Ever get tired of your garden design? Want to try something new? That very thing happened to my wife and I, and a whole new idea for a container garden grew out of our boredom.

Our accidental container garden really brightens up the landscape – and we didn’t even spend time planning it.

Photo Credit: David L. Morgan

Viewed from a different entrance, our mix-and-match garden offers a whole new intrigue.

Photo Credit: David L. Morgan

I pounded this reinforcement bar through the container into the ground (then bent it) to keep my Tatarian maple from blowing over in the wind.

Photo Credit: David L. Morgan

We had tried nearly every kind of garden in the roughly 10- by 15-foot plot we originally configured as an ornamental showcase (and I use that term loosely) in our back yard. We planted trees on the west side for shade (which is essential in Texas), and left the area open on the east so we could plant in full sun.

And plant we did. First, it was vegetables – enough tomatoes, radishes, onions and Irish potatoes to feed the neighborhood (which we did). Then we got into roses in a big way. Initially, we put in beautiful, large-flowering floribundas and hybrid teas, followed by a heroic selection of Southwestern native plants. Later on we added in a garden of “found” and antique roses. They were all beautiful, of course, though the roses scratched us up a bit, and I seriously overwatered or underwatered the natives (I’m still not sure which). Nothing lasts forever, I told my wife.

After a few years of deadheading, pruning and replacing abundant mistreated taxa, we were ready to try something new. We wanted something different. Something with many shapes and flowering habits – and lots of color. Hmmm.

The idea of creating a container garden actually came quite by accident. We had long enjoyed pots of annuals and perennials on our deck, so now, with everything rogued out of the bed, we began placing our odd assortment of leftovers and weird favorites in the area to absorb the early spring sunlight. We began to buy more plants and stuck them in whatever containers we had in the potting shed. Suddenly we realized we had a container garden, for better or for worse.

Thankfully, it’s worked out for the better. Somehow our eclectic selections came together (though it still strikes me as odd that containers of gaura, patio tomatoes, portulaca, Mexican heather, Gerber daisies and a Southern magnolia tree can be pleasing to the eye). The hodgepodge of pots and plant types blend into visual interest. Instead of seeing them individually, we now view them in unity as components of a pleasant garden. And as the growing season progresses, the plants – both individually and collectively – are maturing, producing more flowers and fruit, and changing the appearance of our garden almost daily.

One of the most wonderful aspects of the entire garden is that we can easily add more containers, rearrange the design and take out those that don’t perform well without digging great holes in the earth. The take-home lesson: If it works for us, it’ll work for you.

If you’d like to grow a mix-and-match container garden of your own, here are a few tips we’ve learned from our garden:

• Eliminate the weeds in your garden location first, then cover the area with a landscape cloth, and top it off with a good mulch that will remain attractive throughout the growing season. (We prefer cypress bark mulch, but there are many others to choose from.)
• Be prepared to either put together a trickle irrigation system or water your containers manually as needed – perhaps even daily.
• Remember that containerized plants need to be fertilized regularly. Consider using a timed-release product like 17-17-17.
• Recognize that some plants require more care that others, so be prepared to trim, deadhead, collect fruits, apply fertilizer and water individually as needed.

So give it a try, and have some fun. You can mix and resize and add and subtract to your pleasure. This container garden is a truly personal space – and the mix-and-match design is all yours.