Fill Those Pots!

Jennifer Polanz

This issue is all about containers and what goes in them—that means soil and the combination mixes. In case you like to flip around the magazine versus start at the beginning (hey, no judgment here—whatever floats your boat), check out the containers, tips for selling soils and products related to both. Now, let’s talk combinations to fill those gorgeous pots.

Ball FloraPlant

The MixMasters line features multi-liners that give consumers a balanced combination with trialed and tested mixes. This year, the Great Escape Mix is a new introduction for 2022 that includes the popular Petunia Bee’s Knees (a 2022 All-America Selections Gold Medal winner), Calibrachoa Cha-Cha Diva Hot Pink and Verbena Firehouse Burgundy.

This lineup is great for sun and has a heat-tolerant verbena and vigorous calibrachoa to match up well with Bee’s Knees.

White is always a popular request for mixed containers because they can often be enjoyed during the day and by moonlight. This white-on-white combo uses the latest E3 Easy Wave Spreading Petunia that has early flowering for southern climates:

•  Salvia White Flame
•  ColorGrass Festuca Festina
•  Glechoma Variegata
•  Petunia E3 Easy Wave White
•  Euphorbia Glitz
•  Lantana Lucky White
•  Angelonia AngelMist Spreading White
•  Lantana Shamrock White

Dümmen Orange

Customers love combinations that show off their patriotic spirit, and these two Confetti Garden combinations are great for Memorial Day and Fourth of July celebrations. These work well in containers and larger hanging baskets to give the ultimate late spring and summer show.

Stars and Stripes Glory features Surprise Sparkle Blue Petunia, Peppy Red Petunia and Empress Flair White Verbena.

Stars and Stripes Honor features Surprise Sparkle Red Petunia, Surprise Blue Star Petunia and Empress Flair White Verbena.

Every year the company announces National Container Recipes and 2022 is no exception. This year, there’s a foliage-only recipe for the first time, as well as two others. Each of these can be complemented with the addition of Prince Tut as a possible “thriller,” which is also Proven Winners’ Annual of the Year.

Lady Luck includes White Licorice Helichrysum, Sweet Caroline Raven Ipomoea and ColorBlaze Chocolate Drop Plectranthus.

Amethyst Dreams features Superbells Grape Punch Calibrachoa, Superbells White Calibrachoa and Superbells Sparkling Amethyst Verbena.

Blind Love has Supertunia Lovie Dovie Petunia, Supertunia Royal Magenta Petunia and Superbena Whiteout Verbena.

Selecta One

Trixi mixed liners work well in containers and baskets, and have all been bred for excellent performance in a range of colors and classes. A new introduction for 2022 is Trixi Crystalize, which features two varieties from the Sky series—Petunia Headliner Crystal Sky and Petunia Headliner Night Sky. These petunias together create an ombre effect in purple using the sky pattern in both a light and dark hue.

Syngenta Flowers

There are four new medium vigor, multi-liner mixes in the Kwik Kombos container program, two of which were highlighted for their performance in the Colorado State University trials last year (Summer Jelly and Banana Pancakes).

Midnight Moon, a mix of Sanguna Purple Petunia, Techno Light Blue Lobelia and Lanai White Verbena.

Summer Jelly features Callie Pink with Eye Calibrachoa, Lanai Bright Eye Verbena and Sanguna Purple Petunia.

Wisteria Lane has Callie Burgundy Calibrachoa, Sanguna Sweet Pink Petunia and Techno Upright Light Blue Lobelia.

Banana Pancakes includes Cabrio Yellow Calibrachoa, Sanguna Yellow Petunia and Lanai White Verbena.

More Recipe Ideas

Looking for more container and hanging basket combination ideas? The National Garden Bureau has you covered with lots of different options. Use your smart device camera to shoot the QR code to see what NGB offers. GP