Getting Started with Container Gardening
The great thing about gardening in containers is the flexibility you get. Since the plants aren't rooted in the ground, you can place them exactly where you want them. You can create a miniature garden right around your deck or patio.
A place where you can relax and enjoy the fruits of your green thumb. 
If you live in a condo or apartment you can create a garden on your balcony or on an outdoor stairway as long as the you have approval. This can be a lush green oasis with a variety of plants and flowers, for beauty and or fragrance.
People who live in cities can grow beautiful container gardens on flat rooftops. They also can can use balconies and stairways as well. If you have none of these you can achieve a beautiful container garden inside your home. You can use your walls and windows with small pots or hanging baskets.
Your beautiful container garden is limited by your imagination.
Planning your container garden
A container planting can be as simple as a single pot of flowers, or a larger pot with a combination of plants as lush as any garden border. You will get the most enjoyment from you container plants when you choose and group them to fit in with the setting of your home or garden.
Choose the right size container for your garden
Plants in a single small container can look out of place all alone on a deck or patio. To get the best effect you want your container plants to be in proper scale with the outdoors. If you can opt for large containers. Using large containers will cost more but the plants will grow better, You will have to water less and the over all effect will be better with your container garden.
If you prefer to grow plants in small containers group them together to create an eye catching effect. If you group them together it will make maintenance easier. Try to vary the height of plants to create a pleasing to the eye garden.
Consider the Colors
To get more enjoyment from your garden consider color combinations when you are buying plants. Your plant groupings will look best when one or two colors are dominate. The reason is a mixture of many different colors can look to busy.
Even though each flower or plant is beautiful on it's own or in groupings with the same color or different shades of the same color, to many colors can be stressful to the eyes. So when buying plants think about the color combination.
Creating Great Plant Combinations
Great looking gardens are basically a series of many individual plant combinations. The combinations available to you would depend on the space. You have the climate and the amount of sun your garden receives.
The best combinations aren't just based on color and season of Bloom. They consider the quality color texture the leaves as well. Good combinations also feature different plant heights and forms short medium or tall, mat like, spiky and round.
Equally important is overall texture where the plant is fine and delicate looking like baby's breath or coarse and dramatic like peonies and hostas.
Contrast and Compliments
A well planned garden will balance contrast and similarities. Contrasting colors sizes or other design elements are bold and stimulating use contrast to draw attention to a particular. Occasion and to add a lively field. Overusing contrast and too many different textures are strong colors can create a jumbo chaotic look period.
The absence of contrast increases the sense of harmony the subtle variations of closely related colors and gradual height transitions to create a soothing design too much. Similarity risk being uninteresting so add a touch of contrast a few containers with plants of different height colors or textures.
Repetition acts as a bridge between similarity and contrast. Repeating similar elements will unify even the boldest of designs. Evenly space repetitions a. Particular plant or combinations create a formal look.
You can use containers of the same size containing the same plants to create a bed of plants. Combine different plants with similar flower colors or leaf shapes. To give an informal garden a cohesive but casual look.
Texture and Form
There are 2 other plant characteristics, That is texture and form. These 2 are just important as color and creating interesting combinations.
Masses asses of even texture foliage can tone down bold colors while dramatic leaf shapes. Can add extra zip to a pastel planting.
A few examples
Example one balance rounded clump formers with spiky plants. Example two contrast shiny leaves with velvety or fuzzy leaves.
Example three contrast fine foliage with smooth broad leaves.
Example four include spikey leaves that will stand out from matt like are mounted plants long after the flowers fade.
With plants in containers you can rearrange and replace each pot as needed creating an ever changing garden that always looks picture perfect.
