken a lot of the oomph out of our landscaping. The idea of redoing big beds of flowers just isn’t on our sweat-wearied minds at the moment. It’s way too hot for that.

Wouldn’t it be nice, however, if we could perk things up with little spots of color strategically placed around in our gardens? That’s a grand plan. Let’s see where it leads us.

Let’s start out by defining the most critical places to put that color. The simple answer: where you want people to see it. Landscape planners refer to such places as the “focal points” of the landscape. They’re alongside the front door and walkway. They’re framing the patio or pool or at the base of a piece of garden art in the back yard. They’re places where you want to draw viewers’ eyes. Think of these spots of color as the “brightly colored throw pillows” against the more subdued sofa.

Next you want to think about the types of containers you’ll have available to you. Obviously, plain terra cotta pots are always an option. They’re available in all shapes and sizes. But they’re rather ordinary looking if you’re trying to create a decorative eye-catcher.

Glazed ceramic pottery might be more appropriate. There’s an almost endless assortment available in the nursery marketplace currently. Some of these pots are better than others. You’re looking for types that have been glazed on both inside and outside so that water won’t soak through from the soil.

Each pot must have a large drainage hole in the bottom. If you fall in love with a pot that doesn’t have drainage have the nursery drill a large hole for you. It takes a masonry bit, a variable-speed drill, patience and experience to do it without cracking the bottom out of the pot in the process.

Know how tall and wide each of the plants you’ll be choosing will grow as it matures and choose your pots accordingly. You don’t want to have to repot them this fall.

Set the several pots you’re considering side by side on your drive to see how they look together. Keep mixing and matching until you get a combination that looks really good in a grouping.

Choose your potting soil carefully. When you pick up a bag of a good potting soil at the nursery it should feel surprisingly light in your arms. I’ve been saying that for years, but it seems like the weight has just kept going up all the time. I actually mix my own using 50 percent sphagnum peat moss, 30 percent finely ground pine bark mulch, 10 percent horticultural (coarse) perlite and 10 percent expanded shale soil amendment. The shale is anything but light — I use it as ballast to keep my pots from tipping over in windstorms.

Choosing the plants …

You’ll hear landscape designers talk about using “thrillers,” “fillers,” and “spillers.”

▪ The thrillers: I start with these, since they go in the centers. These are the tall upright or oval plants that occupy most of the cylinder of the top of the container. These are the plants with drama. For late summer and fall up until frost they could include crotons, sun-tolerant coleus, purple fountaingrass, firebush, copper plants, mid-sized zinnias, mid-sized marigolds, lemon lollipop and dwarf purple bananas.

▪ The fillers: We fit these plants in between the more upright centerpieces. You must be careful not to overdo your plantings, so just three or four of these may be enough. They could include smaller-leafed coleus, wax begonias (shade), angelonias, celosia, gomphrenas, ornamental peppers, Cora XDR vincas, shorter zinnias, dwarf marigolds, pentas or Mexican heather. Most of those should be available at better nurseries.

▪ The spillers: These are the low, trailing plants that go at the pots’ edges. They tumble out and over the sides of the pots. These cascading options available in garden centers now would include fanflower, trailing Cora vincas, Joseph’s coat, trailing lantanas, ornamental sweet potatoes, Dahlberg daisies, dwarf purple basil and mint.

Buy healthy, vigorous plants at a full-time retail garden center. If you’re going to be growing the new plants in full sun, buy plants that have been in full sun at the nursery. Plant them the first evening you have them home. Nothing good happens to them while they sit on the driveway waiting to be planted.

There are certain elements of floral design that enter the picture when you start planting these pots. Set the plants on the ground beside each pot and visualize how you’ll arrange them.

Fill each pot to within 5 inches of its rim with the loose potting soil. Pack it your fist to help with the settling, but leave the top area open for easy planting. Arrange the plants, then filter the soil in around them. Firm it with your hands and water each pot slowly and thoroughly until water comes out the drain holes.

Use a diluted high-nitrogen, water-soluble plant food to feed the plants each time that you water them. Every third or fourth time that you water, irrigate enough that you flush the excess minerals out the drain holes.

The good news about container gardens is that you can be in business within an hour, and they will instantly brighten your outlook on your outdoors.

You can hear Neil Sperry on KLIF 570AM on Saturday afternoons 1-3 p.m. and on WBAP 820AM Sunday mornings 8-10 a.m. Join him at www.neilsperry.com and follow him on Facebook.