Container Gardening Guide

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Container gardens add color and interest to your yard, patio, and porch. Follow this Container gardening guide to get started. What could be more gorgeous than pots filled with fresh flowers?

There are other types of container gardens, such as hanging baskets and flower boxes, that you might consider for your home and garden.

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Container Gardening Supplies

• Rocks (pebbles)
• Potting soil
• Trowel
• Watering can
• Garden gloves
• Coffee filters or ground cloth

• Plants (potted plants)
• Greenery
• Container (flower pot)

How to Start a Container Garden

Step 1

Selecting a Container

Choosing a container is the first step in starting a container garden.

You will need to consider where your container is going to be placed. Also, does it need to drain?

Does your container need a saucer?

Step 2

Selecting Plants

After you choose the location of your container garden, you will want to select plants that will thrive in that location. So that if you have a sunny patio, choose sun-loving plants.

There are three types of plants you will want to include in your container garden. They are thriller, filler, and spiller.

The thriller is the focal point of the three. It adds color, height, and interest to your overall design.

The filler is a shorter planting with blooms that can add color and contrast to the thriller.

The last is the spiller or vining plantings (such as sweet potato vine) that “spill” over the sides of the container.

Step 3

Filling the Container

If your container has a drain hole, cover it with a piece of a broken terra-cotta pot.

Next, place about one and a half inches of pebbles in the bottom of your container for drainage.

If your container needs drainage holes, you can add holes in the bottom of most not ceramic pots.

Then place coffee filters over the pebbles to prevent your potting soil from filling in around the stones.

Next, fill your container with potting about 2/3 full. Be sure to use potting mix, not garden soil, since it is too heavy.

Then gently remove your tallest plant from the nursery pot. Next, use your trowel to cut apart the root ball so the plant’s roots can grow.

Next, place the plant near the center of the container. You may need to shift some of the potting soil.

Then add in your thriller.

Next, plant your filler plants around the thriller plant.

Add your spiller plants to the container on the outer edges.

Next, fill any spaces around your plants with more potting mix. Be sure your container is filled with soil up to one to a half inches below the container’s edge.

Step 4

Watering Container Garden

Water your container garden thoroughly.

Check the soil moisture every few days by poking your finger into the soil one and a half inches.

You might need to water daily if your container garden is in the full sun.

Container gardens can be stunning in groupings.

Use a large container grouped with several smaller pots for more impact and to add depth.

You can add them to a garden bed to add some interest.

More Container Gardening Ideas

For fun, create a fairy garden in a container. You can find the complete tutorial at Feet Under My Table.

Learn all the secrets to creating a stunning window flower box with My Family Thymes tips and tricks.

Create a gorgeous container garden with My Dear Casa.

Learn how to fill window boxes like a pro with The Zucchini Sisters.

From Farmhouse to Florida has a complete guide for creating a fragrant container garden. You can use the flowers for recipes too!

Sonya Burgess creates a beautiful small porch with a container garden.

Containers are the perfect small garden for balconies and porches.

See you soon,

Kippi

Ps. This post was shared on Between Naps on The Porch.