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“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” No really…I live for springtime! Bring on all of the endless strolls through the Lowe’s garden center whilst daydreaming of transforming my backyard into an effortless European style garden. Iced peach tea included.
We are in a bit of a heatwave here on the West Coast, so white foxgloves and other English cottage style flowers are definitely out of the question. However, there are plenty of other perfect plants to use here in the desert southwest!
European Style Container Garden
When I think of an effortless European garden, I envision different shades of lush green, primarily white, blue and lavender flowers, effortless textures and stone.
Think Southern France with a white bistro table set up on pebble rock and jasmine trailing up the wall while you are surrounded by greenery in white stone pots. The variety of texture and white florals not only look beautiful during the day, but create stunning shadows during golden hour and also reflect the moonlight at night.
This is the type of garden where you can sip your morning coffee and nighttime tea in.
Planter Containers Used in my Garden (all from Lowe’s)
I found the perfect collection of planter pots and plants at my local Lowe’s garden center! Since my summers get extremely hot, I opted for resin material in a white faux stone palette. I absolutely loved how it all turned out!
planters from left to right:
- large stone look planter (22.6″ x 22.6″)
- medium plain white planter (15.24 x 15.24)
- floral design planter (19.88 x 19.88)
- fluted round planter (13.03 x 13.03)
- scalloped trim planter (13.46 x 13.46)
- fluted square planter (14.5 x 14.5)
other items used in this project:
Plants used in my European Style Container Garden
All plants were purchased at my local Lowe’s Garden Center (I am in Phoenix, Arizona zone 9B). Every Lowe’s Garden Center will showcase a wide variety of plants that will do well in your specific climate.
For my project, I was looking for plants that would not only do well in Phoenix, Arizona, but also provided lush greenery, texture and dainty florals. As a mom of littles and beagles, I also needed plants that are primarily non-toxic (thankfully, neither my kids or dogs have ever eaten a plant in our yard, but never say never…)
- Yanis Delight Bougainvillea
- Elephant Food Succulent
- Climbing Pink Jasmine
- Arabian Jasmine
- Variegated Mock Orange
- Garden Verbena
- Meadow Sage
- Dusty Miller
- Wave Petunias
- Sweet Alyssum
Container Garden Plant Details
Variegated Mock Orange – perennial zones 8-11. Does well in full sun or partial shade. Can be maintained as a potted shrub, or grown as a privacy hedge up to 8 feet. This beautiful lush shrub will have highly fragrant white flowers during the springtime that smell identical to orange blossoms (one of my favorite floral scents). I strategically planted this one right outside of my bedroom window to allow the fragrance in.
Meadow Sage – perennial zones 4-9. Full sun, filtered light appreciated during the AZ summer. Will grow to be about 20″ x 20″x. I love every variety of Sage/Salvia. The flower shape adds such a whimsical texture and the leaves are simply stunning! Hummingbirds LOVE these types of flowers.
Dusty Miller – annual/tender perennial. zones 7-10. Full sun or Filtered sunlight during the AZ summer. Usually will grow to 1-2 feet tall & wide. The silver foliage really balances out all the green and looks beautiful in the moonlight as well.
Sweet Alyssum – annual. zones 5-11. Full sun, filtered light appreciated during the AZ summer. Mine will typically will grow about 10 inches tall and almost 2 feet wide. I have had some survive our hot summers when placed in a more shady area! However, they typically only do well October-June in my hot climate. They often reseed and comeback!
Wave Petunias – annual. zones 2-11. Full sun, filtered light appreciated during the AZ summer. These can get huge depending on the planter size. I have had Wave petunias grow to be almost 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide (a full on shrub). However, they can also stay maintained as a small accent plant. These thrive in Phoenix from October-June. Mine will struggle in the hot months, but will revive in the fall.
Garden Verbena – annual zones 6 & below. perennial zones 7-11. Full sun, filtered light appreciated during the AZ summer. This beautiful floral plant will become about a foot tall and over 2 feet wide, sprawling over the planter. These can survive our hot summers as long as they are given some shade.
Container Garden Plant Details
Climbing Pink Jasmine – perennial. zones 8-11. Full sun, filtered light appreciated during the AZ summer. This climbing vine will need a trellis for support, but it can climb over 20 feet tall. I plan on having this climb up and over the large window. This vine blooms large clusters of tiny light pink jasmine flowers late winter (here in Phoenix) and through spring. This has got to be one of those most beautifully fragrant plants I have ever come across! A well deserved spot directly outside my bedroom window.
Arabian Jasmine – perennial. zones 9-11. Full sun, filtered light appreciated during the AZ summer. This plant can be grown as a shrub or you can train it to climb up a trellis. I personally love the look of the shrub, since the leaves are so large. They bloom tiny white highly fragrant flowers late spring/early summer. I have a few of these in my yard and LOVE the fragrance.
Elephant’s Food – perennial. zone 9-11. Full sun, even in Phoenix…a certified beast. This succulent shrub can be kept in a pot or grown in the ground up to 12 feet tall. They are super low maintenance yet make such a statement in my garden!
Yanis Delight Bougainvillea – perennial. zone 9-11. Full sun, even in Phoenix! When you think Bougainvillea, you may imagine a hot pink vine climbing up a wall, however there are “dwarf” varieties! This pink & white bougainvillea will only grow to be about 3 feet tall & wide which makes it perfect for a patio or accent plant in a garden.
Finishing Touches
We have used this exact landscaping rock in all of our landscaping projects! I simply love how it brightens the space without being too stark. It is the perfect golden neutral rock. White rocks would have also looked lovely here, but I just prefer the natural look of gold rock.
I picked up a few bags from my local Lowe’s Garden Center to help fill in the bare spots from digging around the space.
These solar powered firefly globe lights added the perfect amount of whimsy to the garden. The hotter it gets here, the more time I spend outside after the sun goes down. I love having a yard that comes alive at night!
Saved the best for last…Ms. Duck! Lowe’s always has the cutest garden statues, but this white duck just may be my favorite yet! We have an actual duck pond across our front yard, so my kids LOVE ducks. They often fly into our backyard, waddle around our neighbordhood…they are just the cutest little creatures! I think Ms. Duck is going to feel right at home 😉