25 Creative Container Garden Ideas to Enhance Porches, Patios, and Other Outdoor Spaces (2024)

The 10 Best Plants to Grow in Your Container Garden

Moss Gardens

The woodland near Martha's home in Maine is lush with mosses, lichens, and ferns, which she pots in decorative faux bois containers. After filling her pots, she brings everything back outdoors to display on her property.

Chimney Flues

If you want to enhance your curb appeal, chimney flues filled with plants are a stately way to do so. Choose antique pieces and place a plastic liner inside each. We filled ours with purple cordylines, silver tradescantia, and rex begonia vine.

Vertical Garden

Potted plants don't have to take up a lot of space in your yard. Instead, go vertical by placing small plants in containers and nestling them inside slots on an out-of-the way rack.

Upcycled China

Whether you'd like to make use of your mother's favorite china patterns or simply enjoy a unique DIY project, create a small container garden with multiple up-cycled planters, like these.

Pumpkin Planters

This simple DIY will look beautiful in your container garden during fall. Fill small pumpkins with succulent potting mix and your favorite succulents for a fun display.

Herb Garden

Growing herbs is one of the easiest ways to start an edible garden. Situate basil, parsley, thyme, and other low-maintenance herbs in small containers in a sunny spot near the kitchen for easy snipping.

Succulent Garden

Succulents are ideal for container planting because they have shallow root systems that can thrive in compact environments. The arid plants are also great if you live in an area prone to drought, as they only need to be watered once a week.

Mediterranean Plants

Mediterranean plants are low water, making them a perfect addition to container gardens, which dry out quickly. Fill them with lavender, rosemary, bay laurel, and more varieties.

Window Boxes

Window boxes are big enough to grow all sorts of plants, from perennials and annuals to herbs and vegetables. The low-maintenance style of gardening is a great way to add curb appeal to your home.

Citrus Garden

Turn your backyard or home into a tropical oasis by planting a citrus tree (or group of trees) in containers. Position your potted trees beside a south-facing window with good airflow and water regularly without making the soil overly moist. When it's warm out, move your trees into the fresh air.

Ivy Topiaries

Create an ivy topiary—which just requires filling containers with soil and ivy and pruning the plant into topiary forms—for a structured garden masterpiece.

Vegetable Garden

Create a thriving vegetable garden in containers, which is a great option if you have limited backyard space. Make sure to plant different vegetables in each pot so they don't compete for nutrients.

Herb Tower

Get creative with your herb garden by growing different varieties in multiple containers piled on top of one another. In this potted plant display, rosemary, sage, parsley, thyme, oregano, basil, and chives are grown in separate, stackable pots. If you want to grow mint, plant it on its own in the top pot, since it can overwhelm other herbs.

Hanging Baskets

Hanging baskets are an easy way to display plants without taking up square footage. Martha recommends filling yours with rhipsalis, sedums, staghorn ferns, and senecios, which all do well grown in containers.

Cacti in Containers

If you live in a dry climate or want to reduce your water use, growing cacti in containers in the way to go. Just make sure your pot has holes in the bottom so they can drain easily when they do get a drink.

Plants With Visual Interest

If you're looking for a potted plant idea that will bring style to your backyard, choose varieties with pops of color—like the polka dot plant (Hypoestes Phyllostachya). This houseplant comes in red, white, and pink hues for an eye-catching display.

Terra Cotta Garden

Terra cotta pots are porous, so they're ideal for plants that need well-draining soil. Elevate your display by using painters' tape to design patterns on your terra cotta containers.

Potted Ferns

Ferns are low-maintenance plants that thrive on humidity. Our pro tip? Add colorful pebbles to the bottom of a decorative planter and place the pot on top of the stones to increase the humidity level.

Raised Garden Bed

For those looking to grow multiple varieties of their favorite flowers, a large raised garden bed is a great way to create a container garden without limiting yourself to just one or two plants.

Vining Plants

Take advantage of hanging planters by showing off your favorite vining plants. Placed near adequate sunlight, varieties like English ivy, pothos, and string of pearls are sure to wow.

Water Garden

A water garden instantly gives aquatic plants, like water lilies, an artistic flair. These plants need sun, but they don't require soil because they get their nutrients from water.

Stock Tank Garden

Repurpose an old stock tank for a unique container display that has a vintage feel. Drill drainage holes into the bottom so water doesn't get trapped, then fill the tank with your favorite flowers.

Coral Bells Container

Coral bells are a beautiful addition to a container garden and can be grown on their own or to add interest to an existing pot This plant can be semi-evergreen, so it provides interest across multiple seasons.

Pollinator-Friendly Containers

Welcome pollinators, like bees and butterflies, to your garden by filling containers with flowers that attract wildlife. Some examples include asters, columbine, coneflower, bee balm, and goldenrod.

Collection of African Violets

African violets have vibrant blooms that look beautiful in containers—here a collection sits on the windowsill in Martha's servery where they get plenty of sunlight. "They're not happy someplace where you don't look at them all the time," she says.