First, I think its best to start off small and work your way up. I’m not just talking about the plants, I’m talking about the pots. You may want to move your plants around (which is a big advantage of container gardening) and if you have a big pot that is already heavy, add a bunch of soil and water, and you’ll have quite a hard time relocating it anywhere.

Look for pots that have water drainage holes in the bottom. Most have at least one good size hole. Follow the watering requirements that come with the plant. When you are watering, you should stop when you see the water coming out the bottom. Also, keep in mind that clay pots that aren’t coated on the inside will soak up quite a bit of water from the potting soil.

When choosing plants, try not to over stuff the pot with too many plants. Its important, however, to group plants that require the same sun, water and soil conditions or you’ll have many problems trying to keep them all alive.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you go through a few plants until you achieve your desired outcome, its well worth it. Not only is container gardening fun, but it also provides a beautiful environment for any drab space.

I devised a solution that has kept them where they are supposed to be for over two years now. It’s pretty simple so anyone can really do it. I have three large pots in a grouping in my yard but this method will work on any number of pots.

First, determine where you will want the pot (or pots) to go. Draw a circle on the ground around the base of each pot. Now, place the pot off to the side and using the outline you just drew, dig a circular hole about one foot deep. Using a five gallon plastic bucket, mix around a half of the bucket full of cement.

Pour the cement into the hole so it’s about half way full. Next you will need to place one end of a length of chain into the cement. The chain should be long enough that if you were to pull it tight, it would stick out of the top of the hole at least 6 inches. You can hold the chain up tight while the cement is drying by threading a dowel or wire through one of the links and then bracing the dowel or wire over the hole.

Once the cement has dried, fill in the rest of the hole with soil. The only thing you should see now is a short length of chain sticking out of the ground. Now you can move the pot back in place and you will have to thread the chain up through the drain hole in the bottom of your pot.

To secure the garden pot, I used a carabiner that I picked up at a camping supply store and looped it through the link that kept the chain tight and the pot firmly to the ground. You can use whatever you want instead of a carabiner to hold it in place.

I then filled the pots about three quarters of the way full with dirt. This not only adds weight but also keeps anyone from simply removing the carabiner and taking the pot. This method should be enough to deter anyone from messing with your garden pots.

A carefully placed garden pot can also bring your garden up off the ground and splits it into multiple levels making your garden more interesting to the eye. Even more, some pots can be hung from a patio ceiling or a tree branch to give a greater impression of height. All this adds interest to your garden. And with the many different options of shapes that pots come in, your garden will really come to life visually. Try to pick out plant colors that will complement the colors you chose for your pots. Larger bright colored pots placed farther back can really add a boldness to your garden. And neutral colored pots will accept almost any colored plant.

Large single pots make perfect focal points.

Be careful not to overstuff the pots with too many kinds of plants. Try to limit each to three to five different kinds depending on the size of the pot.

Every garden pot should have a hole in the bottom for drainage. If not, the roots of your plants can become waterlogged. For unglazed clay pots, you should brush the insides of the pot with a waterproofing sealant. This will help to keep the pot from absorbing all the moisture out of the soil and will also protect the pot from too much water.

Another advantage of using garden pots is portability. Pots can be easily rearranged or even brought inside if the pot is small enough. Make sure to bring ceramic pots indoors during the cold of winter as they will crack. So with a few garden pots, you can easily bring a tired garden back to life.

Terracotta (or clay) pots perform better and actually last longer when they are coated on the inside with a waterproofing sealant. This will also help keep your pots from getting water and calcium stains. If you do accidentally break a garden pot, you can use the shards by putting them over the drain holes of your other pots before adding soil. Put the shards in so that the bend (or what was the inside of the pot) is facing down. This acts as a barrier to keep the soil from washing out the hole but also keeps the hole clear from debris. You can also use a small piece of screen to cover the hole. Another option is to line the bottom of the pot with medium sized rocks instead of pottery shards. The rocks also act as a filter for excess water.

Repeat containers on steps for a stunning effect.

If you plan on putting a garden pot on a deck (which is one of the advantages of container gardening in the first place), you will want to have the pot raised off the wood so any water that leaks out the bottom will evaporate. To do this, you may have to purchase a pot stand or pot feet. Pot feet are small clay or ceramic “feet” that the pot can sit on and can usually be purchased anywhere pots are sold. The best options for pots placed on a deck are metal, fiberglass or resin. Metal pots are lightweight since they are usually hollow. Fiberglass and resin are excellent choices because they look incredibly similar to concrete or stone without the extra weight.

Proper Watering

It’s just as important not to underwater as it is not to over water. To catch any extra water and keep it from rotting your patio or deck, most garden pots will have a saucer or bowl placed underneath. You should try to water your container garden by filling up the saucers. This is the best way to water as it help you avoid over watering and spilling the water over the top of the saucer. By doing this, the water will feed the roots of your plants by seeping up through the hole in the bottom of the garden pot.

You can also choose to water your plants on the top surface. If so, make sure to fill it a little at a time (about a cup or so) and keep an eye on how much water ends up in the saucer. Its best not to overfill the saucer. Your plants will always welcome a fresh spray of water from a hand sprayer. If you have really hard water from your sink, use bottled or rain water so calcium won’t build up on the leaves.

