California container garden — a short introduction to this piece.
California container garden: Quick Notes
Happy Friday, GPODers!
We’re wrapping up the week in Northern California as we head to the San Francisco Bay Area for another stunning submission from Adriana Porter Felt. In her previous submissions Adriana has highlighted two plants signature to her garden’s design (check out those submissions here: Adriana’s Pride of Madeira in Spring and Drifts of Pink Heuchera Blooms), but today she is giving us a full tour of one container-filled section of her landscape.
We bought a house with a large, fenced pool-deck area that was almost entirely hardscaped. For safety reasons, we had to keep the fence, which blocked the sight of the surrounding gardens. I brought in greenery and flowers with a large container garden.
We used three kinds of containers: large metal planters for our primary planting beds, blue ceramic pots, and large raised planters that added height. We continually add to the collection. It brings light and charm to our back deck.
These photos were taken in late summer, when our dahlias, passion vines, and Japanese anemones (Anemone hupehensis var. japonica, Zones 5–7) are in bloom. I also caught the tail end of our Russell lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus ‘Russell hybrids’, Zones 4–8) in bloom. Earlier in the year we have blooms from purple Jerusalem sage (Phlomis purpurea, Zones 8–10 or as an annual), clematis, and scabiosa.
We live in the Berkeley Hills, California, where frost isn’t a concern but dry summers are our way of life. I water deeply by hand every three days.
Upon entering the pool patio from Adriana’s backdoor, you’re immediately immersed in a plant paradise. An arbor covered in passion flower welcomes you with the colorful group of blue ceramic containers Adriana mentioned in her introduction.
Dahlias and lupine are gorgeous additions to these artful pots, which would make a statement even if nothing was planted inside. I really appreciate that while all of the pots are blue, none are exactly the same; this makes for an interesting group of pots that also doesn’t steal too much attention from her beautiful flowers.
A bubblegum pink dahlia is a lovely complement to the blue pottery as well as the bright greenery behind.
Even more blue pots add so much to this corner that would otherwise be devoid of color. The color theme continues with some funky chairs at an outdoor dining table, and all of that blue is paired with the most wonderful palette of pink and purple blooms.
To break up all that blue, metal raised beds allow for bigger planting possibilities but still connect to the rest of the design. The tall, arching Japanese anemones in the background are perfectly mirrored by the much shorter ‘Butterfly Blue’ pincushion flower (Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’, Zones 4–8) in the foreground.
Another seating area, right outside the back door, is equally lush. A beautiful mix of green and purple plants, including purple Jerusalem sage, gives this area a calm and cool vibe.
A close-up of the purple passion flower (Passiflora incarnata, Zones 5–9) growing over Adriana’s entryway arbor
This must be Adriana’s back patio before the addition of most of her plants. A couple of very stylish raised planters add a little bit of color, but overall it’s a pretty blank slate.
And the impressive entryway in all its glory, today: While the “before” is still an attractive back patio that many would dream of, the “after” takes the space to the next level and transforms blank hardscaping into a garden oasis.
Thank you so much for introducing us to more of your amazing garden, Adriana! What we’ve seen before was dazzling, but this submission really shed light on your incredible designs and the fantastic landscape you have crafted.
When I think we’ve seen it all from our fabulous contributors, they always have a way of surprising me with hidden gems and never-before-seen aspects of their gardens that absolutely blow me away. If you have any secret treasures in your garden that you haven’t gotten around to sharing yet, please make 2025 the year that you show them off. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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California container garden appears here to highlight key ideas for readers.
