Designing ContainersCreate gorgeous planters full of flowers, veggies and more
' Violet Eclipse ' container recipe : Supertunia ® Sharon , Supertunia ® Royal Velvet ® , and Supertunia ® Magenta ® genus Petunia ; Angelface ® Blue angelonia . Photo : Proven Winners
Container horticulture is a merriment , flexible way to bring vivacious color , texture , and greenery to any space — from terrace and porch to balcony and backyards . Whether you ’re looking for creative container garden ideas , tips for designing eye - overtake displays , or the best plants to develop in pots , you ’ve come to the right place .
In this guide , you ’ll ascertain inspiration for every season , expert plant pick advice , and pragmatic container gardening tips to help oneself your planter thrive . Browse the section below to start planning your perfect container garden !
crest : Use the table of contents to spring straight to the incision you ’re most concerned in , whether it ’s planting ideas , maintenance gratuity , or container innovation stirring .
On this page :
CONTAINER GARDEN IDEAS FOR EVERY SEASON
happen upon creative container garden ideas to inspire your planting year - round — from bold summer arrangements to festal winter pots and everything in between .
Container project that combine architectural presence , sultry colors , and abundant grain .
Try something new with your autumn containers . Get ideas and stirring with some of our fall favourite .
14 serious-minded containers that lionize the garden - and the time of year .
PLANT SELECTION FOR CONTAINER GARDENS
opt the correct plants is substantive for container gardening success . Look for combinations that thrive in the same light and pee conditions , and imagine about color , grain , and growth habits when design your mix .
Environment:
Match Sunday and water ask across all plants in a container . select from our scout to the good plants for full sunlight or shade - have a go at it container plant .
Flowers & foliage:
The unspoilt container combinations mix long - blooming flowers with foliage that add up color , texture , or dividing line . Do n’t rely on flower alone — foliage often lasts longer and carries the design through seasonal change .
Three main roles:
Color tips:
Swapping plants midseason
postulate a change ? Use a knife to cut around the root ball of any plant you want to replace . murder it and plug in a new one — within a week , it ’ll see like it was always part of the design .
Suggestions for some of the best plant for full sun containers .
solution for livening up suspicious areas and 11 plants that will thrive in low light .
Grow recurrent industrial plant in containers for years of reliable colouring .
Add long - lasting color to containers with recurrent plants that reward with years of color .
tip for planting , growing , and manage for a terrace - friendly rosaceous garden .
Add color to a patio , pack of cards , or balcony with lantana in pots .
determine out everything you need to know about maturate petunias in wad .
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CONTAINER
The right container does n’t just defend your plants — it supports sound growth , complements your blueprint , and enhances the overall flavor of your garden .
Ensure proper drainage:
you’re able to plant directly into almost any container , as long as it has drain hole . drill through woodwind instrument , credit card , or fibreglass is relatively easy . For clay pot , use an electric drill with a masonry bit — but make for carefully to debar break up .
Invest in quality:
When buying orotund containers , choose the good timber you could afford . Classic chassis and neutral styles tend to go across many garden designs and will last longer than trend - driven colour or patterns .
Match containers to your home:
allow the materials and style of your house guide your container choice .
Choose the right shape:
A tall , narrow-minded pot is less stable than a wide-cut , low one . Use tall container for jackanapes , trailing plants that cascade down . Place shallower containers , like alpine pans , toward the front of a display to ground the grouping visually .
Avoid difficult shapes:
Skip narrow - necked pots with wide bodies — once a plant ’s root word fill the blank , it becomes hard to remove . ( That ’s why most traditional flowerpots are blanket at the top . )
Simplify your display:
Not every plant needs a fancy skunk . expend canonical black-market plastic glasshouse stool for most plants , and simply aggroup them behind cosmetic container to make a cohesive and low - care look .
AquaPots® Self-Watering Containers
nonpareil design , refined people of color , and unprecedented finishes make AquaPots a favourite among retail merchant , landscape painting master , and dwelling house gardener . Hundreds of unequaled designs in multiple sizing , colours , and polish are available .
Top 4 ground to invest in AquaPots:1 . high quality finishes of any ceramic planters2 . Most perdurable planters on the market3 . Trendsetting colors and finishes4 . newfangled designs every yr
PLANTING YOUR CONTAINER
find out the basics of planting beautiful containers , from choosing the right grunge to arranging plant for the best visual effect and goodish ontogenesis .
Planting mix:
lead off with a commercial , peat - based , soilless mix . These mix retain water better than garden soil and create the idealistic environment for root growth . Mix in a obtuse - release fertilizer at planting time . When filling your container , leave about an in of quad between the grease Earth’s surface and the rim to appropriate for watering . ( See more : Potting Soil 101 )
Plant placement:
For containers placed against a wall or fencing , emplacement tall plants at the back so they do n’t shadow smaller companions . In containers aim out in the open , put the tall plants in the centre and hem in them with filler and spillers to produce a balanced , 360 - level show .
Top dressing:
To give your container a more polished looking and help keep wet , top dress the soil with gravel , beat shells , decorative pebbles , or another quick - draining stuff .
CONTAINER CARE & MAINTENANCE
keep your container plant healthy requires the right watering docket , regular alimentation , and simple maintenance task to keep them looking their best .
Water:
Plants in container dry out out more quickly than those in garden bottom due to limited soil volume and exposure to sun and current of air . Water on a regular basis — often daily in hot weather — and aim straight at the base using a watering wand or long - spout can to avoid wetting the foliage . A soil moisture meter is a helpful tool for fuck when to irrigate .
consistence is key . Setting up adrip irrigation systemensures your container get water on a reliable schedule — peculiarly helpful during vacation or meddlesome weeks .
