Step-by-Step to Creating a Beautiful Container for your Garden

You might be short on space, but you still want to garden. Maybe you have an empty corner on your patio that needs some attention. Perhaps you have a pool deck you’d like to spruce up.  A group of containers are the perfect answer for spiffing up your exterior space.

There is a basic recipe when it comes to creating a container. You’ll need a pillar, filler and spiller. The pillar is the tall plant that takes up the vertical space in the pot. The filler is the middle section and the spiller falls over the edge and gives softness to the whole shebang.

Step one should be a visit to your favorite “plant place” to purchase material.  If you have many containers to fill, and some of them are large, think about using hanging baskets.  Around Memorial Day, many “big box” stores run specials on them.  

Next, think about the colors you like most, or perhaps you’d like to match your containers to the colors on your patio cushions or umbrella. Step two is to pick out the size, type and color of container you like. You may prefer the classic terracotta pots, or maybe brightly glazed containers are more your style.

I found some bright blue pots at Homegoods; my favorite is the color of the Caribbean Sea. I quickly filled the three containers I purchased and went back for more. I saw some beautiful Italian terracotta pots with rolled edges at Lowe’s and Home Depot. Most home improvement stores and mail-order catalogs have a nice selection of lightweight plastic pots. In my recent Ballard Designs catalogue I saw some stunning plastic containers in many sizes and colors. They’re getting better each year. They’re much lighter, they don’t crack in the winter, and you have to pick them up to be certain they are plastic. 

The next step is to fill your container. Buy the best potting soil you can find- this is not the time to pinch pennies! I like Miracle-Gro soil that has added fertilizer and water absorbing polymers- you’ll need a few bags of the potting mix.

If you have a huge container and don’t want to use bags and bags of soil, I have a tip. Place a plastic pot, upside down, in the bottom of your large pot. Fill almost to the top with soil and gather your plants.

The final step is to organize your plant material and place it in your container. If the container is large, you will need 3 or 4 fillers and 3 or 4 spillers. The pillar might be elephant ears, a large oleander, tropical hibiscus or a gardenia. Place your plants, still in their pots, inside the container. The spillers need to be on the outside edge of the pot.  The fillers can be a mix of plants, such as some bright coleus mixed with some zinnias, vinca, marigolds or some other annual. Just make sure there is color continuity among your selections.  

Fiddle around with the plants a bit and make sure you like what you’ve created.   

I think every container needs a silver or white addition- Dusty Miller or Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ are in every container I assemble.

Finally, think about where your container is going to live. If it’s up against a wall, you’ll want to place the tallest plant towards the back of the pot. If you are going to make matching containers to flank your front door, be sure that you purchase the same number and type of plants so each is a mirror image of the other.

When you’re happy with your grouping, knock the plants out of their pots and plant them.  Add soil as needed to cover all the plants. Water well, and admire what you’ve created. 

Your container will need fertilizer every few weeks in order to produce the maximum amount of blooms. Liquid Miracle-Gro is easy to use and, when applied to your bedding plants, will make you look like a garden maven in just a few short weeks!