9 Tips for Creating an Artful Container Garden

Whether greening a patio or adding interest to a flower bed, planted containers add texture and depth. But artful container gardens aren't as simple as plopping plants in a pot. Here are nine tips from designers for truly artful containers.

1. Keep Pots Simple

"I limit colors/glazes to one or two per garden area," says Tish Treherne of Bliss Garden Design.

2. Set a Tone

Think about your garden's style—traditional, modern, Asian? Choose containers reflecting that theme. Find your garden style

3. Think of Pottery as Sculpture

Pottery's array of shapes, sizes, glazes, and colors adds artistic elements. "When selecting glaze and color, I consider the garden setting," says Treherne. "Chartreuse glaze in a shaded garden with monochromatic greens, copper red in warm sunny gardens. I also consider hardscape—here pottery echoes surrounding stone."

Some pots can be left empty as sculptural elements. "For unplanted pots, I look for ones smaller at the top than the middle. A more open top begs to be planted."

4. Build Color Scheme Around One Specific Plant

Glenna Partridge suggests starting with a plant you love. "I use the foliage or flower color as my jumping-off point."

5. Play with Plant Groupings

Decide between single plantings or groupings. "Except for succulents, I prefer one plant per pot, then group pots. Cleaner look, lower maintenance," says Treherne. No right or wrong—personal preference.

If using multiple plants in one container, Partridge advises packing them in. "With a good-sized container (22–36 inches) and weekly fertilizing, they'll be happy." Consider thriller, filler, spiller but don't fear veering from formula. "You might just have one large plant with trailing spillers."

The formula for grouping plants in a pot

6. Add Impact with Color

Minimalist monochromatic or high-impact color? "For high impact, use opposites on the color wheel—blue with orange," advises Partridge.

7. Use Foliage to Add Texture

Whether single-plant containers or multi-species pots, mixing foliage types adds interest through texture. Partridge suggests mingling broad-leaved and finer-leaved plants for contrast. How to mix plant textures to catch the eye

8. Experiment with Height and Scale

"If more gardeners planted with scale in mind, they'd have better results," says Partridge. A few large containers create more impact than many tiny ones, especially in medium and large spaces.

9. Place Pots in Existing Beds

Great way to use pots as sculptural elements. Treherne takes a location- and climate-specific approach. "If pottery makes a statement, I might use an unusual plant to catch the eye. Generally, I think about performance over time—some plants just do well in pots." Avoid high-water-need plants; use climate-suited varieties.

More: How to get the right soil mix for your container garden