8 Container Gardens That Prove You Don’t Need Flowerbeds
Check out these luscious outside spaces to find out how container plants can look gorgeous in your garden
Amanda Pollard
28 March 2018
Senior Editor at Houzz UK and Ireland. Journalist and editor specialising in interiors and architecture.
Senior Editor at Houzz UK and Ireland. Journalist and editor specialising in interiors... More
If your outside space doesn’t have room for flowerbeds, that doesn’t mean you have to scrimp on blooms and foliage. Take a look at these gardens and patios to get inspiration for creating a green space using plant pots and containers.
This article is from our Most Popular stories file
This article is from our Most Popular stories file
Add some height
Trees are a great way to add interest and privacy in a garden, and they can work just as well in pots or troughs as in flowerbeds. There are many varieties that don’t grow too big and are suitable for containers, including fruit trees and Japanese maples (acers).
These olive trees give this outdoor space a sophisticated, Mediterranean feel. Their slim, pale leaves don’t block too much light while still boosting privacy.
Trees are a great way to add interest and privacy in a garden, and they can work just as well in pots or troughs as in flowerbeds. There are many varieties that don’t grow too big and are suitable for containers, including fruit trees and Japanese maples (acers).
These olive trees give this outdoor space a sophisticated, Mediterranean feel. Their slim, pale leaves don’t block too much light while still boosting privacy.
Mix and match
Don’t feel you have to keep things sparse and uncluttered on a small patio – this cosy terrace is anything but. The owners have mixed different-sized planters, including a huge pot for an ornamental tree.
By choosing an eclectic mix of pots and plants, you can surround your patio to create a snug, intimate area that looks green and luscious.
Don’t feel you have to keep things sparse and uncluttered on a small patio – this cosy terrace is anything but. The owners have mixed different-sized planters, including a huge pot for an ornamental tree.
By choosing an eclectic mix of pots and plants, you can surround your patio to create a snug, intimate area that looks green and luscious.
Create a hideaway
A lounge area is the perfect place to incorporate container plants, as they can be moved around to strategically create privacy. The decked upper zone of this garden is surrounded by pots, which give the seating area a secret-garden feel.
If you want your container garden to look good all year round, make sure you include some evergreen plants, as the homeowners have done here.
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A lounge area is the perfect place to incorporate container plants, as they can be moved around to strategically create privacy. The decked upper zone of this garden is surrounded by pots, which give the seating area a secret-garden feel.
If you want your container garden to look good all year round, make sure you include some evergreen plants, as the homeowners have done here.
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Go up the wall
Don’t have space for containers on your patio? How about using the walls instead? There’s very little space around the table in this cosy eating area, but that hasn’t prevented the designers adding plenty of greenery.
The low walls have just enough surface area to hold smart, slate-coloured containers, including two symmetrical pots of bamboo, a wide expanse of hedging below the living wall, and a container of mixed plants.
Don’t have space for containers on your patio? How about using the walls instead? There’s very little space around the table in this cosy eating area, but that hasn’t prevented the designers adding plenty of greenery.
The low walls have just enough surface area to hold smart, slate-coloured containers, including two symmetrical pots of bamboo, a wide expanse of hedging below the living wall, and a container of mixed plants.
Surround your seating
For a contemporary look, plant up your containers with flowers in the same colour scheme. This square seating area is surrounded by sleek, lead-look planters filled with purples and greens.
Even though the colour palette is minimal, the scented lavender and pretty campanula add plenty of depth and interest to the space.
For a contemporary look, plant up your containers with flowers in the same colour scheme. This square seating area is surrounded by sleek, lead-look planters filled with purples and greens.
Even though the colour palette is minimal, the scented lavender and pretty campanula add plenty of depth and interest to the space.
Try a trellis
Make more of your containers by putting in climbing plants at the back of the pot. The trailing bacopa and white-flowered impatiens in these planters are framed by the climbing jasmine behind. The great thing about a climber is that it can spread so much further than the container.
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Make more of your containers by putting in climbing plants at the back of the pot. The trailing bacopa and white-flowered impatiens in these planters are framed by the climbing jasmine behind. The great thing about a climber is that it can spread so much further than the container.
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Go for colour
It’s possible to add colour without compromising a streamlined, modern aesthetic. The key to using a bold mix of colours is to keep everything else coordinated. Here, a bright array of flowers and foliage has been planted in a group of matching black pots. The vivid hues add interest and character to the terrace, but the black containers help to ground the look.
It’s possible to add colour without compromising a streamlined, modern aesthetic. The key to using a bold mix of colours is to keep everything else coordinated. Here, a bright array of flowers and foliage has been planted in a group of matching black pots. The vivid hues add interest and character to the terrace, but the black containers help to ground the look.
Grow an edible garden
A lack of flowerbeds needn’t stop you from having a vegetable patch – grow your edibles in planters instead. Here, a patio has been laid out with square-edged planters and terracotta pots – each one full of a mix of flowers, herbs and vegetables.
If you’re putting a variety of plants together, as they’ve done here, make sure you choose ones that thrive in the same type of soil. For example, keep acid-loving crops in the same container as other plants that need acidic soil. For vegetables with large root systems, choose a bigger pot and make sure you water everything frequently.
Tell us…
Do you have a container garden? What are your top tips for growing plants in pots? Share your ideas, experiences and thoughts in the Comments section.
A lack of flowerbeds needn’t stop you from having a vegetable patch – grow your edibles in planters instead. Here, a patio has been laid out with square-edged planters and terracotta pots – each one full of a mix of flowers, herbs and vegetables.
If you’re putting a variety of plants together, as they’ve done here, make sure you choose ones that thrive in the same type of soil. For example, keep acid-loving crops in the same container as other plants that need acidic soil. For vegetables with large root systems, choose a bigger pot and make sure you water everything frequently.
Tell us…
Do you have a container garden? What are your top tips for growing plants in pots? Share your ideas, experiences and thoughts in the Comments section.
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Very inspiring ideas here.
We often use contained planting in combination with raised beds, especially in small London gardens. The planters creates a third level in these two gardens and gives a sculptural effect which is highlighted with spot lighs. Both gardens are in London and designed and built by us (www.greenlinesdesign.co.uk) and the planters are by Urbis Design, we always install irrigation system for this kind of design as our clients tend to be busy people.
I have deliberately chosen houses with small , current one tiny, gardens in my last two moves. Life is too short to spend time with things that don't have faces. And whilst I do have some small areas of beds around the boundaries of what is really a terrace, the real drama comes from the container plants. I move them into different configurations dependant on the time of year. I can also move them in and out of feature spots when they are at their most beautiful. I am talking container with Bamboo, bay, fig, grape vine, hydrangeas, acer's and olive trees. Lighting in the garden is designed to enable me to add a bit of drama to the groupings particular in winter, when the view from the windows that overlook the garden are most appreciated Poor photo but all I have on this device. And yes it still takes a full day eight or nine times a year to do maintenance and gardening functions but honestly I wouldn't go back to having a proper grown ups garden even if someone else was looking after it.