Container Gardening Benefits
Why Putter in Pots?

What’s so great about container gardening anyway?

Gardening in containers has big benefits. Maybe that's why it's one of the fastest-growing areas of gardening. Why?

Because the benefits of container gardening far outweigh its challenges.

Yes, you have to think about weight on a roof or balcony garden. Yes, you need to think about pot drainage on your deck.

And yes—let’s be frank—some of you will need to secure that big, expensive urn out in front of your urban brownstone.

But these are simple problems to solve—really! Soilless potting mix on the balcony, self-watering containers or catch plates on the deck. And slip a chain through your urn’s drain hole, padlock it to your wrought iron fence, and you’re good to go. (Plus—who can lift a concrete urn anyway?)

Want specifics? For starters, gardening in containers is foolproof (or nearly so), versatile, and inexpensive.

Container Gardening—8 Big Benefits

1) Chuck it! Pots are nearly Foolproof. If you make a mistake, and the darned thing dries out or just looks like it’s on its last leg—Pitch it.

2) Make the most of Versatility! Pots give you the option of year-round plantings. You can start with early spring bulbs, pull and replant as the season progresses. The advantage? You’ve got an ever-changing array of color through all the seasons.

3) Lots of design Options! Pots have garden design appeal. You can use them as blasts of annual color in an existing garden, in groups on your deck, singly or in pairs at the front entrance. Move them around—you’ll get the benefit of a new look and feel by putting them in different groupings and spots.

4) Explore color, form, and style! Pots let you experiment. Try a monochromatic garden in fall, then shift to a complimentary color scheme of crocus and tulips for spring. You can switch up the colors, design, amount, and placement as much as you like.

5) Diversity. In the garden, you’d never see a bunch of succulents and cacti planted with peonies and hostas—they take very different soil mixtures, sun, and watering. But you can individualize soils in pots, place them strategically along your deck, and mix together plants that you wouldn’t see together in one garden bed.

6) Easy on the Pocket! Pots are a small investment. These days, that's a big benefit! You can spend loads or a little on one or a dozen pots. And you can re-use them the next year . . . and the next. You can add one or two a year if you’re on a budget and want nicely designed pots. When and how many you get is completely up to you.

7) No Mistakes! Pots are mistake-proof. Well, pretty much. Maybe a plant looks great at the nursery, but when you finally get home and pot it up you realize you don’t like it so much after all. That’s ok. Unlike the row of expensive perennials the person in back of you bought, you have only to give this one away and start over.

8) Great for anyone! Maybe the biggest benefit of all. Pots are suited to every level of gardener. Whether you’ve been around flowers, herbs, and gardens all your life, or are just starting out—pots, planters, hanging baskets—anyone can plant them!

To make the most of these benefits, Explore Your Style Now!