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Container gardens have been around for quite some time and are gaining in popularity. In many instances, such as high-rise or apartment living, the only option for a garden is to place your plants in garden pots. Here is a short list of considerations on using garden pots in your own garden:

1. Choose the Proper Material

There is a wide variety of materials that garden pots are made from. Some more stylish while others are more durable and bulky. Think about how you will be using the pots. This will help you narrow down your options.

2. As a Matter of Fact, Size Does Matter

If you know what plants you will be using in your garden, the kind of plant will help determine how big the garden pot will be. For instance, small trees require much larger pots to allow for their root systems.

3. Vary The Sizes

If you want your garden to “pop”, then vary the sizes of the pots (and plants) you use. Scale your pots so the farther back they are, the larger they get.

4. Place Your Pots in Groups

If you place your pots in groups with smaller and mid-sized pots around a single large pot, you will add a lot of interest and a great focal point at the same time.

5. Place Plants That Require The Same Amount of Watering In Each Pot

Obviously, you shouldn’t put a water-loving plant (like a fern) in with a group of cactus. Watering requirements should be the same for all the plants in a single pot.

6. Place Plants That Require The Same Amount of Sunlight In Each Pot

The same goes for how much sunlight your plants require. If you place your pot where they are in direct sunlight for most of the day, they will dry up quickly.

7. Pick Hardy Plants That Don’t Need Much Water

Pots do dry up fast, especially if they are small. Choose plants requiring less water to make it easier to maintain your container garden. You won’t be sorry you did.

8. The Key Is Good Drainage

Most pots come with drain holes in them. If they don’t you will have to drill them yourself. Over the hole, place either a couple of layers of newspaper or a piece of broken pot to allow for drainage but keeping the soil from spilling out the bottom.

9. Waterproof Terracotta Pots

Left unsealed, terracotta pots soak up the water that is intended for your plants. Making sure the inside of the pot is clean, brush on a good water sealant (on the inside only).

10. Use a Good Potting Soil

Its always best to use a good potting soil in your pots. They are specially blended just for this purpose so they are light weight and they have better water holding capabilities.

Before you purchase any garden pot for your container garden, visit Keith Maiden’s web site: AllGardenPots.com for more information on container gardening.

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Ensure a successful container garden with some basic gardening skills. If you start with the containers, make sure any garden pots made from porous materials (such as wood or terracotta) are sealed with a quality water sealant on the inside of the pot. Otherwise, a lot of the water meant for your plants will be soaked up by the pots.

Watering Your Plants

It’s just as important not to underwater as it is not to over water. To catch any extra water and keep it from rotting your patio or deck, most garden pots will have a saucer or bowl placed underneath. You should try to water your container garden by filling up the saucers. This is the best way to water as it help you avoid over watering and spilling the water over the top of the saucer. By doing this, the water will feed the roots of your plants by seeping up through the hole in the bottom of the garden pot.

Another method of watering is to water your plants at the surface. If you do, however, make sure you fill about a cup at a time and watch how much water ends up in the saucer. You want to avoid overfilling the saucer. Spraying your plants with water from a hand sprayer is always welcome by your houseplants. Try to avoid using hard water though so calcium won’t build up on the leaves.

Plant Food

Since pots are generally small, the nutrients in most potting soils don’t last much more than five or six weeks. Therefore, you will need to replenish the soil with vital nutrients. Plant food generally comes in liquid or granular forms. Slow-release granules are recommended as they last a long time and keep a steady supply of food going to the plants.

Controlling Insects

Systemic and Contact insecticides are the two main types. The first, systemic insecticide works by pouring it right onto the soil where it gets absorbed through to the root system of the plant. From here it goes right up the stalk and to the leaves where it is ingested by the bugs when they eat.

Contact insecticide works by spraying the poison directly onto the bugs. This method works rather quickly and you may need to repeat depending on how much infestation is going on.

With sufficient monitoring and loving care, you are sure to have a thriving container garden with satisfying results.

