Container gardening provides a way for home gardeners with limited land or who don’t want to take on the plumbing, electrical, and structural landscaping that comes with traditional in-ground gardens. It’s also a great option for portable plants, as they can easily move around or into storage when needed.
Container gardening allows those who lack a large yard or soil space to fill their house, balcony, terrace, or window boxes with unique and beautiful flowers, regardless of the season. Let’s explore all the different containers that can be used, what types of flowers are suitable for small spaces, and how container planting can help create bright and colorful outdoor living environments.
Table of Contents
Here are the 10 Best Ideas of Container Gardening with Flowers
1. Containers of Spring Bulbs
Container gardening is a great way to enjoy fresh plants and flowers in any small outdoor space. Planting spring bulbs such as hyacinths and tulips in the fall for containers is an easy and rewarding activity for gardeners of all skill levels. Begin by selecting a sheltered area for your containers, such as a garage or balcony.
Fill it with potting soil, then bury the bulbs at least two times deeper than the size of the bulb. Store the container until you see green shoots appearing in the spring – usually between March and June, depending on your location – and move them outdoors and wait for your beautiful spring blooms to appear.
2. Garden View Seat
If you’ve ever wanted to create an outdoor garden retreat for yourself, then making a seating area surrounded by a container garden is the perfect solution. Container gardening can really transform any area into a beautiful paradise with minimal effort.
Petunias, geraniums, and zinnias are all excellent choices that give you that ‘flower patch’ look and feel. But why not consider picking some of your favorite flowers to enjoy while sitting? Pick some fragrant flowers, too; there’s nothing quite like being surrounded by subtle scents mixed with pleasant sunlight as you wind down with your favorite book or take a leisurely break in nature.
Best of all, thanks to container gardening, it only requires minimal effort to get your ideal seating spot off the ground – plus, you can be flexible about how much space the garden takes up around the seat.
3. Edible Container Garden
Container gardening can also be an excellent way to grow edible plants, such as herbs and vegetables, especially in small outdoor spaces. Vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers can be grown easily in containers with the right soil mix and consistent watering.
Herbs like rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and chives are also great in containers, as their small size and fragrant leaves can help to liven up any outdoor space. If you’re looking for a way to add some fresh produce to your meals without taking up too much space, container gardening is definitely the way to go.
4. Patio Garden
Patios are perfect for container gardening because they provide protection from wind and intense sunlight and are a great space for entertaining. Consider adding colorful annuals and perennials to your patio containers, such as petunias, begonias, impatiens, and geraniums.
You can add herbs or vegetables to the mix for a more edible garden. For best results, use quality potting soil that is well-draining and water your containers regularly.
5. Window Box Garden
Window boxes are classic additions to any home’s exterior, allowing you to add color and life to your windows easily. To get the best results, choose plants that are suited for the size of your window box, such as miniature roses, petunias, impatiens, pansies, and snapdragons. And don’t forget to add a layer of mulch at the top of the soil for extra insulation and moisture retention.
6. Vertical Garden
If you need some added privacy or want to make your outdoor space more vibrant and inviting, consider creating a vertical garden with containers. Depending on your available space, you can hang them from hooks, shelves, or tell uses.
Succulents, herbs, and vegetables are all great choices for vertical gardens because they don’t require a lot of soil or water. You can also add some trailing vines to create a more lush look.
7. Vertical Container Garden
Vertical container gardening is becoming increasingly popular, especially among small property owners looking for a space-saving landscaping solution. This form of gardening offers many advantages, such as having a larger harvest in a smaller area and making the most of available vertical spaces.
A great way to get started with vertical container gardening is to use inexpensive brackets and plastic window boxes. The window boxes can be easily attached to walls or privacy fences, instantly creating an attractive and modern look.
The containers also come in a range of sizes, shapes, and colors so that you can tailor your garden design to suit your needs. Vertical container gardens are low maintenance; once planted, you only need to water them occasionally and watch them grow.
