Bloom where you’re planted with spring container gardens! Transform your Texas home instantly with the vibrant colors and textures this amazing season brings. Container gardens give you flexibility and make gardening accessible to everyone!
They are ideal for small spaces, balcony gardens, and areas with limited green space. You’ll have better control over the growing conditions because they are portable and can easily be moved, making your plants less vulnerable to extreme weather or pests. Container gardening is ideal for beginners and will help anyone build confidence while discovering their green thumb’s potential. Container gardens allow you to be creative and experiment with new varieties and themes. Plus, you can add an extra layer of style to your home with decorative planters.
Ready to grow? Get inspired with these DIY container gardening tips and ideas!
Before you start planting your DIY container garden, remember a few things that will help you grow with success. Container gardening is easy, deciding what to grow is the hardest part!
There are four essential supplies needed: potting soil, pottery, water, and plants. Plant Dollies, watering cans, and plant food are handy too.
When choosing your plants, pick varieties that have similar water and sun requirements and think about texture, size, and color for a harmonious design. Avoid mixing shade-loving and full-sun plants in one creation or combining plants that need minimal watering with varieties that need constant moisture and humidity. Our Texas Certified Nursery Professionals can help you make the right selections.
For unique container garden designs, build your creations around the Thriller, Filler, Spiller method. This helpful technique takes the guesswork out of the DIY process, allowing you to focus on your plant selections. It utilizes different types of plants, so the final product is a well-rounded, robust, and vibrant container garden.
- Thrillers are plants with height to add a vertical element and drama. They are the focal point of your creation.
- Fillers tend to be more rounded or mounding plants to make it look full. They are usually placed in front of or around the Thriller.
- Spillers are trailing plants that hang over the edge of the container for flowing color and texture.
Exotic Container Garden Design for Your Outdoor Oasis
One of the best things about spring container gardening is designing your creations with a theme in mind. The options are endless, from edible gardens to monochromatic designs. In this example, we are bringing home the tropics with exotic elements and vibrant colors that will transform any porch or patio into an outdoor oasis.
STEP ONE:
First, find your favorite colorful ceramic pots, terracotta pottery, or decorative planter pots. Choose from our vast collection of trendy pots and planters in a variety of sizes, colors, and styles. Make sure it has a drain hole to avoid standing water or use an Ups-A-Daisy® Round Planter Insert to help boost your plants by giving them a lift. It creates better drainage and protects against root rot.
Fill your planter with the best soil for container plants by using Calloway’s Premium Container Potting Soil. Our top-of-the-line potting soil is a high-quality blend of organic materials that provides an optimal growing environment for easy-care container plants.
STEP TWO:
It is time to plant your colorful combination! Welcome the warmer weather and add a touch of the tropics to your porch with Tropical Hibiscus. The exotic blooms and bold foliage will transport you to paradise. Tropical Hibiscus is one of the best plants for container gardens, and is ideal for cutting and using in floral arrangements. Tropical Hibiscus is sun-loving and produces daily flowers from spring through fall, delighting with some of the brightest colors of the season.
Create unique container garden designs with the Thriller, Filler, Spiller method for an exciting spring display. Use Tropical Hibiscus for the Thriller, or the focal point of your creation, and place it near the back of the planter, leaving room to add plants in front of it. This will be the backdrop of your spring container garden.
Next, surround your Tropical Hibiscus with Filler plants. Use Petunias for vibrant spring color! These rich, trumpet-like blooms are available in a rainbow of distinctive colors and patterns. They are one of the most popular spring flowers, prized for their long blooming period. Petunias are fast-growing, easy-care container plants with an attractive mounding habit that will help create a full appearance in your design.
Pair your Petunias with exotic foliage for additional texture and extra dimension. Try FlameThrower™ Coleus for its compact growth and stunning color. This low-maintenance plant will enhance the tropical feel with its uniquely shaped leaves and deep red hue. One thing that makes this variety of Coleus so versatile is that it thrives in full sun as well as in the shade.
Complete your exotic container garden design with your Spiller selections, placing them in front of the Fillers, near the edge of the planter. Choose plants with trailing growth such as Superbells® Tropical Sunrise Calibrachoa from Proven Winners®!
Superbells® Calibrachoa is a great addition to any container creation because of its cascading, compact habit. The flowing foliage is blanketed with small, petunia-like blooms in vibrant spring colors. Elevate your container garden with the tropical flair of this long-blooming, heat-tolerant annual.
STEP THREE:
Once everything is planted, water in thoroughly and add more potting soil if needed. Display your exotic container garden design on a sunny balcony or add a touch of the tropics to your patio.
DIY Pollinator-Friendly Container Garden
Make a pollinator garden in a pot! Attract butterflies to your patio with a container garden filled with pollinator-friendly flowers and dynamic spring foliage.
STEP ONE:
First, fill your decorative planters with Calloway’s Premium Container Potting Soil, leaving room for your plants.
STEP TWO:
Next, add container plants for pollinators and bold foliage. In the center of your creation, plant Electric Pink Cordyline as the Thriller. The upright, pink and maroon leaves will create a striking focal point for a unique container garden design. This flowering perennial produces showy and fragrant white blooms in the spring.
Next, create a full appearance with the Fillers and use pollinator-friendly flowers such as African Daisies. Place around the Thriller, leaving space for your other plants. Great for attracting bees and butterflies, these striking blooms will create a lasting display of vibrant spring color! They have a compact, mounding habit ideal for container plantings. African Daisies are prized for their stunning display of colorful and fragrant flowers.
Compliment your African Daisies with cheerful clusters of spring blooming Lantana. It is a fantastic container plant for pollinators because of its non-stop flowers in bright colors. Lantana will attract butterflies to your patio and enhance your outdoor space with lasting beauty.
Complete your low-maintenance pollinator container with the Spiller and incorporate gorgeous trailing foliage into your unique container garden design. Sweet Potato Vines are a wonderful choice for any spring container garden. Explore the different colors and choose your favorites. For our creation, we used the Marguerite variety for its lime green color and heart-shaped leaves.
Sweet Potato Vines are sun-loving with a tremendous spread. Place around the container, near the edge to provide trailing foliage that can be enjoyed from all sides.
STEP THREE:
Once everything is planted, water in thoroughly and add more potting soil if needed. Place your pollinator-friendly container garden on a sunny porch and enjoy the show of visiting bees and butterflies.
Care Tips
For your gardening success, container garden maintenance is key. Water regularly and keep your spring gardens thriving with Calloway’s Premium Flower Food! It is specially formulated to provide the essential nutrients that flowering plants need to thrive.
Shop with Ease
At Calloway’s and Cornelius, we are here to help with all your spring gardening needs! Visit us today and explore our stunning collection of vibrant blooms, lush indoor plants, stylish pottery, stately trees and shrubs, and so much more! Shop any of our 28 neighborhood stores, where we have served our loyal customers for over 35 years.
Have questions? Ask our Texas Certified Nursery Professionals; they are here to help!
