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Design by Function: Container Garden

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Design by Function Container Garden

The beauty of container gardens is they offer a lot of colorful punch without consuming an entire space – or your budget.

View and print a larger version of this design.

You’d love to dress up your patio to resemble the stunning ones that grace the covers of those trendy-store magazines – the ones featuring sleek furniture, stylish pillows and matching tableware. While you have a few nice outdoor accessories to pull out for entertaining guests, your everyday patio décor is far from popular chic, and you just don’t have the funds to buy everything you’d like to create that “dream patio.”

With some careful thought and planning, however, you can give your patio – or any other outdoor space – an elegant, colorful makeover that won’t break your budget. It’s a simple concept that speaks volumes: Create a container garden.

The beauty of container gardens is they offer a lot of colorful punch without taking up a lot of space. They instantly decorate entrances, porches, decks and patios; and soften the sparse and hard look of masonry walks and walls. When used in the front yard, container gardens can add great curb appeal to a home. When used in the back, they help define outdoor rooms. However you use them on your property, well-designed containers are an easy and affordable way to instantly boost color and interest.

The containers shown in this design beautifully decorate a paver patio with simple class, and the informal balance of placing one large container planting in a corner and three others along the patio’s edge brings a calming effect – all without spending a lot of money.

This container garden design is an easy concept that brings fantastic results. Even better, it’s a snap to plant. By placing an upright annual or perennial in the center of each container planting and using trailing or mounding plants along the outside, your containers can easily be rotated or moved to any other part of your property that may need a temporary splash of instant color. And since a majority of these plantings is done with annuals, you can experiment with new colors and textures season after season.

You may not be able to afford everything you see in those trendy magazines, but with elegant and affordable container plantings like the ones shown in this design, you can easily dress your patio in style!

Remember, when you shop for plants, pick the ones you like that match the functions identified on the plan!

Facts
  • No matter what kind of plant you want to grow in a container – tree, shrub, vine, perennial or annual – be sure to keep a constant eye on its health. Some plants do absolutely fine in a one-size-fits-all potting mix – but other plants have specific needs not met by regular blends. If plant health declines, the problem may be in the mix.
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  • Color is one of the most important and distinguishing elements in good landscaping. To develop your own color sense with your containers, start with something simple, like creating a collection of flowers or foliage that all share your favorite hue. (This simple time-honored approach won’t disappoint!)
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Tips
  • Remember, your container plants are sharing the same small space. Make sure the ones you pick also share the same sun, water and soil requirements, so all the plants in your box thrive. (Also make sure the containers themselves are placed in a location that matches your plants’ sun/shade needs.)
Share
  • Come to The Garden Party and share your Design by Function accomplishments with the rest of our Learn2Grow community! Post some pictures of your new “functional” container garden, create a blog about your growing adventures, or ask our experts and other home gardeners for more tips, ideas and help.
 
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Next Steps


Articles
  • Getting Started With Design by Function
    It’s your garden – why pay thousands of dollars to have a professional designer plant his vision? You don’t need to be a horticulturist or experienced gardener to have a gorgeous outdoor living space. Let us help you create that garden of your dreams. Welcome to Design by Function!
  • Design By Function
    It’s your garden – why pay a fortune to have a professional designer plant what he wants? Learn2Grow can help you create the garden of your dreams, using free professional designs that you modify to your tastes.
  • Container Gardening Basics
    Growing plants in containers is easy if you follow a few basic rules.
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