Howard Nemeroff began his career in horticulture as a sales manager for a commercial greenhouse. When it was time to break out and build a plant business for himself, his initial plan was to offer clients garden maintenance and care, but he quickly realized that a more creative endeavor was in demand. Howard used his experience selling tropical plants and designing dish gardens at his former job to establish Plant Parenting, Inc., a company that offers many services but most notably creates award-winning container gardens.

Since 1986, Howard has been mastering the art of container plantings in the Chicago area, crafting unique displays for each season. While some might assume this means creating larger and more elaborate designs, Howard has learned that simplifying his plant palette has been more successful. “Using fewer plants can make more of a statement,” he says. Keeping things unfussy is also a boon when it comes to maintenance, which can be all-consuming when it comes to container gardens. “In Chicago, the summer containers can last from early May to mid-October,” Howard says. “People always forget September is a hot month … I think that in their minds summer is over after Labor Day. Consequently, they water less. Late-summer designs suffer for this reason.” This is also why, aside from selecting the right plants for your gardening wants and needs, Howard’s number-one piece of advice for successful containers is to set up drip irrigation.

Part of simplifying designs is selecting plants that can add interest in more than one season. Some of Howard’s favorite hardworking plants include ‘Ascot Rainbow’ and ‘Glacier Blue’ euphorbia (Euphorbia × martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’, Zones 6–11, and E. characias ‘Glacier Blue’, Zones 7–10), croton (Codiaeum variegatum, Zones 11–12), and bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus, Zones 11–12), which are all fabulous options that last through summer and fall. Though Howard will always reach for his “bread-and-butter” plants, he is also a big proponent of trying something new. “I really like to design like a chef at the farmer’s market. Granted, I have my classic looks, but I am always eager to design around something that looks great in the moment,” he says, while admitting that can be risky. “This summer, I am experimenting and hoping to get two seasons from ‘Mona Lavender’ plectranthus” (Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’, Zones 10–11).

Another essential element to Howard’s designs is garden objects. Whether scrolling the Instagram account for Plant Parenting or just checking out the company’s designs that have been featured in Garden Photo of the Day over the years, you will notice a repeated theme of branches, trellises, and topiaries. Just as hardscaping can complete a garden, structures like these take Howard’s containers to the next level. Great containers are only a little bit of homework and experimentation away, according to this innovative plantsman. Pick out a container you love, know the environment you are designing for, and get inspired by your surroundings. If all else fails and your containers are still feeling lackluster, take a step back and look at your whole landscape like it’s an outfit you’re putting on for the day. You might be surprised to identify exactly what your pots are missing because, as Howard says, “containers are like jewelry for the garden.”

Kaitlyn Hayes is the editor of the Garden Photo of the Day blog. Follow her on Instagram @agirlherdogandtheroad.

Photos: courtesy of Howard Nemeroff

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