If warmer weather and longer days have you longing for some color in your garden landscape, try planting a container garden with bright annuals and foliage plants. You can place container gardens near you front door as a welcoming accent or place them on your deck or patio to create an instant garden.
You can group several containers together for a casual look or place them in a straight line for a more formal style. To prevent a group from looking crowded, use fewer large containers, rather than many small pots. Sometimes, a single oversize container will create more impact than a group of containers.
Containers come in a wide array of styles, textures and colors that allow you to choose the ones that will match your home and landscape. For example, Grecian urns are more formal in design than wooden half-barrels. Sleek, shiny metal containers, such as copper, zinc or aluminum, and glossy ceramic containers in a solid color are also good choices for a formal or modern design.
Ceramic containers with bright painted designs, such as flowers or geometric designs, look better in a more informal area. Other informal types of containers include terracotta, cast cement, wood and wicker. You should use a plastic liner or pot in wood and wicker containers to help prevent damage from the water.
Fiberglass, resin and plastic containers are often designed to look like other materials, such as terracotta, cast cement and wood. These types of containers are lightweight, durable and inexpensive.
For some suggestions of the types of plants to use in your containers, see our articles on Container Plants for Sun and Container Plants for Shade.