Container Gardens

Container gardening is a great way to adorn your front entry, patio or deck and if you have little or no space for a full blown garden you can always create a small garden on your deck or patio by filling pots and other containers with flowers, plants and even vegetables.

By grouping different size containers filled with plants of different colors, textures and scale you can really create quite a spectacular garden – one that would rival any planted in the ground. And the great thing is that container gardens require very little maintenance other than watering and feeding. Because the soil will dry out faster in pots, it's important to make sure you container garden gets enough water.

Container Garden Basics

• Be creative when selecting your containers. Garden containers are not limited to terracotta, or ceramic pots. Garden containers come in so many materials these days such as metal, stone, and wood. If you want to get really creative, use found objects such as an old wagon and fill to the brim with colorful flowers.

• Don’t limit your container garden to only pots that sit on your deck or patio. Hanging baskets, window boxes and containers mounted on walls or fences are great too.

• Make sure the containers you select have drainage holes in the bottom or side. Good drainage is critical for healthy roots. Most garden containers have drainage holes already but if they don’t you can always drill them yourself. Small pots probably only need one hole but larger containers should have up to three.

• Create groups of pots. A grouping makes a much stronger impression than one little pot all by itself. Varying the size and heights of the pots will also help to create interest.

• In large pots, mix different plants together. Select plants and flowers that vary in color, scale and texture. For example, plant a lacy bright green fern with some pink impatiens and some trailing English ivy. The fern adds texture and height, the impatiens adds color, and the ivy adds some texture and color spilling over the edge of the container. This example is for a shade loving container so be sure to pick plants that share the same growing conditions.

• Add verticality to your container garden by putting a trellis in a pot and planting vines. If you have the space, you can even plant small trees in larger containers.

• Container garden require more watering especially in hot or windy weather. You should water when the top inch or two of the soil is dry. To thoroughly water, let water run over the entire surface of the soil and keep it running until water flows out of the drainage holes.

• Because it’s necessary to water frequently, the soil gets leached of nutrients faster so it’s important to fertilize your container garden. Mix a time-released fertilizer into the potting mix when planting or apply a liquid fertilizer every two weeks to keep your container plants happy and healthy.

Web Resources

• 24 Great One-Pot Gardens from Sunset Magazine
  Looking for inspiration for your container garden? Check out Sunset Magazine's gallery of one-pot gardens. There are 24 inspiring designs in a range of styles.
• Creative Containers and How To Care For Them from Jackson & Perkins
  Not sure what kind of container to use? Jackson & Perkins has a guide to the types of containers available and also some great tips on how to care for them.
• Designing Great Containers from Fine Gardening
  This is a great article on mixing and matching foliage, flowers, textures and colors to create beautiful containers for your garden.
• Create Stunning Hanging Baskets from BHG
  Hanging flower baskets are a great way to add color to any patio or garden. Better Homes and Gardens has created 28 stunning hanging baskets and included a detailed plant list so you can recreate them on your own.
• How To Grow Veggies in Pots from Sunset Magazine
  Get started growing a container vegetable garden – all you need is a big container, potting soil and some sun to get started.