Fertilizer:
Frequent lachrymation washes nutrients out of potting mix , so container plant ask veritable feeding . A small dose of fertilizer put on weekly is far more good than infrequent , large applications .
Deadheading:
cut back off spend flush and any leggy or damaged growth to keep container tidy and encourage fresh blooms .
ascertain why , how and when to deadhead your garden plants .
watch how to set up a drip mould irrigation organization for your containers .
Karen Chapman offer these natural selection tips to keep them prosper .
DESIGN TIPS FOR BEAUTIFUL CONTAINERS
find out how to plan container garden that flourish — with smart layout idea , display strategies , and plant pairing tips to ensure year - cycle impingement .
' Summit Ridge ' container recipe : Proven Accents ® Illusion ® Garnet Lace , Graceful Grasses ® Fiber Optic Grass , Graceful Grasses ® Vertigo ® , Supertunia ® Latte ™ , and Supertunia ® White . pic : Proven winner
Use small pots strategically:
Small containers can get lost in a larger landscape painting . Keep them tight to patio , door , or seat areas where their details can be appreciated . expend pots under 12 inches in diam to showcase small plant like bulbs , herbs , succulent , and alpines . Rotate them easily free-base on what ’s blooming .
Play with height and levels:
A successful container display uses varying heights to create visual interest . Try a tiered plant sales booth , stacked pots , or even bricks obliterate behind larger container to raise others to optic level . This adds astuteness and dimension to your garden conception .
Embrace repetition:
Repetition create cohesion . Place identical plants in matching pots — like agaves in terra - cotta container — and line them along stair , walls , or walkways to draw the middle and emphasize structure .
Use large containers as features:
magnanimous container can do as architectural anchors . habituate brace of clipped boxwood to cast a doorway , magniloquent containers of laurel to specify a seat area , or pot of lavender along wide steps for both scent and social structure .
Guide movement & views:
blank space containers to subtly direct foot traffic — for example , lining a pathway or close up shortcuts across the lawn . you’re able to also use container to guide the eye toward seating area , focal points , or garden entrances .
Don’t forget the saucer:
practice terra - cotta saucers under pots to protect surfaces and impart conception flair . A gravid dish antenna fill with decorative pebbles can avail forbid source decompose and encourage humidity — especially helpful in hot , dry weather .
Elevate your garden ’s blueprint by using containers as trouble - solving result .
See over 1000 container recipes , all combined perfectly for succeeder .
shop a collection of photos showing a variety of container gardening ideas .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the best plants for container gardening?
seem for industrial plant that thrive in your firing conditions and wo n’t outgrow their smoke . yearly , herbs , midget shrubs , succulents , and cosmetic Gunter Grass all work well in container . Be sure to group plant with similar water and sunshine needs
What size container do I need?
Choose a pot turgid enough to give roots room to grow and hold wet — commonly at least 12 in wide for most flowers or veggies . braggart pots dry out more slowly and are more exonerative for beginners .
Do containers need drainage holes?
Yes — drainage hole are all important to prevent waterlogged theme . If your kitty does n’t have holes , exercise them or use a lining pot with right drainage inside the decorative container .
How often should I water container plants?
Most containers call for watering once a daylight in hot weather , particularly small pots . habituate a soil wet meter or check with your fingerbreadth — if the top in is teetotal , it ’s meter to water . drip mould systems can aid automatize tearing .
Can you reuse potting soil in containers?
Yes , but it ’s best to freshen it . Remove quondam roots and mix in compost or fresh potting mix to restore nutrients and bodily structure . For best outcome , replace soil completely every 1–2 season .
Can I use garden soil in containers?
It ’s not recommended to use garden grease in containers as it may compress and hinder drainage . alternatively , use a in high spirits - quality potting premix designed for container .
Do I need to fertilize container plants?
Yes , nutrients in pot mix deplete over fourth dimension . Use a balanced , water - soluble fertilizer every 2 - 4 week during the growing season to keep plants healthy .
TIPS FROM OUR READERS
Discover originative and virtual container horticulture advice shared by our reader , include their favorite design tricks and plant care secrets .
" intend not just of colour , but also texture and leafage sizes . " — Susan Nock , SN Garden Design
" Add more plants than you think you ’re going to require . " — JJ De Sousa , Digs Portland
" Create , integrate and catch . Do n’t be scared ! " — Katherine Cain , Vivero agriculturalist
" Have playfulness with what you ’re selecting for the container — mix edibles & annuals , go for texture ! A container is that prospect to try out . experimentation with the container itself , too . " — Cris Blackstone , Make Scents
" If your plantation owner is bass & all-inclusive , be sure to employ a foundation character of flora ( eg . boxwood ) , which will remain as your lasting base plant all year . Then play around seasonally with annuals , color & texture as makeweight & trotline . you may even add more height around the foundation works as thriller . You ’ll be amazed how many esthetic & alone styles you’re able to create to enjoy the same potbelly all year long . " — Maryam Yaghoubi Farzaneh , Hortus Life
" Containers are great to localize plant life right next to seating so you’re able to revel flora , and even redolence , in good order next to you . They also can bring industrial plant up nigher to heart grade . Containers are also great to ‘ contain ’ those beautiful but ‘ ruffian - like ’ plants that would otherwise take over the garden in - terra firma . " — Jennifer Nitzky , Landscape Architect
" add a layer of rock ‘n’ roll to the bottom does not help with drainage . bailiwick have see this actually has the paired effect . Just cover the golf hole with a spell of screen before filling the pot . " — Janet Sluis , Horticulturist
" For a beautiful summertime silver screen , render curly willow tree , pep or bamboo in a gutter . " — Daniel Ward , Longshadow Planters .
