Bid winter adieu with a colorful container garden full of early-spring blooming plants from Linden Hill Gardens owner Jerry Fritz.

Tools and Materials

• 12- to 15-inch terra-cotta container
• Early-spring-blooming plants, such as galanthus, violas, hellebores, pansies, primrose, variegated comfrey, and ornamental kale
• Potting soil
• Gardening gloves

Container Planting How-To
1. Pack soil firmly into terra-cotta container before planting, leaving an inch or two at top.

2. Remove plants from the containers in which they came; loosen the roots.

3. Arrange plants in container, all at the same depth, in desired formation. For instant impact, pack plants in tightly but with enough space to ensure there is air circulation.