8. Temporary Outdoor Orchids
Orchids are beloved for their exotic beauty and fragrant blooms. Many orchid fanciers have noticed that their plants can be reluctant to rebloom after being indoors for an extended period of time. One way to get your orchids to bloom again is to give them a temporary outdoor vacation.
Exposing your orchids to higher humidity and bright, filtered sunlight will help encourage them to form new blooms more quickly.
In addition, container gardens make beautiful displays, so you can enjoy seeing all your orchids grouped together in one eye-catching arrangement; just make sure not to leave them outside too late in the season when cold weather sets in. With the proper care and maintenance, these stunning flowers can grace the interior of your home season after season with their rich colors and captivating fragrances.
9. Tabletop Container Garden
A tabletop container garden is a great way to bring beautiful flowers and plants into your outdoor space, even when you lack the necessary ground space. Using your patio or balcony table as a foundation, planters of all shapes, sizes, and colors can be strategically placed to form a unique and captivating display that will make passersby jealous of your green thumb. Be sure to stick to those plants that are small yet bountiful so that they don’t dominate your table surface.
If you’re looking for trailing options, avoid them altogether because their tendrils may take away from the area where you plan dining activities. Avoid any tall plants that would impede your view from across the table by limiting it to gorgeous mixtures of color and foliage emerging from every level.
A tabletop container garden also offers an inviting atmosphere for hosting friends and family, at least during warm weather months. You can combine various containers and plant species of various heights to create an enthralling dimensional scene on any suitable surface.
10. Shade Garden
A shade container garden is an ideal way to spruce up the shady spots in your home. With careful selection and arrangement of plants, you can bring life and color to areas that only have limited sunlight exposure.
Foliage, flowers, and even edible plants can all be grown in a container garden, giving you a wealth of options for decorating a space with limited light capacity.
Primrose and Virginia’s bluebells are just some of the many blooming plants that prefer either partial or full shade, offering beautiful hues without direct sunlight.
In addition, containers make it possible to move plants around easily, allowing you to adjust their placement until they get the right amount of light exposure. Whether on a deck or spread out around your yard and garden, this type of garden is an aesthetically pleasing way to make use of the shade.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
1. How Do I Choose Flowers For Containers?
Plants with a variety of leaf shapes and flowers, some with larger leaves and others with finely textured leaves, will produce the best results. Give your container planting some dimension by mixing thrillers, fillers, and spillers.
2. What Is The Best Way To Arrange Flowers?
The first thing you should do is add the largest flowers first, and as you work in a circle and turn the vase as you go, you will be able to ensure your arrangement is symmetrical. Add the next variety of flowers to the layer and repeat the process until all the flowers have been added. Add greenery, grasses, and berries to the arrangement to complete it.
3. How Do You Combine Plants In A Container?
Combining plants in a container is an art form that requires careful planning, selection of plants, and maintenance. It’s important to consider the environment in which the plants will be growing and their individual needs and preferences. When selecting flowers for a container garden, choosing varieties with similar light and soil requirements is best.
4. How Do You Arrange Container Plants?
Decoratively adorn and decorate the pot with one large pot in the center and smaller plants around the outside. By doing this, you will be able to draw a lot of attention to the focal point, allowing the surrounding pots to be very beautiful. You can create a more informal look by clustering an odd number of pots in a group for a more casual look.
5. How Do I Choose A Planter Color?
Choose the right planters for your design by getting a hefty supply of color swatches and putting them next to the color on your screen. When the colors on your screen and the color swatch match, you have a match. Once you have the sample, you can see how the color looks in your home.
Conclusion
Container gardening with flowers is a great way to spruce any outdoor space. With careful selection and arrangement of plants, you can bring life and color to areas that only have limited sunlight exposure. Tall plants should be avoided so as not to impede views from across the table. Various containers and plant species of various heights can be combined for an enthralling dimensional scene.
