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Photo Credit: Mark A. Miller

The beauty of container gardening is it gives you a chance to try plant combinations you may not otherwise try in your planting beds.

Sturdy and adaptable perennials grow well in containers and make terrific companions to flowering annuals and bulbs. There are lots of reasons to grow these floriferous plants in containers, but No. 1 is: It’s easy! You don’t have to dig up your soil, and you can avoid soil tests altogether – just use a prepackaged potting mix.

Containers also let you create a show of color in difficult-to-plant places, like decks, patios and garden areas where the soil is already filled with roots or other obstructions. In cold climates, you can grow tender perennials and simply move them indoors when frigid weather hits. What’s more? It’s easy to experiment with new arrangements, textures and color combinations.

When it comes to creating container gardens, remember that big pots are better than small. Not only do you get more color, large containers retain moisture better. And with big pots it’s easy to mimic a lavish border or bouquet. Just select plants in these four categories:

Anchor: Choose a 2- to 3-foot-tall, upright plant for the center or back of the pot. Long-blooming plants, including golden marguerite and fleabane, are good anchor choices.

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Photo Credit: Mark A. Miller

Who says container gardens have to be on the ground?

Infill: These are long-blooming, 6- to 18-inch-tall plants that surround the base of the anchor (which often is spindly). Plants with interesting foliage make wonderful infill plants, so consider perennials like plantain lilies and silvery- or maroon-leafed coralbells. These beauties guarantee a long season of color.

Fluffer: These supporting players have small-scale leaves and flowers. Good options include thrift, spurge and stonecrops. Plant dense, fluffy specimens along the rim of the pot to hide
bare soil and stems and to complete the lush, abundant look of the container.

Draper: These trailing plants spill over the pot’s edge. Some drapers, including wild strawberry, are bushy enough to replace fluffers, and a flowering draper can take over the functions of infill and fluffer plants under an anchor.

Creating perennial containers is a great time to try out new plants. When you’re at the garden center, hold one potted plant next to another to check the effect (like you’d hold a tie next to a shirt and suit). When you find the combination that pleases you most, bring your plants home and dress up that container!