23 Of The Best Garden Container Ideas (#18 Is Our Favorite!)

Always wanted to have a container garden in your backyard? Don’t have any planter ideas to get you started?

I got you covered! I have found 23 amazing container garden ideas you will fall in love with! 

Container gardens are becoming more and more popular amongst homeowners. According to the University of Illinois, their popularity comes down to how flexible, low-maintenance, and space-saving they are, while they look just as good, if not better, than regular backyard gardens!

I think that a container garden is a great alternative for those of us who have small backyards or only a balcony, but still want to include lush greenery in our exterior design.

This topic prompted me to find some beautiful container gardens for you to try! We all need a little bit of greenery and freshness in our lives! Let’s get started! 

Make A Recycled Hanging Planter 

Does it break your heart to see how much litter you produce every month? Why don’t you save your plastic bottles and give them a new purpose in life! 

The first thing you need to do is remove the labels from the bottles. You can then cut them either vertically or horizontally to create hanging containers. Create one big opening at the top of each bottle and drill drainage holes at the bottom. 

Now is the time to paint them in bold colors, if you want to. I personally believe that colorful flower pots will draw more attention than white or clear ones. 

If you have a lot of bottles and seedlings on hand, you can create a pretty garden wall like it’s shown above. The water from the drainage holes will hydrate the potted plants below. 

An Old Wheelbarrow With A New Life

Container gardening without containers is possible when you have an old wheelbarrow. I think that this is a great way to give your rusty wheelbarrow a new life!

You don’t have to sand it, paint it, or do anything to it! Leave it as is! That’s the whole point. All those scratches and dents on the surface tell a story. A wheelbarrow like this will perfectly fit into any vintage-inspired container garden.

Place your wheelbarrow in an outdoor space that you chose. Fill it up with potting soil and plant colorful annuals and lush ornamental grasses in it, as can be seen in the container garden recipes above. Make the arrangement pretty.

Thriving In A Bird Cage

You don’t have to feel sorry for these colorful annuals trapped in a birdcage! Look at them! They are thriving!

If your grandma hasn’t handed down one of these vintage birdcages to you, I’ve seen several of them being sold for dirt-cheap at flea markets. Keep your find as is, or paint it in matte white or black, just like it’s shown in these pictures.

Place your beautiful plants in the middle of the cage. Let the creeping jenny cascade off the sides. Hang the cage on the ceiling of your gazebo for everyone to see. You can also put it on an old chair that you found at one of the local yard sales. 

Create Simple Concrete Planters

Not a fan of the vintage container design? You will love these square concrete container garden ideasfor sure! They fit into any modern or minimalist home.

Concrete planters like these have a bold presence despite the lack of accessories. I believe that  they make a statement with their simple and massive design.

You can either buy concrete garden planters or make them on your own with a cast and a concrete mix. You only need to add water and mix well. Once your containers are fully dry, you can plant lavender, sweet potato vine, or fresh herbs inside. 

Slab Planters Look Good Too 

These concrete planters may suit you better! They look more sophisticated than the square containers shown above.

I love these slab planters for one more reason. They are narrower and can perfectly fit next to a wall without taking up too much of the pathway. Having had these in my backyard, I can safely say that you have plenty of room to walk by these bulky and heavy containers that are otherwise hard to move.

I also like how these homeowners are sticking with the minimalistic theme even when it comes to their plant suggestions. No colorful flowers and colorful foliage plants in sight, just lush greenery.

Pick A Round Container Design

If you are looking for a softer and more romantic in appearance, I suggest ditching the square containers altogether and opting for round planters instead.

Round concrete planters of different sizes look best when clustered together. Tall, short, wide, and narrow garden planters that are causally hanging out will add visual interest to your outdoor space.

You will achieve an even better visual effect if you include bold colors in your container garden design. Don’t be afraid to mix and match contrasting colors. Look how stunning these flowers look against the gray base! They wouldn’t be as noticeable in colorful clay pots. 

Say Yes To Antique Style

If the container garden ideas shown above look too plain for your home and container garden design, I believe that you may like these antique beauties more! Their appearance is far from simple and boring.

These antique concrete container gardening ideas know how to put on a show. They are not modest when it comes to their style. They are fully adorned and accessorized.

These planters will look amazing anywhere you place them. You can keep them solitary or group them to create drama in your backyard.

Put Round Hanging Baskets On The Wall

Now, this is something you don’t see very often! As I found out, this garden wall will draw the attention of your guest and be the first thing they notice when they walk into your backyard. 