David Haines has been working in gardens since his early childhood. He has always been interested in learning new gardening and landscaping techniques and helping educate others. If you would like to know more about the subject of garden pots, visit AllGardenPots.com

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Garden pots are a great and versatile way to bring new life your existing garden. But, there are a lot objects you can use in place of your standard garden pot. For instance, you could use an old watering can to place plants in. Simply drill or cut a hole in the bottom for drainage and you’ve got yourself an instant charming plant container.

If you have a large stump close to, or in, your garden, you can hollow it out to put a pot into. Use a wide boring drill bit and drill out several holes that make up the outside diameter of the circle. Once you have most of the material drilled out for the circle, continue boring out the material on the inside. Using a chisel, remove all the remaining wood that is left between the holes. Put in the pot and fill in any gaps around it with dirt.

If you break a large garden pot, another trick that a lot of gardeners do is to cut the bottom off at an angle or bury the pot halfway into the ground. This gives the illusion that the pot is more like an artifact that has been unearthed.

For a less permanent but really fun idea, take a pair of old cowboy boots, fill them with dirt and top with your choice of plant. You can even spray paint the boots to make them blend in or stand out.

A wood barrel that is cut in half is a common alternative as well. Although they’re made to hold liquids, it’s still a good idea to coat them on the inside with water sealant since they weren’t exactly made to hold dirt.

Filling a used car tire with dirt is another simple idea. You can even stack up to four or five of them to make a very interesting garden.

If you look around you’ll see plenty of ordinary objects that you can use as containers for your garden. Your imagination is your only limit.

Daniel Rapier has been working in gardens since his early childhood and has always been interested in educating others about gardening and landscaping techniques. If you’d like to know more on container gardening, visit AllGardenPots.com

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Flower pot feet and saucers are great for draining plant containers, as sitting water can cause discoloration of the pot and a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Elevate a container with pot feet or use a flower pot saucer with helpful advice from a professional horticulturist in this free video on gardening. Expert: Leigh Anne Lomax Bio: Leigh Anne Lomax is currently the botanical garden and horticulture manager for Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. Filmmaker: Dimitri labarge

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Texture in a container garden can create visual interest when a bold, large leaf is paired with a fine-textured grass or herb. Play with different plant textures in a container garden with helpful advice from a professional horticulturist in this free video on gardening. Expert: Leigh Anne Lomax Bio: Leigh Anne Lomax is currently the botanical garden and horticulture manager for Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge…

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Watering container gardens is essential to their growth, and larger pots may only need water a few times a week while a smaller container requires daily watering. Keep a container garden moist, sure to provide adequate drainage, with helpful advice from a professional horticulturist in this free video on gardening. Expert: Leigh Anne Lomax Bio: Leigh Anne Lomax is currently the botanical garden and horticulture manager for Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge…

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When designing a container garden, consider the color, texture and form of each plant, combining bold colors with softer textures, pairing upright forms with weeping shapes and a using a variety of heights. Create visual interest in a container garden with helpful advice from a professional horticulturist in this free video on gardening. Expert: Leigh Anne Lomax Bio: Leigh Anne Lomax is currently the botanical garden and horticulture manager for Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art …

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Plants that work well for container gardening include annuals, which bloom in the spring and summer but die by the winter, perennial flowers and trees and shrubs. Find the perfect plants for any container garden with helpful advice from a professional horticulturist in this free video on gardening. Expert: Leigh Anne Lomax Bio: Leigh Anne Lomax is currently the botanical garden and horticulture manager for Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge…

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For container gardening, use a soil-less potting mixture that consists of peat moss, fine bark chips and pearlite to create adequate drainage and circulation for root development. Choose the right potting soil, as top soil is too heavy for container gardening, with helpful advice from a professional horticulturist in this free video on gardening. Expert: Leigh Anne Lomax Bio: Leigh Anne Lomax is currently the botanical garden and horticulture manager for Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum …

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Using form in a container garden, combine upright plants, weeping or tailing plants and rounded shrubs together for a dramatic effect. Incorporate different forms and shapes into a container garden design with helpful advice from a professional horticulturist in this free video on gardening. Expert: Leigh Anne Lomax Bio: Leigh Anne Lomax is currently the botanical garden and horticulture manager for Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge…

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