The Secrets to Stunning Hayrack Planters

If you've always dreamed of a beautiful hayrack planter dripping with flowers under your window but weren't sure how to execute it, Tera Boaeuf of Tera's Gardens in Colorado can help. She has the secrets to planting and maintaining hayracks and is willing to share them with us!

- Kristin Beane Sullivan

Geranium Pelargonium hybrid

Pansy Viola x wittrockiana

Petunia Petunia hybrid

Sweet alyssum Lobularia maritima

VincaVinca minor

HOW TO DESIGN A HAYRACK PLANTER

Tera uses the same principles for hayracks that she uses in other container designs: Position trailing plants at the front to billow over the edge, place tall plants in the back row, and bridge the gap with smaller upright filler plants. Of course, your color choices are really all about personal preference, but she tries to match color temperature, meaning she wouldn't place a red-orange geranium in the mix of cool pink geraniums, petunias and blue pansies in the planter above, but she would include a fuchsiared, for example.

To get the full look you see here, you'll need a lot of plants. Each of the two 55-inch planters above holds about 50 plants. For instant gratification, start with 4-inch pots of some of the showpiece plants, such as the trailing petunias and geraniums. Fill in around them with more economical flats of vinca and sweet alyssum.

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Any time you install a windowbox against a flat surface like siding, it's a good idea to mount it with spacers to prevent moisture from building up between the planter and the siding. A 1½/2-inch spacer block at the top and bottom of the hayrack should be enough to allow air to circulate and prevent rot.

You can find hayracks in many sizes, but as with any container, the bigger it is, the heavier it is. Add soil and plants and it'll be much tougher to mount. So it's best to mount the empty hayrack and plant it up right where it hangs.