Nothing could be easier than decorating your balcony or patio with beautiful planter arrangements awash in a sea of stunning flowers and foliage. You just need to know the basics of container gardening, then let your imagination run wild when designing. Here are all the tips you’ll need to create fantastic and enduring container gardens!

The Secret to Successful Container Garden

Always remember that container gardens are communities. Plants sharing the same container must have the same needs, espe­cially when it comes to sunlight and water. Pair sun-loving plants with other light-hungry plants; plants that tolerate shade belong with compatriots just as tolerant of low light. And while most plants prefer soil that stays moist and can therefore easily share the same pot, others actually prefer soil that dries out from time to time, making them a great choice for spots you’re not always there to water. But only put drought-tolerant plants with other drought-tolerant plants; don’t try to make them share with the thirsty ones.

Container planting step by step:

• All containers must have drainage holes to allow excess water to drain out, which prevents the plants from rotting.
• Place a filter at the bottom of the pot— a coffee filter, paper towel or piece of newspaper will do just fine. This way, when you water, excess water will drain out, but the soil won’t. 
• Larger pots—30 centimetres in height and diameter or more—are much easier to manage than smaller ones, as they dry out less quickly.
• Fill containers with quality potting soil up to 10 centimetres below the pot rim. You can even find specific container soil mixes (how handy!), but a standard potting mix works just as well.
•  Blend in an all-purpose, slow-release granular fertilizer, applying it at the manufacturer’s recommended rate.
•  Remove your plants from their pots and place them in the planter to see their effect. If you don’t like the look, now’s the time to move things around, rather than after you’ve planted them. You can position container plants much more closely than you would in the garden. About 10 centimetres apart is fine for most annuals, although you may need to double that for very large ones. 
• When you’re satisfied with the effect, fill the space between the plants with potting soil and press down lightly.
• Water abundantly, making sure the soil is thoroughly moistened. If the soil settles and compacts, just add a bit more. You want the top of the plant’s root ball to be level with the surrounding soil.

Read the label

The labels of most container plants will tell you what they need. Little icons show you whether they like sun, partial shade or shade, as well as the plant’s watering needs. With that basic info in hand, there’s nothing to stop you from creating the greatest container garden combinations ever.

Thrillers, fillers and spillers

Photography, iStockphoto

It’s the time-tested rule of thumb for planter gardens: Set the thriller, a larger or showier plant, in the centre. Then surround it with fillers, moderately sized plants with a bushier habit. And right along the edge, add the spillers, meaning hanging or trailing plants. Of course, there are many other possibilities, but this tried-and-true recipe works every time.

Summer Maintenance

It’s totally simple—here’s all you need to do:

• Check the moisture level of the soil with a moisture meter or by hand two or three times a week. If the soil feels dry, water well. Other­wise, wait. Be aware that watering needs will increase as the summer advances and the plants become larger.
• Add more fertilizer when the plants are well established, after about three or four weeks. Use a soluble fertilizer this time, at a quarter
• of the recommended dose. Simply add it to your watering can once weekly. Fertilizing will help maintain abundant blooms.
• If possible, give the pot a quarter turn each week—always in the same direction—to help ensure good symmetry. 
• Clean up occasionally, removing yellow leaves and broken stems. Most plants recommended here are “self-cleaning,” meaning you don’t need to deadhead them (remove faded flowers); the aging flowers should drop off on their own.
• Last but not least, invite your friends over to sip a Beaujolais while admiring your beautiful handiwork. You deserve the praise!

Reliable Container recipes

If you’re not yet ready to attempt your own arrangements, you can try a trusty combination like one of the seven dependable container recipes shown here, all approved by the specialist nursery Proven Winners. Remember—the most important thing is to have fun!

