Container gardening ideas for the small backyard, balcony or patio garden.

Pots and containers in the garden

Container gardening is the art of growing plants in an artificial environment, the pot or container. It is suitable for almost any plant and any position, both indoor and outdoors. Container gardening offers a convenient way of planting up a patio garden, a pool side, a balcony, a verandah, a courtyard and generally small areas. In fact container gardening will bring instant beauty to areas which are normally not conducive to plant growth.

Very often container gardening is the only way to grow plants that have specific garden soil requirements, or in dry arid areas where traditional gardening is an uphill battle. The watering of pot plants, container plants and even large container plants is much easier and furthermore you can move pot plants, as well as container plants that aren't too large to different areas depending on the seasonal climate and the plants direct sunlight requirements.

There are numerous advantages to container gardening:

• With container gardening you can control the amount of water and food that the container plants receive.
• You also save water with container gardening since there are not acres of flower beds to water.
• Container gardening also allows you control over the types of soil in which the container plants grow.
• In addition, container gardening lets you to make localized, targeted soil amendments.
• Container gardening allows you control positioning of the container plants to suit either your needs or the plants needs.
• Due to its versatility you can make use of containers as a focal point in your garden, especially if the pot is sculptured or glazed.
• Containers can add distinction to a certain area. I have seen containers and very ornamental terracotta pots used on either side of an entrance, at the top and bottom of steps, as well as against a dark green background.
• You also do not have to be afraid that container gardening will detract from the style of your garden since containers, due to its many different designs, can be made to fit any garden style.
• You can also group pots and pot plants together to create a lush tropical look.
• You can group the same colored shrubs together and use higher tubs and lower troughs and group them to form different levels of plants. The illusion of terraces with container plants.
• You can use container gardening as screening by planting them up with tall plants to ensure privacy.
• You can reuse your pots in the event of a pot plant failing to thrive or even revive in spite of how much you try to make it grow.
• You can use containers and container gardening anywhere and for any purpose in your garden.

Another trend these days are the migration of people from large suburban houses with large gardens to townhouse complexes with small garden spaces. This migration of people also influences gardening trends. It is due to this trend that we have this plethora of containers commercially available. Nowadays there is a huge variety of pots that can be used for container gardening ideas. Every conceivable shape, size, texture, material, and plants is available to turn container gardening ideas into reality and makes container gardening very practical. People living in townhouse complexes have limited space in which to garden. Container gardening affords them the opportunity to cultivate and boast fancy gardens indeed.

Apart from looking fancy and being decorative only, container gardening can be used quite successfully to cultivate vegetables and fruits. Vegetable container gardening and dwarf fruit trees makes great use of all the advantages that normal container gardening offers and affords the gardener to reap benefits in terms of fresh produce on top of all the benefits that gardening holds.

Growing fruit in containers is just as great. Growing fruit is not just for those with large gardens in the right climate. Even if you live in a flat or apartment with only a small balcony as your "garden" you can successfully grow your own fruit. Fruit trees in containers will provide you with a handy supply of fresh fruit as well as pose as an ornament on your patio or balcony.