Container Gardens

A Garden in Every Container

Containers full of vibrant plants can transform your space – from the front porch to the back patio or deck. Let seasonal blooming flowers grace your front door and containers full of greenery enhance your privacy or inspire you to relax a little more in your backyard.

No matter where or why you plant your containers, our Pacific Northwest winters are mild enough you can have year ’round color – and even flowers – by making a few simple plant changes in your containers or replanting every season.

We’ll show you how to plant and care for your containers!

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Choosing Plants

This is the fun - and first - step in creating your container! There are so many plants to choose from and so many colors! You can use our container designs as guidelines for color and texture, or you can follow them to the T.

The most important thing to consider when choosing a container garden idea is the SUN. Will your container be in the full hot afternoon summer sun? Or will it be in the morning sun with afternoon shade? The plants you choose should all have the same sun requirements. Our team has factored sun exposure into their designs.

How-to Basics

  • Fill your container about 2/3 of the way with potting soil. Using rocks for drainage at the bottom is not recommended – it actually slows the drainage of water because of the change in substrates. Plants can drown if their roots sit in water
  • Add an organic fertilizer and mix with the soil. We recommend using an organic fertilizer and compost tea for soil health. Healthy soil will create the best environment for plants to grow
  • Place the plants in their pots on top of the soil to finalize your design and to make sure they all fit. It gets crowded in a container – give the perennials some room to grow, the annuals can be close together. You have created a healthy, nutrient rich soil so no matter the placement, they will all thrive. Once you’ve made any adjustments, set the plants to the side in the same arrangement
  • Gently remove plants from pots and loosen up the roots and add them to the container. Start with the back of the pot and move forward
  • Fill in the spaces between plants with soil; gently packing as you go. Not as tight as your would pack a cup of brown sugar, but tight enough that your fingers don’t easily slip into the soil
  • Water thoroughly – until water comes out the bottom. Watering often reveals gaps when the water causes the soil to settle. Add additional soil if needed. Soil can settle over time so keep some potting soil on hand
  • Water your containers when the top layer of soil is dry to about your first knuckle. The only time you would need to check and water twice a day is when your container is in the hot afternoon summer sun
Use our FREE Potting Bench and soil! Buying your container and plants at Molbak's? Plant your container while you're here - remember to buy some fertilizer to mix in. If you don't see the Potting Bench - just ask a Garden Team Expert where it's located.
Find your favorite fall container plants: Mums, ornamental cabbage and kale, pansies, asters, dusty miller and many more.

We’ll give you fresh ideas every month of the year! The plants and flowers in our designs are usually in stock that month. Don’t have time to plant or don’t have a container, but love the design? We’ll have premade containers of our designs ready for you to take home for instant joy!

Container Garden Design Ideas by the Month

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