Designing a Container Garden

When designing a container garden to adorn your patio, deck or balcony, a successful layout will depend on the plants and containers you choose. The two should complement one another.

Container Gardening

Container gardening is growing in popularity among those who have very limited space such as no yard, small decks or balconies and who still want a garden. Designing a container garden starts with making a plan. Do you want to liven up a deck with flowers, or grow vegetables on your porch? Answering these kinds of questions will dictate what containers to buy as well as which plants to purchase.

Choosing Containers

Due to the different goals people have in mind when they set out to create a container garden, the types of containers chosen will be selected for their decorative look or functionality.

Types of Containers

Actually, no one kind of container is better than another when it comes to container gardening. If you're just starting out and hope to keep costs down, glazed pottery is a fairly reasonable option. Whatever container you choose to use, make sure it is big enough to hold a good amount of soil and that it has sufficient drainage at the bottom. Other types of containers may include:

• Clay pots
• Terracotta pots
• Plastic pots
• Wooden barrels
• Old water tanks
• Oil drums
• Large tin cans
• Old boots

As you choose your containers, it's a good idea to consider the climate they will have to endure. For example, if you live where it gets really cold, you'll want to be sure to use durable containers that are frost proof. Other qualities that should be considered include buying containers that resist rot, rust and corrosion.

Benefits of Container Gardens

Portability

The portable nature of container gardening offers a variety of benefits including:

• The ability to move your garden to get the right about of sun and rain
• Let's you take your garden with you if you have to move
• Allows you to garden anywhere
• Let's you shuffle plants around and allows for creativity and artistry

Easier to Change Out Plants

Another benefit of a container garden is that if a plant doesn't work where you put it, you can move it. Also if a seasonal plant runs its course, you can dig it out and replace it with another pot of attractive plants without disturbing the entire garden. Look at your garden as the canvas, your plants as the paints and your containers as the brushes to help you create a work of art. Don't limit your garden to annuals and perennials, feel free to try out new things. Containers can be used to plant:

• Trees
• Shrubs
• Climbers
• Ferns
• Bulbs
• Herbs

Designing a Container Garden Around Your Needs

Choosing your containers is only part of the process of planning your container garden. Other elements to consider include:

Location

Where do you plan to place the containers in your garden? Not just the location of the garden itself, but the placement of the containers. Deciding this will help you figure out what kind of containers to purchase. For instance, if you are planning a decorative garden, you may want to buy pots to be grouped together based on a color scheme.

Container Size

Another factor that plays an important role in designing a container garden is the size of the containers. If you want to be able to move the garden, you'll choose smaller containers that are easy to move. The shape and size of containers add to the over-all look for your container garden. Add variety, not just in size, but also in shape and weight.

Helpful Guidelines

• Choose plants appropriate for the amount of sun or shade. Is the garden area sheltered or exposed?
• For dramatic impact, group light, medium and dark tones of one color in a single pot
• Try mixing contrasting colors in one pot
• Try doing the same, but arranging your flowers in different size pots
• If you want your decorative pot to show, don't choose plants that will grow over the sides of the container
• Adding a vine or plant that spills over in each pot adds interest to your arrangement

• Plants that grow in containers should not be taller than twice the height of the pot or one and a half times the width.
• If the container holds a combination of plants, 2/3 of the mix should be foliage plants that add color even when your flowering plants have no blooms.
• Include pots of varying heights. This can be accomplished by adding shelves, benches or boxes on which to place the containers.

Draw Out Your Plan

Before you buy your plants and containers, take a moment to sketch out your plan on paper. Determine where each pot will go and how many plants it will hold. You can letter the pots and create a sub directory that lists what plants will go into that pot. This will help you stay organized once you actually get down to setting up your container garden. It will also eliminate extra runs to the store because you forgot to buy something, since you'll know how much plant material you'll need to create the garden you want.

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