Ideas for Gardening in Containers

Containers are perfect if you don't have a lot of space in your garden but want to grow your favorite plants and flowers. You can still experience the joy of gardening when using a container filled with elegant blooms. All you really need is a large enough container to hold your plants and good potting soil. Keep the plant in its preferred area of the garden and watch as the container takes shape and creates a lovely addition to the garden space.

Colorful Bushes

Bushes can be used inside containers for colorful and inviting focal points around the garden. Use a larger container to hold the bush and add a stunning effect to the space. Hydrangeas with their snowball blooms look lovely inside containers and placed at the entrance to an outdoor pergola or garden walkway. Another stunning bush to add is the hibiscus bush. With the white and pink blooms and crimson red centers, this vibrant bush looks especially beautiful because of its cascading and billowing effect over a container. Watch how it spreads into the garden area with its giant blooms. To keep the bushes healthy inside the container add a layer of mulch to help retain water during the hot summer months and to prevent weeds from shooting up through the soil.

Vegetables

Why not plant a vegetable patch inside a container? With the ability to manipulate the soil to accommodate these edibles, a container is the perfect spot for growing delicious blooms like squash and tomatoes. Use a larger container and one that is lower to the ground, so the vines can sprawl over and down the sides. Add an ever-hardy zucchini plant to the container to produce a plethora of fruits to use in your favorite dishes. Use a container inside the garden for growing your favorite cool weather lettuces like bibb and arugula to use in salads while adding a vibrant green color to the garden space. Don't forget to add a deep container for carrots. Their long roots need more space than most vegetables so make sure you have a large enough space for these crunchy delights.

Herbs

Herbs love to be crammed into a container space so don't be shy when it comes to planting one large herb container for your garden. To create height and balance, add the taller herbs in the back of the space like dill and cilantro. Add medium-sized herbs to the middle of the container like basil and sage. The different shades of green and various textures add a stunning design element to the garden while producing fragrant herbs to use in your favorite dishes. Along the front of the container, add a draping thyme or oregano to cascade over the container and into the garden space.