Container Haven

Gardening in confined spaces is fun, and provides a creative outlet for the gardener. All types of items can be used to "pot-up" a plant. This section of Rainy Side Gardeners is devoted to ideas for your contained garden.

Watch the video for 33 inspiring containers, then click on any of the container articles below for more inspiration and how-tos.

Index

The Woman in Blue
I decided to display the blue face container on a large Douglas fir tree trunk beside my stairs.
Blog: Container post

Moved to Blog

Repurposing — A Recipe for Charming Containers
All it takes to repurpose something into a plant container is a little imagination, good drainage, a bit of soil and wonderful plants.
Moved 01/13/24

Water Bowl in the Landscape
Every year I try different plants in this water feature nestled in the garden.
Moved 08/13/23

Daffodil Abundance
Stuffing a container with daffodil bulbs.
Moved 08/12/23

The Woman In Golden Yellow
A wall pot made in the likeness of the goddess Aphrodite hung high on the wall.
Blog: Container post

Incredible Edibles in the Air
Why not grow lettuce in pretty containers and hanging baskets?
Moved 01/18/23

Energized Purple Pot
I was pleasantly surprised that the meadow rue bloomed all summer long in this pot.
Moved 01/11/23

Fun with Tillandsias
Still-life gardening.
Moved 10/26/22

Purple Watering Can Container
I loved the two colors together.
Moved 10/24/22

Design in Foliage Extremes
Sometimes extremes in foliage can be a container's best friend.
Moved 10/05/22

Dynamic Winter Containers
Winter, are you ready for some vibrant color in the garden?
Moved 01/12/22

Driftwood Containers Come to Rest
Driftwood turned into garden treasure.
Moved 01/05/22

Not Yet Moved

In memory of Chamaecyparis 'Ellwood's Pillar'
the tree burned when a car parked next to it caught fire.
June 8, 2020

Coleus, Coleus
A two-coleus container takeover.
October 27, 2019

Fall for Containers
Put a bit of fall into your containers!
Updated: September 18, 2019

Canary Creeper Gone Wild
I thought planting a Canary Creeper into a hanging basket was a good idea.
Updated: August 11, 2019

A Bicycle Built For?
Two -- A beautiful plant in its pot.
April 3, 2019

The Birdbath and the Cloche
... a fantastic focal point for this partial-shade spot.
July 29, 2018

Lophospermum instead of petunias?
Lophospermums are exuberant performers, flowering from early summer through the first frost in autumn.
July 23, 2018

Rustic Container with Aeonium & Company
A charming small pot meets up with succulents.
July 6, 2017

Patriotic Disaster!
I didn't get the blues.
February 8, 2017

Sempervivum Platform
I found this platform with an open basket weave tucked away in the corner of a nursery.
December 22, 2016

Breaking the Mold
The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one.
November 11, 2015

I planted a skull
This year my Halloween pot comes complete with gray matter ...
October 28, 2015

Container garden refresh for the colder seasons
Now’s the time to refresh, refurbish, or tear the summer containers apart and start over for the autumn and winter seasons.
September 15, 2015

Aphrodite's Hat
...here I was practicing a new art form — horticulture millinery couture.
July 28, 2015

A Living Moss, Hanging Basket
Irish moss puts a new spin on the moss-lined basket!
June 15, 2015

Container Grown Edibles
Edibles and herbs in containers.
June 4, 2014

I Can't Contain Myself!
Every year I vow not to plant as many as the year before... Great container ideas too!
May 12, 2014

Fruit Trees and Corrugated Metal
An allée of fruit trees growing in large corrugated metal containers.
March 24, 2014

Winter Urn for a Pacific Northwest Garden
A winter urn brings a pleasant early spring surprise.
March 2, 2014

Exuberant Summer Container
A beautiful decorative pot is smothered in summer flowers.
January 12, 2014

Thinking Outside the Pot!
You don't always have to plant the container, just plant around it.
September 13, 2013

Thornless Raspberries in a Pot!
Who would have guessed that one day we could grow a shrubby, thornless raspberry (Rubus idaeus 'NR7').
July 6, 2013

Bird Cages and Succulents
Take a decorative hinged bird cage, line it with moss, plant it with succulents—hang and enjoy.
July 3, 2013

Debunking Two Popular Plant Container Myths
Two myths: improving drainage with a layer of pebbles and keeping soil moist with polymer crystals.
May 9, 2013

