Perhaps reconsider the idea of the containers just being 'seasonal'. Hopefully, your 'large decorative pots' are sufficiently large enough to accommodate permanent plantings. Focus on those, leaving adequate space to plop in a pot or two (or 3) of seasonal color.

That is what I do. Because I rent and my inground garden space is tiny, I garden mostly in containers. Many are quite large and weigh several hundred pounds when fully planted. And I am no spring chicken any more either and those pots are too big and too heavy to change out and to mess with every few months! Permanent and mostly evergreen plants take center stage but I leave room to add seasonal bulbs and colorful annuals or short blooming herbaceous perennials as well.

Hi, Shirley ~ Perennial plants, which includes trees and shrubs, will need regular rootwork or dividing if the plants are to remain robust and healthy. Root congestion begins to take a toll on growth rate, vitality levels (health), yields (where applicable), eye appeal, and the plant's ability to defend itself at the approximate point in time when the soil/root mass can be lifted from the pot intact. Eventually, root congestion can rob the plant of its entire potential for growth, and negatively impact the plant as already noted, leaving a grower with plants the appearance of which make clear their level of vitality. Potting up only partially relieves the stress of root congestion - it's like kicking the can down the road each year.

Choosing the right soil would have a major impact on your ability to chose a certain size cache pot, or more than one size cache pot, and regular bare-rooting, root pruning (or dividing where applicable), and a change of potting medium, would allow you to freely exchange plants in nursery cans between the cache pots. You can often maintain plants in the same pot for a decade or more if appropriate rootwork is done regularly, usually every 1-3 years. A healthy root system is always a prerequisite if we are to expect a healthy plant.

Al

Thank you for your comments. I have tried for several years potting shrubs such as boxwoods and junipers as permanent fillers and surrounding them in spring and summer with flowers and vines. However, due to the extreme temperatures and harsh winters here in the Texas Panhandle, I find myself having to remove and replace the shrubs every few years. That is what I’m facing now—after five days of below zero temperatures, the boxwoods didn’t make it. And I’m no longer physically able to remove and replant the shrubs.

I might have some ideas but I think I need more information. Are the permanent pots that you want to fill much bigger than the usual nursery size pot that you buy? Are you asking about a way to keep the nursery pots up higher, inside the bigger pot?

Tiffany—yes, that’s exactly what I need ideas for. (The favorite permanent pots I have are about 20”square/20” tall and others 24” round/22” tall). I plan to fill pots about halfway with empty water bottles, then put potting soil on top of that. Just not sure that will be enough to keep nursery pots (2 quarts?) sitting straight in center of larger pot and easy to change out.

Understood. In that case, I would use something heavy in the bottom, like bricks, and not waste potting soil. If you go with water bottles, fill them back up with hose water, to add weight and ballast to the pots, keeping their center of gravity as low as possible.

Once you get the height fixed, maybe something like a pool noodle or 2 around the inside rim of the big pot would keep the inner pot upright. It's easy to cut them if smaller pieces would serve the purpose better.

If the big pot is big enough to put 2-3 smaller pots, they might hold each other up and add some nice variety, more fullness. The classic "thriller, filler, spiller" combo, but in separate pots.

Similarly, smaller empty pots could serve as side props if the pool noodle isn't the right thing.

Not sure if they make one the right size for your planters, but in my largest planters, I am using these Ups-A-Daisy. I do use cut up pool noodles in some of my other planters to fill the void. But I also like these Ups-A-Daisy things and they are a one-time purchase.

https://www.homedepot.com/collection/outdoors/ups-a-daisy-planter-collection/Family-312903483

I'm sure that works, but costs more than the plant I would be potting.

Thanks, popmama. Not familiar with Ups-A-Daisy but definitely gonna check it out.

Tiffany—Thanks for those great ideas. I’ll definitely try 3 separate pots inside 1 big pot. Also, pool noodles—yes!

Happy to suggest. : )