How To Create A Pretty Container Garden!

For our fifth post in our “Designing Women Tell All” series it’s all about the garden. Crystal, Kristy and I will each will be sharing our own unique gardens, garden design philosophies and garden tips. I have the links to their blogs below so be sure to check them out!

Container Gardening Is A Great Option To Regular Gardening

Do you want to have a pretty garden, but you just don’t have the space, land or proper soil to make it happen? A container garden may be your answer.

In my particular case I have a decent sized yard, but the soil I have to deal with is obnoxious. Roots from existing shrubs and trees after thirty years here have taken over every inch of my yard making it almost impossible to dig into. In addition to that it’s hard clay in most areas and soft sand in others. After fighting the soil with my shovel for years I decided no more. I’m getting too old for this kind of work!

So a few years ago I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and come up with a solution. Hence, my container gardens were born!

I look forward every spring to coming up with a new look for my containers in each of my gardens.

Create Your Design Plan

Think of your outdoor garden like you would an indoor space. You want it pretty, you want it welcoming, Come up with a design plan that tells the story you want it to tell. In order to create a beautiful container garden you need to think about your design theme. Don’t just use random, mismatched pots and place them haphazardly around your outdoor space filled with flowers. That won’t give you the charm or interest you want to impress your guests or enjoy as a family.

• What “style” do you like?
• Are you modern, traditional, cottage, minimalist?
• Do you like color?
• Do you prefer a soft, neutral palette?
• Do you already have some containers you can use?
• Will you have to start from scratch?
• Do you have shade or do you have sun?
• Think outside the box for containers and plant stands

These are some questions to ask yourself before getting started. Look at pictures, peruse the internet, think it through and come up with a plan. It’ll save you time and money.

Are you a planning a shade garden or a sunny garden?

In my case I have a bit of a mix in each of my gardens which makes it challenging to come up with the right flowers that will make it through the spring and summer seasons. When making your decision on what to plant be sure to view your garden area at various times of day to see how much shade or sun its getting. Keep in mind this will change somewhat as the season progresses. Make sure to use soil specifically created for containers so your plants can “breathe” properly. Research what flowers thrive best in your area and which ones need shade and which ones need lots of sun. Sounds like a simple tip, but it’s an important one. Gardening isn’t cheap and requires work…..let’s make it easier than harder by doing the proper research.

Consider painting your containers and garden accessories to compliment your color scheme.

Paint goes a long way in creating a theme or particular “look”. In my case, as you can see in the picture above, I chose all white for this particular garden. This is a garden I call “Mimi’s Secret Garden”. It’s filled with sentimental items that have lots of meaning to me. But I wanted to create a cohesive thread among all the items here to give it a more fluid look. White was my answer. All the furniture and all the containers, all the accessories I added were either originally white or I painted them white. I can’t tell you how much I love the way it looks. I enjoy sitting out here and admiring not only my flowers, but the sentimental items I’ve added out here.

Do you want to add lots of color to your garden or do you have a particular color you’d like to focus on?

I tend to change the colorway of my Mimi’s Secret Garden now and then. In the picture above I’ve used all white flowers with some greenery. No other color was added. I did this a couple years in a row and I really liked it. Scroll up to see what it looks like with a fun pop of pink.

In this garden I have always used color. I have clay pots of varying colors filled with a multitude of color. I’ve added additional color with the bench, the pillows and the lanterns you see tucked in the garden. Scroll to top to see another view.

Step outside the box and be creative with your containers, planters and garden accessories

Forgive me for the blurry photo! Ugh! I captured this from a video I took at the beginning of the spring season. But I wanted to point out the items used here. Notice I’ve used the chairs as planters? And I painted these little statues that were once in my house white to match and added them here as garden accessories. They’ve stood the test of time and weather and have been here for 2 or 3 years now. I love repurposing items to the unexpected. I also added an old lantern and placed a garden gnome inside it. In the very back, near the fence is a birdhouse my dad made me years ago.

Next to my traditional urn I placed these garden rainboots with impatiens planted in them. Inside the urn is a garden gnome.

Here’s a broader picture of the vignette above. Adding garden accessories and interesting containers give the garden interest. Here you can see I’ve added a gate with a garden sign from my daughter, some trellises that used to be in my mom’s garden, an urn from my son’s wedding placed on a chair with the red flowers and some containers that were once brown and now painted white.

This picture was taken before I added my flowers, but I wanted to point out the sentiment here. The bench and table are from my grandparents garden. They had it in the front yard surrounded by flowers in the coziest setting. I LOVE that I have it here in my Mimi’s Secret Garden. The tall lantern behind the bench was used in my son’s wedding and my daughter’s engagement party. And, the chandelier peeking down from the top was used at my daughter’s engagement party. Adding sentimental items to your garden area makes it sweet and gives it charm. And who doesn’t want a little charm in their garden?

Create a cozy entrance into your garden

Whenever possible its fun to create a cozy entrance into your garden area. Here I have an arbor with urns and ivy on each side and a flagstone walkway. On top is a birdhouse that my friend’s dad made. We have a little bird family living in there. Love that. Fun little touches that add charm and a little magic and mystery as you enter. An established entrance makes you want to take a peek inside the garden and see what’s there. Don’t you agree?

Every year I have to add new mulch to this area. I pull up the flagstone, lay down the mulch and then place the flagstone back for my walkway,

It’s a lot of work, but worth it. I love the look of clean, fresh mulch. I just wish it would stay that way!

I must say at my age I’m not sure how much longer I can lift big mulch bags and flagstone. I don’t want to admit its too much……not yet! (But, if I’m honest I do have to admit its getting harder.)

I do have to say its worth the extra work to create an inviting entrance.

Give each of your gardens their own personality

The garden in my courtyard is called Doogimi’s Courtyard. While Mimi’s secret garden is all white furniture, containers and accents…..this garden is bursting with color. A totally different personality to this container garden.

This garden is filled with mostly clay containers and colorful flowers. It’s a challenging space because part of it has sun that blasts through in the middle of the summer and tries to fry my plants. But, I do the best I can to keep it going through our ridiculously hot summers. Using the containers for gardening has created a beautiful garden where I otherwise wouldn’t be able to have flowers at all.

I sprinkled containers all over the courtyard. I added an obelisk to this container above. Again, bringing in textures and the unexpected lends more charm to the area.

Recap:

• Plan your overall design preference
• Determine your gardens need – sun or shade plants
• Decide on colorway for your containers
• Start collecting unusual pieces – garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, family discards
• Think outside the box and re-purpose items
• Paint containers, planters and accessories for a cohesive look
• Determine what types of plants you want to incorporate – color, neutrals, whites, greenery
• Use container soil only – not garden soil

Container gardens add lots of snazz and pizzazz. They are a great alternative to regular gardening so if you are limited with yard space or soil quality give container gardening a try. Pots, containers and garden accessories can be purchased at thrift stores for practically nothing so with a little innovation it’s easy to create a very pretty, unique container garden filled with its own character and personality.

My granddaughter says my backyard is like a “magical fairy garden”. I think that’s about the nicest compliment I could ever receive. Maybe she’ll remember my gardens with the same fond memories I have of my own grandparent’s yard.

That would make this old container gardener a very happy one indeed!

Happy Gardening and Happy LIfe by Design!

Be sure to check out my talented designer friend’s gardens below!

Check out Crystal’s amazing gardens at Sweet Valley Acres.

Check out Kristy’s big plans for her future garden at www.kristymastrandonasinteriordesign.com