Plants in containers are to a garden what spices are to a stew. They add a little extra zing. But when you want to kick that zing up a few notches, that’s where the art of the container display comes in. Simply gather up your potted plants and arrange them in a grouping for maximum eye-catching drama. Here are some spicy inspirations to get you started.

Minimalism with a twist

A grouping of black square containers in various heights at the entrance to Chanticleer, Pennsylvania.

When all of your containers are the same colour and shape the plants themselves are undoubtedly the stars of the show. Using containers in the same shape but in a variety of heights (as seen above) or varying the heights by placing some pots on stands (as seen below) amps up the wow factor.

Another container display near the ticket booth at Chanticleer, Pennsylvania.

Go vintage

A vintage tiered pot stand displays potted flowers in a garden in Toronto.

You can’t go wrong with vintage garden decor. I love how the owner of the tiered stand seen above used tiny, empty pots to fill in spaces around filled pots to give the whole look a more-is-more sumptuousness.

A vintage wire flower cart displays a grouping of plants in pots in a garden outside Gananoque, Ontario.

Big and beautiful

A trio of giant terracotta pots filled with grasses and palms at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania.

Sometimes, of course, less is really more. What makes the potted plant displays in the photos above and below is the play of proportion. In both arrangements, the pots are complementary in colour and shape but they are ginormous.

Five very large pots put on a striking display at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania.

When the stand’s the thing

A display of bonsai at RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, U.K.

As potted plants go, you can’t get more eye-catching than ancient bonsai. But I love how this extraordinary collection of bonsai is presented. Each shallow container is raised up to eye-level viewing height on sections of tree trunks. I got the impression that the trunks were carefully chosen to complement the colours and textures of the much smaller, living trees.

A mishmash is just fine

A driveway at the side of a home is brightened with a funky display of shade-loving plants.

When it comes to creating a fab display, expensive containers or exotic plants are not required. If you have a mishmash of pots and plants, raising some of them up for a staged effect is really all you need to do.

A collection of clay pots all planted with the same type of succulent, displayed at differing heights, brightens a dark corner at Keppel Croft, Big Bag, Ontario.

In fact, you can take any selection of pots, plants and garden decor and make a truly fantastic display. Take the example of the display seen in the two photos below. What makes this container display so fun and appealing is the sheer size and diversity of the display. Pots and containers of every size, shape, texture and colour are grouped along with sculptures and well-loved bits and pieces.

A pub in Newboro, Ontario, seen above and below, flaunts a huge display of potted plants that runs the length of the large covered porch.

Where will your collection of potted plants take you?