1. Butterfly Heaven

Photography, Proven Winners

These blossoms will bring all the butterflies to your yard. The thriller here is a Lo & Behold ‘Lilac Chip’ dwarf butterfly bush (Buddleia ‘Lilac Chip’), with narrow spikes of intensely fragrant lavender flowers that are irresistible to butterflies. Around this star sit three plants each of Super­bena Scarlet Star (Verbena hybrid), with red flowers, and Superbell White calibrachoa (Calibrachoa hybrid), with white flowers. Their flowers attract butterflies, too. Note: This arrangement requires a fairly large container— about 60 centimetres in diameter— to support its inhabitants, as the butterfly bush is quite large. This sun-loving arrangement is quite drought tolerant, but don’t let it dry out too much too often.

2. Precious Opal

Photography, Proven Winners

This selection is specifically designed for shady locations, as all its plants are comfortable out of direct sunlight. In the centre of a 35-centimetre dia­meter pot, plant a Pegasus begonia (Begonia hybrid), with dark green leaves accented with silver markings, as the thriller. Surround it with two Catalina Pink wishbones (Torenia ‘Catalina Pink’), with two-tone pink flowers; one Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Jet Black sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas), with black heart-shaped leaves; and one Color­blaze Newly Noir coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) with dark purple leaves. Make sure to keep the soil a little moist.

3. Beachside Drive

Photography, Proven Winners

Imagine yourself relaxing on a Cali­fornia beach with this sunny container arrangement entirely in hot colours. In the centre of a pot
30 centimetres in diameter, plant a variegated red fountain grass Graceful Grasses ‘Fireworks’ (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) with striped green, purple and pink leaves as the thriller. Around it, set two plants of the Superbells Tropical Sunrise calibrachoa (Calibrachoa hybrid) with yellow-streaked red flowers, two Supertunia Honey petunias (Petunia hybrid), with variable flowers in yellow, orange, salmon and deep pink, plus one Whirlwind Pink fan flower (Scaevola aemula) with rich pink flowers. Full sun is best. 

4. Amethyst Dreams

Photography, Proven Winners

Perfect for a hanging basket, pedestal planter or even an extra tall pot, this blend exclusively uses trailing plants in cool tones. Simple, yes, but what a beautiful effect it creates! In a 30-centimetre diameter pot, plant two Superbells White calibrachoas (Calibrachoa hybrid) with white flowers, two Superbells Grape Punch calibrachoas (Calibrachoa hybrid), purple flowers with dark throat, and two Superbena Sparkling Amethyst verbenas (Verbena hybrid), purple flowers splashed with lavender-pink and white. It’s a prime choice to add
a note of freshness to either a sunny location or one with semi-shade.

5. Maverick Mojave

Photography, Proven Winners

Sometimes simple arrangements are simply the best! This mix is an excellent one for a spot so hot and dry that nothing else will grow. In a 30-centimetre diameter planter, blend two plants each of these three purslanes: Mojave Tangerine, Mojave Yellow and Mojave Fuchsia (Portulaca umbraticola); the colours correspond with the names. This hot-tone container marvel prefers full blazing sun, of course!

6. Blind Love

Photography, Proven Winners

This pretty-in-pink arrangement is perfect for anyone with a romantic soul. Designed for a 30-centimetre diameter pot, this blend includes one Supertunia Royal Magenta petunia (Petunia hybrid) with bright purple at its centre; surrounding it are two plants each of Supertunia Lovie Dovie petunia (Petunia hybrid), which has white flowers with a pink star overlay; and Superbena Whiteout verbena (Verbena hybrid), with white blossom clusters). It’s ideal for full sun to partial shade.

7. Sweetheart Passion

Photography, Proven Winners

Caladiums, or elephant ears, with their heart-shaped leaves in a huge range of colours, are always sure to fascinate. No, there won’t be any flowers, but with such colourful foliage, do you really need them? Here, in a 30-centimetre diameter pot, are three plants each of two caladiums (Caladium hortulanum): Heart to Heart ‘Heart and Soul’ in pink, white and green, and Heart to Heart Fast Flash with broad red veins over dark green and plenty of pink sprinkles. Caladiums are fun to mix and match— they all go well together! Caladiums like to be a little humid, so don’t put them outdoors in the spring until the nights are above 12°C. This beauty’s best suited to shade or partial shade.