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Digger Diaries | October

Writer's picture: Digger and Gina McLeanDigger and Gina McLean

Updated: Jan 27

Cool-Season Containers, Reimagined

With Judy Brackman, Owner of Brackman's Stepping Stone

Daniel & Judy Brackman & rescue pup, Big Al
Daniel & Judy Brackman & rescue pup, Big Al

Ever wonder how the pros garden? Follow our fall blog series, DIGGER DIARIES, for advice on lusher landscapes, showstopping containers, and healthier houseplants from some of the most active gardeners, nursery managers, and professional landscapers in the deep-South region. Dig it?

Newsflash: Cool-season containers don't have to be boring. If the "same old, same old" cold-hardy palette of pansies, snapdragons, cabbage, and kale feels a bit drab after a summer fling with jewel-toned petunias, wine-colored roses, and sunset orange daylillies, take heart.
Garden center owner Judy Brackman has a way of rekindling excitement for frost-proof plantings just in time to help us transform our entryways, patios, porches, and lawns with show-stopping displays to welcome family and friends all season long.
Below, find her professional advice for gorgeous cool-season containers to reflect your personality and elevate the style of your home.

From fashion to flowers
Brackman once managed big retail clothing stores, completely changing floor sets every 30 days. That's how she learned to constantly rearrange items so they always look brand new. Now, she puts this talent to use at the business she runs with her husband Daniel: Brackman's Stepping Stone Rock and Garden Center.
"My store's always going to be different," she says. Brackman's expertise in clothing and textiles is backed by a minor in theater costuming, so her eye for design has developed over time.
In the piney woods of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Brackman has become known for helping her customers envision new possibilities with plants and outdoor projects. "I love the fact that I can be creative with my customers [and change] how they view planting," she says.

"Another way to see..."
"You can plant straight shrubs like the neighbor next door," Brackman observes, "but when people tell you about the things they love or show you a picture, it's the yards where people have experimented and not done the basic norm. There's another way to see your property."
That's especially true for cool season containers, where the plant palette shrinks considerably just when we most want to create a festive atmosphere during the autumn and winter holiday seasons. Fortunately, Brackman loves proving that cold-hardy plantings don't all have to look the same.

For a creative twist on cool-season containers, try some of Brackman's favorite elements of style:

Get particular about pots

A beautiful fall display.  Photo:  Judy Brackman
A beautiful fall display. Photo: Judy Brackman
"Pots are an investment in your property and just add so much warmth to a home," Brackman says. "You can have a gorgeous pot and not put anything in it and it can be beautiful, or you can embellish it with all the plants you want and have gorgeous accents at your front door."
The key? Find balance. "They don't have to be symmetrical, though that always looks nice. I'm a very asymmetrical person, so it's easy for me to do a balance with odd numbers. But you can do different pots in the same color family, and balance with an accent color. Or balance out your pots with statuary."
Seasonally, she says, "fall is a good time to refresh your pots if your pots are broken or you've had plastic pots forever and you're ready to update, or maybe you got a new home." Brackman highly recommends long- lasting frost-proof pottery designed to withstand temperature changes. "The pots are not porous, and they are fired at a hotter temperature." she explains.


Monochromatic flowers make a statement.  Photo:  Penick Organics
Monochromatic flowers make a statement. Photo: Penick Organics

Go monochrome
Brackman's secret to an instantly elevated, elegant statement? "I think when it comes to fall containers, they are more impactful if you stay in one color grouping. For example, plant all white pansies, or all yellow pansies, or all one kind of flower as opposed to trying to do a mix.





Brackman surrounded a large lollipop topiary for an eye-catching seasonal display. Photo: Judy Brackman
Brackman surrounded a large lollipop topiary for an eye-catching seasonal display. Photo: Judy Brackman

Try topiary
"You can use evergreen topiary to add interest and height!" urges Brackman. For an unexpected element, use one single topiary. For a stately, symmetrical look, use an identical pair. For an abundant, asymmetrical design, group odd numbers in varying heights. Another plus? Evergreen shrubs live on throughout the year.















