Design a Container Garden

Container gardens are becoming more popular as gardens become smaller. These can be placed on apartment balconies, small porches, or even in your yard. You can be as creative as you desire when choosing what containers (or pots) you will use and which plants to place inside them. Some simple tips and pointers will allow you to start designing a container garden of your very own!

Steps

Choosing Containers

1. Try terra cotta pots. Terra cotta looks good with a variety of plants, and can be simple or elaborate, but it is heavy and isn't resistant to frost. Unglazed Stop Mildew Growing on Terracotta Pots has good air circulation and can give a refreshing Southwestern vibe to your garden. Try a variety of sizes for visual appeal.
2. Look into wood pots. Wood has a natural look and will give your garden an earthy, holistic feel. Wood is usually used for window boxes and barrels. You can line the container with plastic or burlap to protect the wood. If you use plastic, cut drainage holes in the bottom. Make sure that the wood has not been treated with plant-harming chemicals.
   • Wooden planters will need to be properly maintained over time or else the quality could deteriorate. Plant-safe, low chemical sealers are available at your local garden center.
   • Pour the sealer into a container, such as a large paint tray and use a paint brush to apply the sealer to the wooden planter.
   • Allow the sealer to dry for 24 hours before placing plants inside.
   • Test the sealer with a little bit of water to see if it is completely dry. If it is, the water will form small droplets but will not soak into the wood.
3. Go for lightweight and affordable plastic pots. Plastic pots are lightweight and come in almost all colors, shapes, and sizes. They are readily available at your local garden center. They can also be made to look like clay or other materials. The benefit to plastic is that it won’t chip and break in cold weather; however, plastic pots do not allow very much air circulation.
4. Try moss containers. Moss is usually used in hanging baskets. It allows you to have plants come through the sides of the container as well, not just at the top. Since moss dries out quickly, you will need to water it often.
   • Hanging plants you can try out are ivy, geranium, petunias and black-eyed Susan vines.

Selecting a Color Scheme

1. Experiment with analogous colors. These are groups of three colors that are all next to each other on the color wheel. For instance, red, red-orange and orange. Warm colors, like red and yellow, are bright, and look good with terra cotta or wood. Cool colors, like blue or lavender, look tranquil and go with terra cotta, stone, or other cool colored containers.
2. Try out a monochromatic theme. For a modern feel, choose pots that are monochromatic. Monochromatic colors are different shades of one color. If you want it to look more interesting, you can use a contrasting container.
   • For example, your entire scheme could be made up of different shades of blue -- sky blue, midnight blue, navy blue, etc.
   • Another example would be a range of purple shades. For instance, deep purple, indigo, lavender and lilac shades.
3. Utilize complementary colors: These are colors opposite to each other on the color wheel. They have a vibrant look, but if you want it to look subtler, use colors that are not as bright or contrasting.
   • For example, you could pair together shades of both yellow and purple. Yellow with dark purple would more dramatic than yellow with lavender.
   • Another complementary color scheme would be shades of both blue and orange.
4. Get creative with your color scheme. You can use any combination of colors you want. For example, you could coordinate red, white, and blue. Or you could use your favorite combination of colors. Whether it is purple and orange or black and white, you can be as colorful or as simple as you like.

Arranging Your Plants

1. Arrange plants according to their “habit.” There are different ways to organize the plants within each container, usually according to size and habit. The different plant habits are upright, mounding, and trailing. You can use all three types of plants in your container.
   • One idea is to use a tall plant in the middle for the focal point, mounding plants to put around the focal point, and trailing plants to hang over the edges.
   • Other terms used are “thriller,” “filler,” and “spiller.” Thrillers refer to the upright habits, fillers, refer to the mounding, and spiller refers to the trailing plants.
2. Arrange plants according to their size. You could put plants together that are all somewhat similar in size. You could also group plants together in a range of sizes that complement one another. For example, tall sunflowers could be in the same container with medium-height zinnias and small daises. You could use filler like baby's breath to round out the variety.
3. Experiment with different textures. Be creative and don’t be afraid to use plants of a variety of textures for the fillers and spillers. This will generally make the design look more natural and less contrived. For example, sweet potato vine is leafy and bright, creating a thick texture. You could contrast this with a brightly colored thriller, such as a bird of paradise. Ornamental grasses are also a good choice; they come in many different sizes, colors, and growth habits.
4. Arrange plants by function or color. Try planting a variety of herbs, since they have different textures, grow well together, look attractive and all share a similar function. You could also arrange different kinds of flowers in containers. Choose flowers with a variety of petal colors -- they could complement (or contrast) with one another.
   • For example, you could group a variety of herbs like lavender, thyme, basil, catnip and rosemary together.
   • If you wanted to try something visually appealing with flowers, try a few different types of blooms in a range of shades. For instance, for a purple theme, you could plant violets, purple pansies, irises, bell heather, verbena and lavender.

Choosing a Location for Your Container Garden

1. Arrange containers on your front porch. Choose a color scheme that works well with your house and assemble your containers in an attractive arrangement on your front porch. You can even utilize your front porch steps, as well, to create different levels of height.
2. Create a group of hanging containers. Hanging baskets filled with blooms and vines can look gorgeous all by themselves, so assembling several together can look very striking. If possible, choose a place with a backdrop that will allow the colors of the plants to pop, such as in front of a white brick wall.
3. Place containers on tables and other outdoor furniture. Tabletop container gardens are popular, especially among those who have an outdoor table situated near their ground garden. The container garden that you assemble on and around the table can create bright focal points. Place the containers on wooden benches and other outdoor furniture to create an aesthetic around height differences.
4. Consider whether your plants are annuals or perennials. While annuals will only grow for one season, making overwintering a non-issue, perennials will come back year after year if you can help them make it through the winter. Since pots can more easily freeze solid and kill the plant, you may need to overwinter your perennial pots in a different area. If you live in a warm climate these measures may not be necessary.
   • Try putting your perennial pots in an unheated shed or garage, watering occasionally. If you have the room, you might consider bringing them inside your house.
   • You can also protect plants by burying their pots in the ground.

Tips

• Use a color wheel to help decide on a color theme.
• Arrange the individual pots inside your container before planting to see what it will look like.
• If you have a small pot, grow smaller plants and vice versa, unless you want to hide your pot or if you have a very decorative pot.
• Try a different kind of container garden, such as a zen garden or a terrarium.
• Use foliage plants to add color and texture.

Warnings

• Be careful about what plants you choose. Some start out nice and small, but they may soon grow to big to fit into the pot you picked out for them!

Related Articles

• Grow a Container Garden
• Choose Plants for a Garden
• Take Care of Plants
• Design a Successful Indoor Garden

References

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