Description: Tips and tricks on how to design a small garden to maximize space by incorporating containers of various heights and sizes.

If you live in an apartment or condominium, or if your home in the city provides you with only a very tiny lot, you can still have a fabulous variety of plants if you design a small garden that includes containers and pots.

Not only can a patio garden planter extend the actual amount of space available to you, by thinking of your soil plot in terms of levels and incorporating taller plants and planters towards the back, and smaller plants and pots towards the front; using containers can make even the tiniest patch of ground look lush and multidimensional.

One fun trick is to choose one or two design elements of differing heights, such as a tall wooden chair to place against a fence and maybe a large tin washbasin to set near the center of your garden. Plant a container full of trailing plants like petunias or ivy, and set the container on the chair. Weave the plant material around the chair rails as it grows.

Plant the lower tin basin with plants that will spill over the side, and then plant shorter, upright flowers (such as marigolds or zinnias) in front of it. Tuck some sweet alyssum between the upright bloomers, and you have an instant designer garden that is much more interesting and fun than a few annuals planted in rows in your small flat space.

Another good trick is to make the most of any fencing you already have. Attach hanging planters to a wooden fence or wall, or hang plantable plastic bags (available in any garden center) flat against your fence and stick strawberries or flowers in the pockets. Place a tall clay strawberry jar in towards the middle or back of your garden and, if you don’t want to grow strawberries, fill the pockets with a selection of colorful creeping sedum or with some ‘Hens ‘n Chicks.’

Make use of found objects to use as containers, and don’t be afraid to experiment with witty cast off materials. Old shoes make fun herb planters and can be placed toward the front of a small garden. Chipped colorful coffee cups and bowls can be enlisted for the same purpose.

An old watering can filled with soil and planted with Gerbera daisies and ivy makes a charming and inexpensive statement. Old toy wagons found at yard sales make terrific annual planters and are just the right height for the center of your bed.

Once you get the hang of thinking in terms of vertical instead of just horizontal space, the sky is the limit when it comes to fleshing out your little plot.

If you are lucky enough to have a patch of ground that sits beside a chain link or wire fence, plant some flowering sweet peas, some perennial clematis, some morning glories,

or even some scarlet runner beans (brilliant red flowers followed by perfectly edible green beans), for a dramatic back drop to your container and garden plants.

You can design a small garden that is every bit as luxurious and interesting as a huge established perennial bed; all you need is some containers, some imagination, and several 40 pound bags of good potting soil, compost, and manure.

With so many people looking to start gardening again at home, you may even find yourself with a job offer or two. Have fun, and think outside the box!

About the Author:
Scott Gray is a garden enthusiast who loves to relax taking care of his garden. For more information about container gardening ideas, ceramic garden planters, tips for growing roses in containers and general gardening information, be sure to visit his site allgardenplanters.com.

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