This terrace is an ode to lush, meadow-like container plantings—“When you grow your own seedlings, the sky’s the limit”
More is more! Lahti-based Riina Liblik boldly and creatively combines summer flowers grown from seed on the spacious terrace in her garden. She believes the secret to a vibrant oasis is having a vast number of plants, along with big pots and troughs that keep the soil moist.
When Lahti-based Riina Liblik planned the first container plantings for her new terrace a few years ago, she was worried about her red house. Its shade was far from her favorite colors and, in her view, made many plants look drab.
She wondered how she could freshen up the overall look and highlight the plants’ colors in a pleasant way.
“Then I realized that muted colors work great with a red wall. The color of chocolate cosmos practically flatters the house,” Riina explains.
In addition to the mahogany-brown variety of cosmos, she also grows a chocolate-brown-leafed coleus, a brownish-orange black-eyed susan vine, a hint-of-peach diana, and a wine-red coneflower near the house, among others.
Bold combinations and floral trends constantly inspire Riina. She plans the many container groupings in her garden well in advance of sowing season.
“When you grow the seedlings yourself, there really is no limit to what you can plant.”
An especially showstopping floral display overflows from two L-shaped planter boxes that line the entire terrace.
“A large terrace demands equally abundant plantings. Tiny fussed-over arrangements don’t really fit here.”
The variety of species in the gray wooden boxes is astounding, and the eye keeps finding new species among the foliage: scabiosa, china aster, statice, coneflower, chocolate cosmos, black-eyed susan vine, snapdragon, zinnia, geranium…
“I love the wild, meadow-like feel of the troughs. They’re simply one bloom after another.”
Meanwhile, the plants enjoy the warm spot along the home’s south wall. Riina believes the key to her garden’s success is having plenty of plants, as well as large pots and troughs where soil remains moist. She says she waters the planters a couple of times a week in hot weather.
Each box holds soil in a layer about 50 centimeters (20 inches) thick, about one-third of which is her own compost soil. Each year, Riina only replaces the topsoil or part of the soil and adds chicken manure as a long-term fertilizer. The same process also applies to her largest outdoor pots.
Every season with summer flowers is a surprise.
“When you plant the flowers, you never actually know how they’ll turn out. My seedlings are often quite lanky and spindly at planting time.”
Whereas summer flowers bring unexpected twists and new color combinations, perennial species add lush volume. Among the latter, Riina’s trusted plants are wire vines, creeping charlie, and especially various ivies, which become more vigorous every year.
In addition to green-leafed species, Riina also loves the many-hued coleus plants, which she renews each year with cuttings.
She describes a pink, small-flowered begonia, received years ago as a cutting from her great aunt, as a reliable bloomer.
“This begonia is the easiest plant in the world. In the fall, I trim it down to about five centimeters so it won’t shed leaves in the cool storage space. Even the cuttings root quickly in soil and water.”
Riina overwinters most of her perennial container plants in her sister’s root cellar. Early each summer, she carries dozens of species back to her yard from there: marsh parsley, mondo grass, ornamental clovers, false shamrocks, alstroemerias, and tall verbena. Woody species like Japanese maple, olive tree, maidenhair tree, and butterfly bush also overwinter in the cellar.
“All of the women in our family have their own boxes for overwintering plants in my sister’s cellar.”
Riina was inspired by lavish container plantings back in her student days, when she was planting and caring for a hotel’s multi-species displays in Hämeenlinna, Finland, for five different summers.
“I learned a lot about flowers there, including the idea that with flowers, more is more.”
Riina dreamed of having her own floral plantings for years until, almost eight years ago, she moved with her family into her childhood home, a single-family house built in 1992.
“In the clayey field-like yard, there was plenty of lawn, plus a few trees and shrubs, in typical ’90s style.”
Right from the start, Riina enrolled in a design course for home gardeners, which made it easier to develop their own yard together with her spouse Markko Liblik.
“The plan I made during the course was extremely helpful. We stuck to the main thread, and the garden has become a cohesive whole.”
Container plantings play a major role, ensuring continuous blooms all summer. Both grown-ups and children alike are delighted to see the constant buzz of bees and other insects around the flowers.
Riina’s tips for a container garden
1. Play with colors
Plan your color palette so it’s harmonious from the very start, whether you’re buying or pre-growing seedlings. You can create a cohesive yet interesting whole by repeating the same hues in different species and adding one accent color.
2. Experiment and explore
Alongside familiar plants, dare to try new ones too. Each year, your eye grows sharper in flower growing, and you’ll discover which species work well together.
3. Invest in pots
Choose spacious, timeless pots you can group into striking arrangements. Different sizes add layers to your container cluster.
4. Create contrasts
Plant differently shaped species together for a layered effect in the same container grouping. Ornamental grasses add an airy look among summer flowers.