Nourishment For Your Plants

The nutrients in most potting soils don’t last much more than five or six weeks since garden pots are generally small. So, vital nutrients will need to be replenished. Plant food, for the most part, comes in granular and liquid forms. Since they last a long time and keep a steady supply of food going to the plants, slow-release granules are recommended.

Pest Control

Systemic and Contact are the two main types of insecticides. Systemic is poured right onto the soil and is then absorbed into the soil to the root system of the plant and right on up through the leaves. This type of insecticide works best for bugs under the soil that are hard to get to and for leaf eaters as they ingest the poison when they eat the leaves.

The next type of insecticide is the contact type which is sprayed directly onto the insects. It should work rather quickly but you might have to repeat the application after a few days depending on the amount of infestation is going on.

You are sure to have a thriving container garden with a small amount of monitoring and loving care.

You start with a large sized terracotta or stone bowl as your garden pot foundation. This will be the basin pot where the overflowing water will fall. Drill a hole out of the bottom center of the bowl if there isn’t one already. Now take the cord from your pump and run it through the hole. For larger holes, cover with duct tape and fill with a car body filler. Smaller holes can be filled in with silicon. When that has dried, coat the inside with a water sealant. Now you should be ready to place the basin in your desired location. Although not crucial, try to make the basin as level as possible.

The base is a pot that is turned upside down and houses the pump. Choose a pot that has a base diameter the same as the base diameter of the main fountain pot. Soak the pot overnight in water. This helps make it easier to cut notches around the top rim of the pot. These notches allow water to come in that gets pumped up through the fountain tube.

Cut a piece of tubing about a foot longer than the height of the fountain pot. Attach this to the pump. Now feed the base pot down over the tube through the hole in the bottom of the pot. Seal the gap around the tube with more silicon. Now you should have your basin with an upside down pot sitting in the middle of it with a pump inside and the tube sticking out the top of the base pot.

Now take your fountain pot and test fit it by feeding it down over the tube and placing it on top of the base pot. If everything looks good (it should be plumb and level with the tube sticking out the top higher than the height of the pot) you can take off the fountain pot and run two thick beads of silicon around the top of the base pot. Run one bead towards the outside to help hold the pots together and one on the inside to keep water from running in between the two pots.

When it is all dry, test it by filling it with water. Adjust the height of the tubing to get the desired effect of the water bubbling up. Finish it off by filling the bottom basin pot with rocks. Enjoy your beautiful fountain!

Terracotta
Terracotta is a reddish clay that is commonly used for pottery. Garden pots made from terracotta are usually left unglazed and are quite porous. When planting, be sure to water down the pot before adding soil. If you don’t, the pot may soak up moisture from the soil making it harder to start the plant.

Concrete
Because of its heavy weight, concrete is a great choice for planters that you don’t intend to move. To help prevent cracking, concrete pots are made a lot thicker than ceramic pots. This type of pot gives your garden a real permanent look and after some time to weather, these pots will look as if they have been a part of your garden for decades.

Stone
A stone garden pot is not actually made from a single stone like they used to be. Today, these pots are made from a mixture of limestone and other materials to increase their durability and keep the pot as lightweight as possible. Manufacturing techniques make it virtually impossible to tell that they aren’t made from solid stone. These pots have many of the same advantages and uses as pots made from concrete.

Ceramic
Because they are glazed, ceramic pots offer the widest variety of colors. On the flip side though, a ceramic garden pot can be easily chipped or cracked so care should be used while moving or handling. In cold winter areas, a ceramic garden pot should be moved indoors to prevent cracking.

Metal
A garden pot made of metal offers a unique look. Metal is a very durable material that will change in appearance over time – especially copper and steel. You should take care of your metal pots by applying a rust inhibiting coating.

Metal cans make attractive plant containers.

Fiberglass
Don’t let its appearance fool you. Fiberglass pots can be made to look exactly like clay, stone or concrete pots. They can also be made glossy to give the appearance of a glazed ceramic pot. A big advantage of fiberglass is its light weight and durability.

Resin
This high quality material, polyethylene, doesn’t chip or crack like a clay garden pot. Resin pots can withstand the exposure of wide temperature extremes.

Wood
Although technically not a pot, wood planters make an excellent choice for those who love its natural beauty. Typically, wood planters come in teak, cedar, redwood and pine. Redwood and cedar naturally resist rot so they can be left unpainted. Along with paint, stain and waterproofing sealers, wood planters will last longer if you line the inside with plastic or simply place the soil into clay pots and set them inside the planters.

If you want to intentionally draw the eye to a particular spot, don’t be afraid to use a bolder color (such as deep red). By placing brightly colored flowers in and around the pot, you will also help it to blend in. Image if you had an all green garden with a big bright yellow pot stuck in the middle. All your focus would be pointed at the pot and not the plants.

Another way to use garden pots is to clump small to mid-sized pots together into groups. This will also draw your eye to these areas. You will have a lot of flexibility with grouped pots. You can use different sizes, shapes and colors to make a drab area more interesting. To blend in the group, the same techniques used for a large garden pot applies. Be sure to plant in between the pots as well.

If you happen to have a large garden pot that is cracked on the bottom, you can either cut the bottom off with a hand-held tile cutter or dig a hole large enough to accommodate the pot and stick the pot in so it is buried half way into the ground. This is a good way to add a mid level to your garden which can lead the eye from taller pots to lower ground cover.

This video shows you what to look for when choosing a clay pot for your own container garden.