Hi all! Our container pros have been pretty busy lately creating beautiful containers for our customers' outdoor living spaces, so I thought now would be a great time to talk about the benefits of container gardening! There are so many reasons to work containers into your garden or outdoor space but to prevent me from writing a novel on the subject, let's stick to our top 5 reasons to love container gardening:
1. They make such an impact with little effort!
Isn't it incredible how much a container can do for a space? In the picture above you can see that a few simple planters potted with some petunias and sweet potato vine really dress up this outdoor dining space! It's such a simple combination of plants, with just a few containers, but the effect is beautiful.
2. They are mobile!
Planting in containers allows for some serious flexibility, which takes the pressure off! Say you plan your front porch container vignette and once it's put together, you're not quite satisfied. No need to start over; since containers are mobile, you can move them around a bit until you find the perfect placement.
3. They can easily (and affordably, and temporarily...) change the whole 'look' of any space!
Hosting a get-together? Quickly dress up your entertaining area with containers from around your yard! No extra work planning decorations for you- just some quick shuffling for some instant impact. When the party's over, just return them to their original places.
4. They can be seasonal!
Since containers are small in scale (as compared with planting beds) they are so easy to tweak! I love to use my containers to decorate for the seasons and for special holidays. I typically pick a few standard plants that will go well with all of my color schemes for the year (like some ivy, sweet potato vine, or bacopa) and let them really establish during the year. Then, I rotate out some flowering annuals that help me achieve the look I want!
Yellows and whites are great for Spring- they make a fresh and subtle combination that blends well with new foliage.
For Summer I like to add in some richer colors like deep purples. Something about hot weather makes me want to add some saturation to my color schemes.
It's always fun to use your containers for festival holiday themes, too! Nothing beats a red, white and blue combination for Independence Day!
By the time Fall rolls around, I'm ready for some more change! I love to bring the golds and rusts of fall into my containers-- it's such a beautiful time of year and I love to mirror the color of the leaves in my own home.
5. They are easy to manage!
What if one of your plants dies? No problem! Simply pop out the evidence with a trowel and plant a fresh new plant. Problem solved, and no one is the wiser! (This tactic also works if you want to switch up the color scheme a bit without replanting the whole container...see #4)
So there you have it, 5 great reasons to love container gardening as much as we do! If you're new to gardening and want some help with containers, stop by! We've got a talented team of plant enthusiasts who would be more than happy to help you get started- they'll even pot up your containers to get you going if you'd like!
Happy [container] gardening!
nice post....rather good information but could be greatly improved if the name of the various flowers were listed in the narrative or off to one side.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Thanks for the feedback- next post we'll add plant names! Any particular plants you saw in the post that you liked? We'd be happy to give you the names!
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