Spring Container Magic: How to Pack a Pot for Maximum Impact

Designer Tina Dixon, owner of Plants à la Cart in Bothell, Washington, believes in crowding her containers—and the results prove her method works beautifully. The stunning 23-inch-diameter pot shown here in April was planted the previous October for Howard and Lynn Behar's garden on Mercer Island.

The Recipe for a Packed Pot

This single container holds an impressive mix: 10 tulips (Tulipa kaufmanniana 'Stresa'), 10 daffodils (nearly finished blooming in the photo), 7 pansies, a pair of sedges, 2 Euphorbia purpurea, and gallon-size plants of Hypericum 'Albury Purple' and Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Rainbow'.

Dixon's Layering Technique

Dixon starts with the largest plants, then buries daffodil and tulip bulbs 6 inches deep. Finally, she overplants the bulbs with pansies. This layered approach creates a succession of bloom and foliage interest from early spring onward, maximizing every inch of container space.