A new client requested a complete container garden installation for her large patio over looking Puget Sound in Lower Queen Anne. Her requests? Low maintenance plants with lots of flowers and color, that could stand up the sunny and windy conditions of her deck.

Our design incorporated whites, yellows, and purples through drought tolerant flowering perennials. Caryopteris “Dark Knight” has vibrant purple brush-like flowers that attract pollinators galore; Echinacea “Pow Wow White” with flowers of white petals and large golden mounded centers; and Alchemilla Mollis, with its sulphuric yellow summer flowers. We paired them with hardy evergreen specimens: Chamaecyparis, Cistus, and Pieris. For a specimen tree, we chose one of our favorites, evergreen Sciadopytis Verticillata, for its sculptural yet soft habit.

The result is a vibrant garden full of variety and color that can withstand its environmental stressors while attracting flying wildlife to its city patio.