Gardening in Small Spaces: Container Gardening

We all love to have some color on our patios and balconies; a splash of color can really make an area much more relaxing and inviting. But sometimes space is an issue and you may not have room for larger sized plants. Perhaps you live in an apartment or condo that isn’t on the ground level. Regardless of where you live, container gardening is a great way to get your hands dirty and fulfill your urge to garden. Even the smallest, most simple container gardens can add interest. For example, a bright blue container with a lime green Sedum ‘Angelina;’ the contrasting colors are stunning!

A Place for Everything
Take a look around your area and see how and where you can arrange some pottery. For example, would you like to have a grouping of three containers in a corner that have plants with a wide range of sizes and colors? Or would you like to have just a couple containers and formally place one in each corner? Also, don’t forget you can always have a wide, shallow container on top of your eating or side tables. If you live somewhere that has a balcony, think about hanging some window boxes on the railing. There are so many possibilities!

Once you’ve decided where and how many containers you’d like, take a look at how much sunlight you get on a daily basis. Do you have trees around that give shade to the area or is it completely open with full sun? Also, if your area is open think about wind gusts; if you have a really tall plant in a somewhat small container, you risk that container falling over and possibly shattering.

Container and Plant Selection: Adding a Burst of Color!
Now comes the fun stuff! You’ve come to the garden center and you need to decide what color of container you want to use. Keep in mind a few things when choosing your container:

1. Do you want to use a color that you already have in the area, such as the color of your table and chairs, or do you want to use a color that will stand out against everything else?
2. Keep in mind what plants you can use in the container; if you have a shaded area, your colors are a little more limited than a full sun area. For example, shade plants are usually going to be in shades of whites, pinks, blues and lime greens, so pick a container that isn’t going to take away from your plant material.
3. Also, think about size. If you’re putting together a few containers for a corner, consider having a large, medium and small container for added interest.
4. How often are you going to be able to water the container? The smaller the container and the more sunlight it gets the more water you are going to have to provide. Also, a smaller container and more sun means more regular fertilizing.

Quick Tip: Turn your containers once a week so the plants grow uniformly and not one sided.

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