Urban Garden

Virtually anyone can have an Urban Garden. Whether it's a sunny entryway, balcony or ground-level patio, clusters of containers, hanging baskets and an arbor or trellis transform small spaces into a colorful, welcoming urban retreat.

For best effect, group containers in odd numbers and stagger plant heights. Choose stone, terra cotta or faux-stone planters in varying sizes and shapes, and use quality potting soil that holds moisture, yet drains well. Full-size plants deliver instant color and impact, creating the illusion of an established garden.

Patio trees, roses, herbs, cacti, shrubs, sedum, perennials and vegetables work well in this garden.

Habitat Garden

Home to butterflies, birds and other winged things...a little overgrown and always changing...is the Habitat Garden. A Habitat Garden is easy to care for and looks its best when slightly overgrown. A great way to combine beautiful, fragrant flowers with tall grasses, vines and shrubs. This garden blooms best in full sun. For a special touch, add a water feature.

Some plants perfect for this garden:

Cone flower
Yarrow
Butterfly Bush
Blue Beard
Fountain Grass
Honeysuckle
Blanket Flower
Russian Sage
Rosemary

In wilderness is the preservation of the world.
_Thoreau

Radiant Garden

A south or west facing border or bed that receives 5 to 6 hours of sun a day is the perfect location for a Radiant Garden. Most flowers do well in full sun with regular watering, but check care labels before you plant to be sure.

Perennials are excellent choices for this garden, and once in the ground are relatively carefree. Take blooming cycles into account when planning this garden, staggering early, midsummer and late bloomers for spring-to-fall color. You may also wish to include a few annuals in the mix for their ability to provide ongoing blooms throughout the growing season.

Radiant Gardens make excellent cutting gardens and their colorful presence attracts a range of insects and birds. Roses are a great choice.

Tranquil Garden

Think of this garden spot as a cool, green retreat from the cares of the day. In fact, because it is a shade garden, the Tranquil Garden requires little in the way of care, for it is populated with woodland perennials and low-maintenance flowering shrubs like camellia and gardenia. Tranquil Gardens are ideal for shaded foundation plantings, north or east facing landscapes and areas with tree cover.

All it takes to keep a Tranquil Garden happy is to water as needed and deadhead flowering plants to lengthen the blooming season. Evergreens are a natural choice for this garden, as are spreading ground covers. Add Lungwort, Foxglove, Fuchsia, Columbine, Fern and Japanese Maple. A fountain or small pond creates a feeling of serenity.

Windowsill Gardens

Make a garden for your windowsill by taking cuttings from your favorite indoor and outdoor plants, and root them in water.

Prepare the cuttings by stripping off the lower leaves and cutting off the bottom of the stem. Place in small containers on the sill for a decorative effect. Change the container water weekly to keep the water clear and bacteria free. Plant in soil when the roots are well-formed. Cuttings should be watered when transplanted but not again until soil is almost dry.

Plant suggestions for the windowsill garden:

Angelwing Begonia
Hoya
Swedish Ivy
Purple Passion Plant
Coleus
Gardenia

What You'll Need To Create Your Garden

Flowerpots and containers
Potting soil
Low, mid-level, and tall plants, appropriate for your container's setting(sun-loving or shade-dwelling)
Small pruning shears
Watering can or hose
Liquid or slow-release fertilizer
Pebbles, stones or broken clay pots

Tips For Great Container Gardens

Don't fill a pot brimful with soil. Leave at least one inch at the top so water can pool and soak in slowly.

Container gardens need lots of fertilizing since nutrients get washed out with rain and frequent watering. Make fertilizing easier by adding a slow-release 9-month fertilizer to the soil at planting time.

Keep soil evenly moist. In warm weather that means watering plants every day. In very hot dry weather, you may have to water twice a day.

Live in a hot, dry climate and have a number of pots? Consider rigging up a drip-emitter system with a timer. It's a no-hassle way to make sure your plants get plenty of water-even if you are gone on vacation.

Consider using potting soil that contains the new polymer crystal products, which dramatically reduce water use. When wet, the crystals swell into clear globules and act like sponges to help keep soil moist longer.

Keep spent blooms trimmed. The more you pinch or cut off spent blooms, the more most plants will flower.

Create an Eye-Catching Garden Anywhere

Whether you have a large backyard or simply a great window in your apartment, you can create a lovely container garden. A container garden brimming with flowering plants can satisfy your green thumb and add beauty to even the smallest of spaces.

First determine whether you have a sunny or a shady spot and keep this in mind when purchasing your plants. Then gather pots and containers in an assortment of sizes; make sure they all have drainage holes. Buy quality potting soil and you are ready to start.

Cover the drainage holes with pebbles and then fill with potting mix. The first plant to insert is a central, upright plant--something tall and spectacular. Plant something low and cascading "a skirt" for the pot. Add more soil as needed and position two or three low trailing plants around the edge. Good choices include ivy, lobelia and cascading petunias, verbena, and geraniums.

Tuck in a mid-level of filler plants such as scaevola to sweep around your tall plant. Water thoroughly, avoiding blossoms and leaves. Add more soil if much settling occurs.

Of course choose plants that will thrive in your part of the world.