Unlike traditional hanging planters, these fully display what they hold without damaging the plants. That’s only possible because the big round container plantings you see are designed like a shelving unit. The plants aren’t directly planted inside of them. Instead, they hold a bunch of smaller containers at an angle that isn’t visible unless you part the leaves.

Sit Next To My Sweet Potato Vines

Who knew a wooden bench could have more than just one purpose! I was surprised to find that you can turn it into a container garden!

Transform the ends of your beloved bench into raised garden beds where you can plant edible plants, like a sweet potato vine. Who wouldn’t want to sit on a bench and munch on some fresh cherry tomatoes! 

But this is just a suggestion. You can always plant flowers with colorful foliage plants in your new containers. They will brighten your day whenever you sit next to them.

Step It Up With Trailing Plants

Why stop at bench planters when you can have a whole trellis as a backrest. English ivy, creeping jenny, and sweet potato vines would create an amazing backdrop, in my opinion. I can already picture it!

Extend the back of the bench with a wooden railing you can build on your own or buy online. You don’t have to secure the trellis to the side of the bench if it can’t hold the new weight. You can stick it into the lawn and put your settee right in front of it. 

With a bench like this, you can finally retire the old chair you are used to sitting on when taking a break from gardening and landscaping.

Get Some Privacy 

Tired of your neighbors peeking in when you are hosting barbecues? I’ve got an idea! Build a privacy trellis planter to block the view into your yard. 

You can make your privacy wall planter as big or as small as you need. You can extend it along the whole side of your yard or only cover a small opening in your fence. 

You will have to make the right plant choices for this project to work. As I discovered, ornamental grasses, canna lilies, spider plants, and low-growing tropical plants won’t work. Evergreen trailing plants like English ivy, or even sweet potato vine is what you need, according to Plantura, a leading magazine all about DIY sustainable gardening. Water regularly with a garden hose to grow a dense privacy wall!

Don’t know how to store your garden hose? Check out these ideas! 

More Than Tool Storage 

Ever thought of turning your garden tool storage into a raised garden bed? Hopefully, this ingenious idea inspires you to do so! 

This project is fairly simple to accomplish and it didn’t take my husband much time to finish it up! You only need to extend all four sides of your storage box to create a raised bed. If you have a bunch of odd planks and nails in your garage, you won’t have to spend a single dime on this makeover.

I do, however, recommend you coat the wood with a thin layer of stain before you add perennials and potting soil inside. 

Build A Tiered Container 

Make your container gardening interesting with a 4-tier planter. You will get four separate sections to plant in, so you won’t have to use improvised dividers between your lettuce and herb seedlings. A tiered container will keep your edible plants separated and well organized. 

I think that a container like this one also adds visual interest to your garden. We are all used to seeing flat container garden beds with little to no personality. Coming across a new garden design is always exciting. That’s why you need to see this garden tower I have taken the time to review.

Or Massive Brick Planters 

If you have basic knowledge of laying bricks, you can jump right into this project. You will first need to plan out the container garden design you want since this is a bigger project and may not work in small spaces.

If you are not confident in your skills, I recommend you build a combination planter running along your fence. If you are a little bit braver, I suggest trying to erect square planters in the middle of your backyard. They are easier to build than round ones and look just as stunning.

Grow Plants Step By Step 

Growing plants is a step-by-step process. It looks like somebody understood this literally, and I am not mad at it! These step container gardening ideas look fascinating, in my opinion!

You will first have to build a small staircase for your window box planters to stand on. You can get away with using a step stool ladder. A ladder bookshelf leaned against the side of the house would look even better. 

Once you have your ladder ready, there isn’t much left to do. You can carefully place your window box planters with overflowing blooms on each step. Watch them transform your container garden in an instance!

Bigger Home For Bigger Plants

Are all these container garden ideas too small for you? I am sure this one won’t be! I think that corrugated iron planters are ideal for those who have plenty of garden space and want to try big-scale container gardening.

The math is simple – bigger container plants need bigger pots to grow in. These big corrugated iron container plantings will give you plenty of room to grow kale, carrots, salad, and other veggies.

You can count on these container gardening ideas to get you through more than just one growing season. They are sturdy and robust and will last you for longer if you protect them with a thin layer of rust protection spray. 

Tall Planters Get All The Attention

Want to make a statement with your container garden? You can’t go wrong with these beautiful tall planters, in my opinion. They get all the attention they deserve. 

