8 Stunning Container Gardening Ideas

Beautiful blossoms are a sure sign of Spring, and soon enough we will all be able to enjoy brightly adorned gardens.  If you love container gardening, then this list of ideas just may inspire you with some fresh new ideas. In this post we share 8 gardening ideas for potted plants. All of these potted plant ideas are colorful and inspiring.

Looking for ideas on what plants go in greenhouses? Check out these Greenhouse gardening books or these books on Container gardens.

1- Truly Elegant Containers from Le Jardinet

2- Wine Barrel Container from The Gilded Bloom

3- Rich Color Container Combo from Costa Farms

4- Colorful Shade Container Garden from Pike Nursery

5- Geranium Container from Power Flowers

6- Foliage and Texture from Proven Winners

7- Full Shade Container from The Garden Diaries

8- Unique by Design from Houzz

Wondering what are the best vegetables to plant in pots or containers?

Lettuce
Lettuce does extremely well in wide topped containers.

Spinach
If you like to eat it you can grow it.

Peppers
Peppers of all sorts do great in containers. I have grown bell peppers, jalapenos in containers.

Onions
Onions can grow quite well in pots on a porch or balcony.

Potatoes 
potatoes are easy to grow and harvest this way.

Carrots
Grab a deep pot for these beauties.

Zucchini
This can be planted in a pot or container but you will need support for it such as a tomato frame

Tomatoes 

Tomatoes are easy to grow especially cherry tomatoes, Again you will need garden stake support.

Bananas are of course one of the most common fruits to find in any family fruit bowl. They are tasty, easy to peel and equally delicious eaten straight as they are peeled, mashed on a sandwich, or chopped up and added to cereal, for example. But how many of us are aware of how nutritious bananas also are? They can afford us a great many vitamins and minerals, essential to our daily lives and state of well-being.

Bananas are very high in natural potassium, carbohydrates, proteins and fibre, and low in harmful sodium. They contain respectable quantities of Vitamins A, B and C. One large banana has approximately 120 to 140 calories. So what do these essentially meaningless statistics to most people actually mean in real terms? Why are bananas so good for us?

The potassium in bananas means that they are very beneficial to those with an active lifestyle, providing energy and rejuvenation. They can reduce hypertension, high blood pressure and cholesterol. They can even assist – unlike the vast majority of fruits – in stopping diarrhoea and helping our bodies to replace the fluids lost through such.

Growing bananas is easy. There are tons of different varieties to choose from, producing everything from finger sized- bananas to plantains, with colors such as blue, red, pink, red and rose. Each variety has a distinct taste, which is nothing like the supermarket variety.

Of course, there’s the Cavendish, the yellow banana every one knows and is used to.

Grown directly in the soil or in a container, the leaves make a wonderful addition to any garden, and most bananas are cold hardy to an extent.

It won’t get too hot for a banana plant. The country of Ecuador produces tons of bananas in 100-120 degree of daily heat.

Imagine the fun of taking multi- colored bananas to work to share!

You will need:

Banana plants
12″ container to start
18 gallon container for the second year (this will last several years)
Topsoil
Compost
Perlite
Peat

Get your soil mix started. Mix 1/3 topsoil, 1/3 compost and the rest should be 1/2 perlite and 1/2 peat. This will provide everything your banana plant needs.

Take your banana plant out of the container it arrived in and inspect the roots. If they are twisted around the bottom of the root ball (called the corm), cut them so they don’t strangle the plant later. Cut only the twisted roots; never cut into the corm itself unless removing a pup. Plant your bananas no deeper than the plant was in the pot. Water in thoroughly.

Water an inch a day when temperatures are over 90 degrees. Mulching with hardwood mulch also helps to keep the soil moist. You can’t overwater bananas unless you stick them in a bog, so make sure the container you use has drainage. In the spring, separate off the “pups,” the side shoots that grow from the main root, the corm. Give them to friends so they can grow their own ‘nanas.” A cheap knife, purchased at the dollar store, works fine in my garden for this.

Some additional points to consider:

If there is a freeze, bring the plant inside if it’s not too heavy. If it is, cover with blankets or move it to a greenhouse. Don’t cover it with plastic-that will kill it. The cold transmits directly through the plastic to the plant.
Find out how many recipes for your bananas. Even the leaves from the plant can be used in cooking.
Always move a heavy container with caution. I have a hand truck and a hand winch to move my heavy plants. It takes a while, but the plants get to where they need to go.
On a fun note- don’t tell everyone you know you grow bananas. They might show up on your doorstep asking for a handout, banana bread, etc. However, reading “Huckleberry Finn” might come in handy- get your lawn mowed, gutters cleaned, etc.