Read at : Google Alerts – container gardening
http://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/2336505/Gardening-within-a-Garden.html
Gardening within a Garden
A small garden within a larger garden offers a creative opportunity for novices and seasoned gardeners alike. You may be lulled out of the winter doldrums if you have a small container garden close to the house where you can work on colder days. A small garden also lends interest to your landscaped yard by creating a focal point. Add a personal touch by selecting a theme that is unique, artistic or fun.
Small containers can be arranged in ways that you may have seen in a book, magazine or someone else’s house. In order to save money, try to find existing containers in your yard or house, or go to yard sales and thrift stores. Maybe you have always wanted a Tuscan landscape but you live in the snow. Use old tomato sauce cans, coffee cans or olive oil containers to plant herbs, or other plants and arrange them in an artistic arrangement on a deck.
Placing containers of plants in an already existing garden adds some interest. Use them to jazz up a tired garden at the end of summer or spruce up a brown space as winter comes to an end. Work with colors and textures of plants to go with the container or planting area. Slow-growing conifers, for instance, provide structure and texture to small gardens. An example, juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’, has golden foliage from spring through fall, turning rich shades of amber and bronze for winter.
Try some unusual combinations of plants in a variety of containers and stack them.
(continued)
CONTAINER GARDENING 