Container gardening is fun, easy and fits any lifestyle. Apartment dwellers and homeowners alike can enjoy container gardens. They can be large or small, for sun or shade, contain vegetables or flowers or even small trees! It all depends on what the gardener's needs and desires are. The plant palette is immense, from traditional geraniums to exotic hibiscus, to drought tolerant grasses, there is something for every taste and style.

Generally a desire for color is the gardener's reason for planting a container garden. There is no end to the varieties of annuals and perennials that can be planted to create a colorful pot for a porch or patio. Color is our business at Hardy Boy plants. For over 50 years Hardy Boy has strived to bring the customer the best in colorful annuals and perennials. They lend themselves perfectly to containers as well as beds and borders. Look for some new varieties to plant on the "What's New" page of this website.

Containers are a great way to go if you are on water restrictions. You can get a lot of color in a small space. Many drought tolerant plants are well suited to container gardens and they can be watered with excess water saved in a bucket in the shower or sink. A pot of colorful petunias is a great way to welcome guests at your front door! See our "drought information" page on our web site, under the Water Wise button, for a list of drought tolerant plants. Or go to www.xratedgardening.com.

Containers are easy to create. Just follow these few simple steps to a colorful pot all your own.

    1. Chose a container that has a drainage hole. If you have a beautiful pot without drainage, consider planting your garden in a standard nursery pot or clay pot and inserting it into the decorative one. That way you can empty out the excess water. There are many beautiful containers to choose from in most garden centers, or you may choose something whimsical like an old bathtub or old boot, it is up to you and your imagination.

    2. Purchase good potting soil. One that is not too light or heavy and one that has good drainage. We recommend Fertilome Ultimate Potting Mix, but you may have another favorite. Fill the container with the potting mix to within an inch or two of the top. Be sure that when you add the plants that the soil surface is at least 1 inch below the rim of the pot to allow water to puddle and then soak in. Sprinkle a time release fertilizer, like Hardy Start, Star -to-Finish, on the surface. You are ready to plant!

    3. Decide if the container will be viewed from all around or the front only. Start with the tall and spikey plant in the center or towards the back of the planter (Dracaena, Phormium, Grasses, tall Marigolds, Angelonia, etc). Fill in around or in front of the tall plant(s) with rounded, mounded types such as; Petunias, Dahlia, Geraniums, French Marigolds or Dianthus, and put the trailing plants (Trailing Verbena, Vinca Vines, English Ivy, Trailing Lantana, Sweet Potato Vine or Scaevola) near the edge. For instant effect, place the plants close together, almost touching. Or you can place them farther apart and wait a short time for them to fill in. Generally, container plants can be fairly crowded together.

    4. Water in well - that means puddle the water on the container surface, let it soak in and water again. You may need to repeat this several times until you see water coming out the drainage hole. You want to saturate the soil throughout the container with this first watering.