Container Gardening provides a controlled microcosm which can showcase your favorite plants.  A wide variety of plants in containers both inside and outside your home will bring you pleasure now and for many years to come.

Container Gardening can be undertaken by people with a very small area, and when using containers such as hanging baskets or window boxes, virtually no extra space is needed.  It is possible to produce a wide variety of high quality, lush looking plants in containers of all sizes and shapes.  This can be achieved very economically and without the normal reliance on the weather as containers only require a small amount of material, and can be moved into the optimal situation for the plant growth at any time.  Container gardening is a glorious pursuit for people of all ages.

Container Gardening is a wonderfully creative way of gardening with almost limitless applications.  Have you ever thought about which of these container gardening applications would fulfill your dream? 

•   Do you want masses of color?
•   Do you like the different shapes of plants?
•    What about a sculpture with plants growing out of it?
•    A handy vegetable garden near the kitchen door?

All of these and many, many more ideas can be undertaken to liven up your garden area in your favorite way.  Put your thinking cap on, rustle up your imagination and transform your dull drab corners or paved areas into wonderful havens of lush growth and color by way of your container garden.

There are so many different types of containers which can be used for container gardening that sometimes the difficult thing is to select what to use.  Some examples are a high fashion glazed pot, a modern self-watering container, the old wheelbarrow that you have discarded because it has holes in it and the wheel is wonky, your favorite ceramic bowl that now has a crack in it, an old boot - you get the idea.  Have a look around the yard and you may see things suitable for container gardening that previously you thought were just junk.

To portray a theme by way of a container garden you can use a single large container with a theme such as a desert scene with cactus plants, a sculptured Japanese garden or a lush rain forest.  Alternatively a grouping of containers with individual plants massed together could become a cottage garden, or could make up a larger rain forest scene or be used to highlight the architecture of your house

A type of container that is often used around the outside of the house is the hanging basket.  This will provide a riot of color if planted with flowers, and can be planted up so there are three layers, with tall plants such as geraniums, spreading plants such as petunias and delicate trailing plants hanging down around the fringe.  Called lasagna gardening, this gives a wonderful visual impact when even one of the plants is flowering, let alone when they are all in bloom.  Container gardens in hanging baskets can also be a very handy addition to the kitchen garden planted with herbs or vegetables.  The three layers in this case could be silver beet growing up tall in the middle, lettuce around the edge and tomatoes, beans or trailing herbs planted right around the outside and trailing down to the ground.  The combinations are limitless and will align to your particular taste in vegetables or texture.

Some of the practical considerations when planning to undertake container gardening are:

•     Do you want the containers in sun, dappled sun or shade?
•      Are the containers close to a water source?
•     Do you want a cluster or scattered pots?
•      Will you use small or large containers?
•      What type of plants do you want to use?

Your imagination is the only thing that limits the opportunities presented by container gardening, so let your imagination free and enjoy your creations.  Get ready, roll up your sleeves and go to work.  The work won't take long and the rewards you get from your container garden will be endless.