Succulents Plants in a Globe
How to make a globe filled with succulent plants for your garden.
(updated) May 4, 2013

Bird Cages and Succulents
Take a decorative hinged bird cage, line it with moss, plant it with succulents—hang and enjoy.
April 25, 2013

A Dish of Worm Plants
A fun little dish filled with the succulent worm plant—Crassula marnieriana.
February 27, 2013

Asarina procumbens and the Painted Concrete Urn
Images of a painted urn and its contents.
February 2, 2013

Aeonium and Company
This is a good example of why using handsome foliage plants in containers creates stunning results!
January 21, 2013

Echevaria Globe
I spotted this spectacular hanging globe basket planted with the silver Echevaria runyonii ‘Rose’ plants.
December 31, 2012

Mandevilla and Coleus Combined for Heat!
A thought crept into my brain, that when we have an extra-long cold spring, I tend to plant containers with brighter hued plant combinations.
September 28, 2012

Purple Pot Strikes Again!
When I spotted the unfurling leaf, I rolled my eyes and said, "It's about time!"
August 20, 2012

Hanging Petunia Baskets Get Flying Colors
Lively points of color, liven up a quiet green space.
May 10, 2012

The Houseplant That Wandered Outside
I tucked the Tradescantia into the woven birch bark basket...
May 1, 2012

Alocasia and Company
As this pot fills out over the summer months it will go from beautiful to absolutely stunning.
April 28, 2012

Sizzling Hot Pot of Crotons, Daisies and Strawflowers
While the shrub is small, I’ve tucked in two companion plants to make this container shout.
April 5, 2012

Growing Daffodils in Containers
There are so many ways you can present these springtime charmers.
March 16, 2012

White Window Box for an East Window
A window covered in coleus, setcreasea, dianthus and hosta for the east side.
February 14, 2012

Brighten a Shady Nook
One small pot, and one small begonia tuber was all it took to bring this dim place back to light.
January 24, 2012

Fab Containers of 2011
A potpourri of pots, the best for 2011.
December 31, 2011

Comfortable As an Old Pair of Jeans
Old jeans, and some ingenuity made these old jeans come back to life with plants.
December 8, 2011

Just the Foliage Ma'am
And nothing but!
December 1, 2011

Container Gardening—Sometimes Simpler Is Better
Some years I want to cram everything into a pot.
December 1, 2011

Container Garden—Foliage for Color
With little in bloom, you would expect a container to be blah and uninteresting
December 1, 2011

Narcissus for the Holidays and Beyond
There is nothing better for the spirit than flowering plants in winter.
November 13, 2011

Potting Up Made Easy
Planting a container is a dirty business.
May 2, 2011

How to Make a Moss Lettuce Basket
Make a beautiful edible container using a wire basket, moss and colorful lettuce plants.
April 26, 2011

Big Flower Baskets Hanging in a Tree
Trees dressed up in flowers.
August 23, 2010

Echoes of Color
You know all is well with the world when you can effortlessly put a container together.
April 19, 2011

Stacked Pot Surprise
A stack of pots dripping with string of pearls enlivens a corner of the garden.
August 26, 2007

Giant Colocasia in a Container
This container is about foliage.
June 6, 2007

A Bacopa and Coleus Filled Hanging Basket
Not quite what I had in mind, but still. . .
January 26, 2007

Black Stem Taro Container
This taro is a focal point wherever you plant it.
January 26, 2007

Cordyline 'Red Sister'
Cordylines are outstanding architectural plants for a container.
March 26, 2006

Hair of Sedum and Sempervivum
A moss covered container crowned with hardy plants.
November 30, 2005

Coleus A La Mode
More coleus pairings in the shade of a large rhododendron.
August 20, 2005

Window Box for an East Window
The first day it was planted, I was pleased.
June 12, 2005

Going Bananas
Banana, coleus and sedum fill this container.
October 14, 2004

Canna Lily Water Garden
A water feature containing a canna lily. August 14, 2004

A Tall Lanky Container
Ideas to play up a tall, lanky container.
February 25, 2004

Phormium Container
A large plant for a large pot
October 14, 2003

Bells, Honeywort and Pots
What do you put in a big purple container?
January 15, 2003

Rhodochiton atrosanguineum
A climbing plant in a hanging basket.
January 15, 2003

Faux Painting a Plastic Container
A step-by-step guide for painting plastic pots.

A Green and Blue Theme
May 16, 2001