Making a Sparse-Looking Flower Pot or Basket Look Full

So, the dilemma with buying flowering annuals for pots -- buy extra plants to put in a pot to make it look full right away, or spend less money and have the pot fill in as summer progresses.

I'm sure you guessed already which way I went on this one. I knew my basket was on the small side. And I did think about buying 2 begonia plants. But then I thought that maybe I could get by with just one. I  knew I could use one of my tricks to make the basket look full while the single plant grew.

Here's how small and puny my one begonia looked before.

After planting the begonia, I cut several short leafy stems of camellia and stuck them in the dirt all around the begonia. The stems add greenery and a sense of lushness, covering up the bare dirt around the edge of the pot. Leafy evergreen stems (not deciduous) will remain green and healthy looking for several weeks when stuck in moist soil about 2 to 3 inches deep. 

From a distance, it just looks like a full pot. Once the begonia fills in, I can easily remove the stems of camellia.