Get Sculptural
Sculptures add interest to displays or containers.  Photo Credit:  Judy Brackman
Sculptures add interest to displays or containers. Photo Credit: Judy Brackman

"People sometimes forget about sculptures. If you incorporate sculptures into your pots, that takes up a lot of volume and adds interest, also," notes Brackman, adding, "It could be a sphere, or an obelisk, or even a statue."





Trailing pansies and mums add interest.  Photo:  Judy Brackman
Trailing pansies and mums add interest. Photo: Judy Brackman










Trailing off

"A lot of people are unaware now that there are trailing pansies and trailing snapdragons," Brackman finds. She recommends seeking out these trailing varieties for a new dimension of interest.
The biggest mistake? Missing out altogether. "Some people want to purchase pansies in the spring and forget to get them in October. But if you wait that long, you won't be able to find them!" reminds Brackman.
The takeaway? No matter what cold-hardy variety you want, aim to snag it by October, before garden centers run out and reset their inventory for warm-season offerings, which starts to happen sooner than you think.















New heights

Snapdragons come in a variety of heights.  Photo Credit:  Penick Organics
Snapdragons come in a variety of heights. Photo Credit: Penick Organics
A lot of plants, like snapdragons for example, come in different heights. "You can get a lot of transition by choosing different varieties of the same plant," says Brackman. To arrange them together, she says, "plant tall ones in the back, then go down another level for the middle, and use the shortest kinds in the front."













Be soil smart

"Soil is one of the most important components to planting," says Brackman. "You are not going to
Digger's Delight Potting Soil  Photo:  Penick Organics
Digger's Delight Potting Soil Photo: Penick Organics
receive the best, healthiest plant without the best soil mix." When it comes to soil for pots and containers, "Hands down the best potting soil is Penick Organic's Digger's Delight Potting Soil, " she says.
"Customers come for it in droves. They adore that it has the time-release fertilizer. They can tell that it's actually soil, and not just bits and pieces of things--we hear that all the time. The Penick Organics products are top-notch , and have what they are supposed to have to give you great results."
Brackman points out that when you fill your pots with Digger's Delight, "It's not something quick and easy that they just threw in there. It is years of education going into your plants."




Thrill, fill, spill
A variety of fall plants create a stunning container.
A variety of fall plants create a stunning container.

"That classic 'thriller, filler, spiller' advice seems to be the standard now, and it's easy for people to understand: Add height, fill around, spill over. That gives any pot the balance it needs," reminds Brackman.


Flexibility allows shoppers to work with the best that's available. Photo: Judy Brackman
Flexibility allows shoppers to work with the best that's available. Photo: Judy Brackman





Be flexible...and shop slow

We all search online for inspiration. But when you see a new plant on the internet, "it's probably not going to be available in your local garden center for a few more years," She says. "Or, you might see a plant that may not really be zoned for your area." This is where your local independent garden center staff can offer viable alternatives.
Even then, Brackman says it's best to approach container plantings as a process that will happen over time, not necessarily overnight. "Among newer gardeners, there's a misconception that all the plants are available at one time, and they're not. Different plants have a cycle; you can't get everything at once," she explains. To "find the plants that will make your landscape more interesting," she says the key is making several trips throughout the season.

Know what you can count on

For Brackman, being flexible isn't just about shopping slowly for plants. It's also about going with the flow and being open to new plant ideas if the first ones you tried didn't work out.
"I love Penick Organics products because things might not be perfect. A bug might eat your plant or the cat might sleep in it and kill it, but their soil is always going to be consistent, and if you do have some mishaps or have to rethink a project, the Penick Organics soil is something you're not going to have to rethink!" she says.

For more inspiration from Brackman's Stepping Stone Rock and Garden Center, go to facebook.com/TheSteppingStoneGardenCenter or visit their Hattiesburg, Mississippi store in person Monday-Saturday.

By Jessica Russell Hilton for Penick Organics
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5734 MS Highway 145
Macon, MS  39341
Phone:  662-726-5224
Fax:  662-726-9417
email: penickorganics@gmail.com
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