The reason why tall container gardening ideas stand out so much is that we are used to seeing them short. Garden containers typically lay low to the ground and aren’t in our visual field unless we look down.

I must say, though, that these tall containers don’t like competition. That’s why I recommend that you don’t plant canna lilies and tall ornamental grass in them. Such a combination may end up looking ridiculous.   

Cracked Flower Pot That Shows It All 

Every gardener has broken at least one clay pot in their lifetime. I’ll admit that I’ve broken a couple of clay pots before, which prompted me to come up with this idea, making it my favorite one on this list. The next time this happens to you, don’t throw the shards straight into the garbage. Turn them into art!

Who knew a cracked flower pot could look this pretty. Once you fill your large damaged flower pot with soil and smaller matching pots, you will create an interesting centerpiece. Adorn every crack of your broken clay pot with a succulent and plenty of river stones. 

Rattan Planters For Tropical Plants 

I’ve always loved how rattan looks. If you feel the same as I do, skip all of the above container gardens and try this one instead! Rattan planters are ideal for indoor container gardening, whether it is in your living room or on your balcony. 

Unlike other container gardening ideas on my list, these look very bohemian and remind me of summer vacation. Tropical plants look amazing in container gardens. But, planting a palm in one of these containers is a must, in my opinion. Even lavender plants look good in rattan! 

These rattan planters do remind me of summer. But what should you do with them when the growing season comes to an end? Find inspiration here, in these winter container garden ideas! 

Hanging Baskets That Bare It All 

Does your deck railing look kind of boring? It probably lacks a natural element! I believe that hanging baskets filled with your favorite flowers can quickly solve this problem. It is a cheap way to create drama on your deck, patio, and balcony.  

Wooden railing does look kind of bland when not adorned with container plants in matching and contrasting colors. The same goes for your windows. 

These basic parts of your house construction will remain without focal points unless you spice them up with pretty window box hanging baskets and some coleus varieties. 

Going Large

Using a giant metal container to plant a variety of smaller plants such as Heuchera, Euphorbia, Carex, or Hebes can make a great impact and wow all your guests. I have seen it happen in quite a few houses. It is also a great design trick to fill in an empty space in your outdoor or indoor area. If you position the metal containers properly, you will feel like you are in a luxurious hotel lobby or restaurant.

TerraCast, one of the leading US manufacturers and vendors of planter pots, warns that metal containers have a few drawbacks, too, such as:

• Attracting a lot of heat
• Being toxic to soil and thus unsuitable for growing edible plants
• Rusting

Hence, my advice is to position your metal planters under some type of cover that will keep them in the shade and protect them from the elements. And, of course, do not eat anything that grows in them!

White-Robed Apostles Of Hope

Even though Easter lilies are a symbol of hope and purity connected with celebrating Easter, Susan Mahr from the University of Wisconsin – Madison explains that these beautiful flowers do not normally bloom at this time of the year. 

If you decide to plant Easter lilies outside, either in containers or directly into the ground, you can expect them to open up their fragrant bulbs from July to August, as confirmed by the experts from Penn State University.

Mahr also warns cat owners to avoid Easter lilies no matter how much they admire them since they are poisonous to their beloved pets. My friend’s cat nibbled a leaf and got sick, and the veterinarian said we were lucky since Easter lilies can sometimes cause kidney failure in cats.

Terracotta Container Garden

If you’re looking for inspiration, terra cotta pots will always make a statement. They will give your outdoor space a Mediterranean look and make you feel like you are somewhere in Spain, which is one of my favorite European countries.

Terracotta is an eco-friendly, highly porous material made from natural clay that brings numerous benefits to container gardening, too. According to the experts from the Stockslagers Greenhouse Garden Center, growing plants in terra cotta pots has a lot of advantages, including:

• Your plants can breathe better, which makes them less susceptible to diseases, rot, or mold.
• You can move your plants indoors or transport them, which is significant if you are gardening on a rented property.
• Your containers will not fall over easily because terra cotta is a reasonably heavy material.
• You can repair or repurpose broken pots.

My advice is to get creative and make something unique for your garden, just like in the picture! Terracotta is a great material for crafty people.

FAQs 

Container Garden Ideas To Get You Inspired 

Your limited outdoor space shouldn’t keep you from container gardening. I think that container gardening in small spaces is possible when you have good container gardens in mind. That’s why I wanted to share this list with you! To get you inspired and encouraged!

Did you enjoy these container garden ideas? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below, and feel free to share this list with others!