Grow Anywhere Gardens

Easy to plant and easy to care for, container gardens make a splashy show without taking over your weekend. Planting in barrels and baskets, even creative cast-offs, lets you move plants around, rearranging your garden as you’d rearrange your house. From verbena spilling over the sides of a birdbath to daisies sunning themselves in cookie jars on the doorstep, container gardening lets you grow flowers without fuss — indoors or out!
 

• Try an assortment of multi-color plants in hanging baskets, windowboxes and wall planters — it creates layers of color that make any house look inviting. To experience the true power of plants, select a mix that offer eye, nose and taste appeal. Edible rose-scented geraniums mingled with spicy nasturtiums and sweet agastache make a colorful display that appeals to all the senses.
   
• When space is at a premium, think vertical. Flowering vines, like jasmine and sweet peas, look charming scrambling up a trellis or tripod. To make a welcoming entrance, thread heavy gauge wire through eye bolts attached to the wall around your door, set a pretty container on each side and train fragrant vines to climb up and around.
   
• As a rule of thumb, the fancier the container, the simpler the planting. Clipped boxwood or juniper looks stately in stone urns flanking a formal entry, while a riot of wildflowers are whimsical cargo for a cast-off wheelbarrow or an old washtub in an English garden.
   
• Use what you have decorating is as at home in the garden as the house. A wooden rowboat makes an ideal planting bed for a beach house. Decorative coffee mugs or small painted pails get a new lease on life as a windowsill herb garden. Vegetables and fruit are delicious filler for vintage bowls or a large colander lined with coco fiber.
   

Try these tips to keep container gardens healthy and happy:

• Plants don’t like to be root bound, so make sure the container is large enough for the plant’s roots to spread out and down.
   
• Container plants dry out easily. The smaller the container, the more frequently it needs watering. Too much watering is as harmful as too little, so check the soil with your finger and water only when it’s dry an inch below the surface.
   
• Containers need proper drainage or the water will pool at the bottom, causing root rot. If you make your own container, drill 3-4 holes in the bottom and line with rocks or gravel to ensure adequate drainage. Line wooden containers with plastic punched with drainage holes. Elevate containers with bricks or pot feet to allow water to drain.
   
• Fertilize regularly — frequent watering washes out nutrients. Potting soil includes fertilizer, so plants won’t need additional nutrients for 8-10 weeks after planting. After that, use a water-soluble fertilizer, like Miracle-Gro® every 2-3 weeks.
   
• Rotate containers at least once a week to give all plants in the container even sunlight.