21 Creative Container Garden Ideas to Add to Your Outdoor Space (2024)

15 Small-Space Garden Ideas to Help You Make the Most of Your Outdoor Area

Moss Gardens

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

Window Boxes

Window boxes are big enough to grow all sorts of herbs and 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.

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.

Herb Garden

Growing herbs is one of the easiest ways to start an edible garden. Situate basil, parsley, thyme, and more herbs in small containers in a sunny spot near the kitchen for easy snipping. You can use them for a delicious seasoning or garnish.

Succulent Garden

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

Terrarium

This self-sustaining ecosystem will make creating a container garden easy. The miniature plant habitat just needs a little care—like diffused light and a weekly cleaning—to maintain for the long haul.

Citrus Garden

A tropical oasis doesn't have to be far away. Create your own by planting a citrus tree (or group of trees) in containers. Position your potted plant 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 hanging baskets of ivy, pots, soil, topiary forms, and garden pruners—for a structured garden masterpiece.

Vegetable Garden

Turn your container garden into a thriving vegetable patch—many of your favorite edible plants thrive in containers. 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 a variety 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 space in your ground, on your patio, or on your windowsills. Martha recommends filling yours with rhipsalis, sedums, staghorn ferns, and senecios, which all do well grown in hanging baskets.

Cacti in Containers

If you live in a dry climate or want to reduce your water use, cacti are 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 (also known as the 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 vessels.

Chimney Flues

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

Potted Ferns

The fern is a low-maintenance plant that just needs a good amount of humidity to thrive. Our pro tip? Add colorful pebbles to the bottom of a decorative planter and place the pot on top of the stones to give it its best humidity level and a touch of style.

Raised Garden Bed

For those looking to plant multiple varieties of their favorites, a raised garden bed is a great way to dip into container gardening without limiting yourself.

Upcycled China

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

Vining Plants

Take advantage of hanging planters by showing off your favorite vining plants. Placed indoors or out—some English ivy or pothos plants are sure to wow.

Pumpkin Planters

This simple and beautiful DIY makes for a great low-maintenance container garden idea during fall. Fill small pumpkins with some succulent potting mix and your favorite succulent for a fun display

Water Garden

A water garden instantly gives the plants on display an artistic flair. These plants need sun, but they don't require soil because they get their nutrients from water. Mix floating greens with submerged varieties to play with the space of your container and create a completely unique look.