Cem Usakligil is right: this is an application of Scheimpflung, and the lens was tilted. The pots are viewed at an angle (or we would only see the top of the plants above them) yet all three are in focus. The depth of field is narrow or the ground would be sharp.
I posted this because I wondered whether experienced photographers would notice that something was not quite usual in what is a picture of a relatively plain subject. I know that non-photographers do not notice anything particular. Of course, I could not ask the question directly ("do you notice that the three plants should not all be sharp") without giving the answer, and I was really interested to find out whether the trick would be too obvious. Thank you.
Other comments:
-I don't think that lightening the ground would improve the picture, it would rather somewhat flatten the perspective.
-texture of the plants: some color correction of the reds and some sharpening, but the plants are really like that in that light.
-focus stacking: I don't think focus stacking software can do that easily. It is normally intended to render everything sharp. I could have used a sharp picture all over and blurred the parts in post, but that would be very hard to do.
-eye level: that would give more importance to the pots and less to the plants, wouldn't it?
Another picture taken that day:
Full resolution (if you want to enjoy the details...).