Spring is here (or close enough 😄) and today we’re planting OVER-THE-TOP spring container gardens—not as single pots, but as a whole family of containers that work together: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bears. Think of it like designing a symphony of spring with a cohesive color palette, repeating plants, and a few whimsical touches that make the whole display feel intentional and elevated.
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In this video, Linda shares her best spring container planting tips, including how to choose a soft early-spring color palette (lavender + white + a hint of yellow), how to keep containers coordinated, and how to create that “wow” factor with texture, height, and spill.
🌿 What you’ll learn in this episode
🌿 How to design containers as a matching “family” (not random one-offs)
🌿 A simple strategy for choosing a defined spring color palette
🌿 Why the 10-day forecast matters for early planting
🌿 How to make baskets work outdoors using cut-down nursery pots
🌿 Quick drainage tip: using organic garden debris in the bottom
🌿 How to use “hover” plants for height + movement (and those gorgeous shadows!)
🌿 Why perennials can thrive in pots (and how to keep them going year after year)
🌿 A fun idea for Easter baskets: grass seed + spring bulbs + whimsical details
🌿 Mixing edibles + ornamentals for charm (yes, spinach can be cute!)
🌿 Plants + ingredients featured
🌿 Pansies / violas (soft blues, whites, romantic tones)
🌿 Candy tuft (Iberis) — including Snow Cone style
🌿 Scabiosa / pincushion flower (hovering blooms)
🌿 Mini daffodils (like Tête-à-Tête style minis)
🌿 Spinach (tucked in as a fun edible accent)
🌿 Sugar snap peas (an experiment for an Easter basket handle!)
🌿 Perennial rye grass / cat grass (for Easter basket “grass”)
🌿 Materials + container tips
🌿 Faux concrete pots for “Papa Bear” (lightweight + movable)
Chapters / Timestamps
0:00 First spring container plantings (Papa Bear / Mama Bear / Baby Bears)
0:53 Choosing a soft early-spring color palette (lavender, white, hint of yellow)
1:49 Tip #1: Always check the 10-day forecast
2:21 Container “family” styling + faux concrete Papa Bear pot
3:10 Why we save nursery pots (and how they help baskets)
3:57 Sponsor: Birch mattress
8:08 Cutting down nursery pots to fit baskets cleanly
9:20 Planting “Mama Bear” basket (debris base + potting mix)
10:33 What’s available now + early spring plant picks
14:08 Mini daffodils go in (sweet color echo + naturalizing later)
16:20 Building “Papa Bear” (bigger volume + composition planning)
18:22 Garden joy: seed heads + shadows from hovering plants
20:12 Candy tuft as a perennial anchor in pots
23:04 Adding pansies/violas for cascading harmony
24:24 A fun twist: spinach around the edges
29:00 Whimsical Easter basket experiment: peas on the handle
32:07 Tiny bunny pot: mini daffs + pansy + Spanish moss
34:54 Forcing daffodils + planting grass seed for Easter baskets
36:27 Final thoughts + OKC garden experience (May 1–5) + upcoming events
More from Linda Vater
Hollister House webinar (March 5) — ticketed fundraiser event
Manhattan Book Club webinar (Feb 17)
Next Linda Vater Live (March 1)
#containergardening #springcontainers #pansies #violas #gardendesign #easterdecor #flowerpots #oklahomagardening #lindavater
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37 Comments
Visit birchliving.com/ URL for 27 % o ff site-wide and be
sure to mention my channel in their post-purchase
survey!
Gettin the vibe and loving it! Stewart, love to hear that you have a valentine. ❤
Working with soil without gloves is called grounding or earthing that gets rid of inflammation in our body. Thank you.
Linda and Stewart good evening 🌙! Have beautiful amazing day! Hugs 🫂 and love!❤😊❤
ive been doing this for many years..i make living arrangements that change in form as they grow throughout the season…using plants that create all kinds of growing spaces in the container so that the change in growth is attractive and balanced all season…each season i create a new color palette in the garden as all my garden is container plantings.
You can NEVER have too much scabiosa! 💜
😘😍
Hi Linda, I love candytuft too! Yes, filling my pots with at least one perennial is a cost saver, since I then plant it in my landscape:) Today I was thrilled to find so many of my plants coming back! Parsley, Rosemary, daisies and violas are growing back now:)
Love it ❤
Zone7 in VA, Im so jealous that you can start container planting Linda! We still have snow and Ice, and it’s still too cold outside. Love your planting combos!
Hi! The spring containers made me happy! So pretty. Can I just say also that your outfit was very cottage garden comfortable! Loved it. 🌷
Oh gosh, I’ve learned from living in OK for 18 years to not plant before mid April. I’m not able to physically drag big pots in and out, I guess 😆
You mentioned an early spring. I am thinking that too! I live in southern MN and my tulips are already peaking out.
I love the colors chosen for the containers, Linda. How spring it looks! And I especially love the candytuft. That's so pretty. The tan/white potting attire, total admiration. Stewart's wave! Hope it was a fun filled valentine's day. I just adore everything that relates to pooh bear and friends! Piglet wisdom so significant. Thank you, Linda and Stewart. Always fun to find a common interest 🌱❤️
You made me cry telling us how you would like to connect. My granddaughter is getting married May 2nd so visiting you isn’t possible at that time. Perhaps another time. Thank you for the sweet and loving invitation.
❤ " I am woman hear me roar".
The wave is back!! Hi Stewart!! Love this video! Love the blue and white! I’m in Mexico for the winter… can’t wait to get back to my garden in late March! 😎🇨🇦
This so beautiful, and I love the sweet pea idea. Pure genius! ❤
So envious! We still have snow on the ground, although are warming up for about a week. That said, being Michigan, Spring planting is a long way off😢. Love your color pallet & container combos.
Going to OKC tomorrow…. which Lowe’s did you go to?
Awww. I loved this. We are still under a blanket of snow with a few bare spots popping up. Bring on the warm weather.
Your beautiful linda
To each their own, but I'm a little surprised that you cycle mattresses out like that with how environmentally conscious you usually talk about being. Imagine them all in your backyard, except in a landfill. Containers are looking beautiful!
So lovely 😊
thanks for inspiration
You look adorable today! Love your apron! May I ask where to buy one?
Love to all ❤
I loved this and your enthusiam! I must have candytuft now/ lol
Feeling dirt is great therapy ❤
Re the Birch mattress commercial. How do you dispose of your old mattress when you order new one online? What do you do about a box spring and where to purchase? Who does the heavy lifting of everything?
Grounding. Quorum Sensing. I like going glove less also. Beautiful planters. 🙏❤🇱🇷🌎
Don't you worry about a freeze? I know our winters, even here in Nebraska, is unusually warm and so dry, but I would worry about a touch of winter killing your flowers.
Here in NY we Still have alot of snow.
I love Scabiosa! I have never put them in pots but I will this year!
Wonderful video I am glad you mentioned checking 10 day frost all areas of the country are different frost date’s. The best advice to learn your first and last frost dates for all gardeners especially if you are a new gardener.
Oh how exciting. We are still buried in snow, but looking forward to planting my first pots in the next couple of months! 😊 from Sag Harbor, NY
Missing your beauty linda
I can't believe you don't loosen the soil on the potted plants before jamming them into the larger containers!?