What Size Container Should I Select?

You can banish the memory of a single geranium in a pot on the front porch! Today’s containers are overflowing with annuals, perennials, edibles, succulents and more!  Container gardening continues to soar in popularity.  It’s ideal for balconies, windowsills, patios and decks as well as it can add unique combination plantings throughout the landscape.

There is a veritable cornucopia of containers to choose from including Italian clay, rustic repurposed metal or wood and colorful glazed pots. And a container that looks good is great, but a container that is well suited for the job is the key to successful container gardening.  No matter the style, the most important thing to consider is size and shape when selecting a container.

Watering: The easiest way to turn what should be a relaxing part of gardening into pure drudgery is selecting containers that are simply too small for the plant and need constant monitoring and watering. The smaller the pot, the faster it will dry out. Also, clay and other porous materials which are great for aiding in air circulation, dry out more quickly. If you want smaller pots, perhaps to showcase signature or unique plants, keep the number of smaller containers to a minimum and positioned where it is easy to water them.  

Container Tip: If you have a sunnier site and are drawn to small containers consider growing succulents; they require less watering.  A single, small succulent looks great in a smaller pot and it will be easy to bring them indoors during the colder winter months.
Go big or go home; but remember this … the larger the containers, the more soil is required to fill them and they can be very difficult or impossible to move. Large, deep containers are ideal for growing small trees and shrubs and larger tropical plants. Large containers also make a great visual statement on the patio, by the front door or set within the garden.

Before you pull the trigger on an oversized container ask yourself these questions:
Will you have to move the container in the winter?  
If left in the garden over winter, is the container sans plants still visually interesting?
Do the plants you want to grow require the amount of soil such a container can hold?
Can you easily water the container?

Container Tip: Using a larger container in the garden as a focal point or a way to anchor part of the garden is a great design trick. By selecting a material that can be left outdoors year-round you will save yourself the hassle of moving the larger piece and the container will add valuable winter interest to the garden.
Large container, small planting; sure, go for it! A diminutive planting in a large container works well especially when the container is a signature piece, but you surely will not need all the soil the container has room to hold. To save on soil simply fill the container with coffee cans, 2 –liter bottles or other, non-compostable, sealed items that take up volume within the pot. It will not only save on soil, but the pot will be lighter and thus easier to move.

Tipping Point: Summer winds will blow and they can easily topple a tall, skinny pot as well as smaller, light weight pots. Potting soil is far lighter than garden soil and may not weigh a pot enough to withstand strong winds.

Container Tip: Anchor lighter pots and tall skinny pots with a layer of gravel at the bottom of the container. Not only will the gravel allow for ideal water drainage (avoiding water logged roots) but it may be the difference between downed or upright pots post summer storm.

Surface Space: There is volume, or amount of soil a container holds and then there is surface space, the area that is available for planting within a pot. The smaller the opening, the fewer plants the container can accommodate.

Container Tip: If a lush mix of many plants is what you want, select your plants first, and then find the pot that offers the surface space to accommodate the plants.