Please pardon mismatched pages as we do a little renovating of our own.

Use a container garden to pot a movable evergreen screen or contain a wandering perennial

The one thing that any container garden must have is drainage.

If you find a pot you like but it doesn't have a drainage hole in the bottom, a masonry drill bit can easily take care of that for most pots.

If you are using a new clay pot, soak the pot up to the rim in water for an hour or so to keep the pot from absorbing the moisture from the soil.

If the clay pot you are using is an older one with white deposits (this is salt pulled out from the water and fertilizers) 1 part chlorine bleach to 9 parts water and a stiff metal brush will clean it right off.
Be sure to rinse well.

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If you want a large pot but don't want the weight that comes with a clay or ceramic pot, opt for a plastic one. They now look a lot like their clay counterparts but only weigh a fraction of the clay ones. There are lighter weight potting soils available too.
These are especially good for rooftop gardens where weight can be a concern.

Plant smaller evergreens such as arbor vitae in containers and create a privacy screen that can be moved whenever you want. You always have the option of planting them in the ground when you find just the right spot for them.

Check our out more ideas for privacy on our privacy landscaping page.

Most vegetables can be easily grown in containers. The size of the vegetable is in proportion to the size of the pot. There are even pots made just for growing strawberries!

If you want to try something creative indoors, learn how to make curtains.

Anything goes when it comes to what you can plant in a container. Just be sure that the light and moisture requirements are similar for the plants you put in the same pot.

You can use flowers of all the same color or try using contrasting colors. Try to use at least one plant that gives height, one that has a unique texture and one that trails over the edge of the container.

Hanging baskets look lovely hung from a pergola or front porch. You can find a pole to sink into the ground and hang the baskets from but they usually begin to lean to one side or the other, especially after a heavy rain.
Instead, find a fence post or even the side of your house to mount a hanging bracket on.

If your hanging container garden is at eye level or above, an open metal basket with a sphagnum moss or coco liner is more appealing than a plastic pot.

Add a potting soil 1/4 to 1/2 way up the liner then add your plants and fill in with more soil.

Choose flowers that will cascade over the rims of the pots for a casual but romantic look. Try lobelia or wave petunias for color all summer. The yellowish green sweet potato vine adds an unusual element to pots.