This is the container season, the time of the year when we refresh the soil in our planters and visit garden centers to stock up on new plants. While it is easy enough to choose two or three plants to provide a colorful combination, you do need to consider how you can keep the container looking good after the initial plants are past their best. That is where these six tips which I found in an article on the Longfield Gardens website should prove helpful.

Spring is here?and gardeners?everywhere are busy stuffing?plants into pots. It’s?one of my favorite rites of spring. I love?selecting the?plants, composing the designs and seeing instant results.
At this time of year, garden centers are packed with so many beautiful, well-grown plants that it’s relatively easy to compose a great-looking container. The challenge?is keeping?your pots and planters looking good from now?to fall.
Here are six planting tips that can make your container gardens look even more impressive at the end of the season than they do?in May.
Start with the right size pot. Plant size should determine pot size. As a general rule, think about how?big the plants will be at the end of the season and choose a pot about?half that size.?Make sure your?containers have drainage holes so the roots can breathe and excess water will drain away.


Choose the right plants.?Select?plants that will perform well in your climate and that are suited to the light conditions in your yard. When combining a variety of plants in a single?container, select plants that have similar light and moisture requirements.
Include some foliage plants. They help unify a planting scheme and give containers a fuller look. Summer-blooming bulbs?such as canna lilies, caladiums and elephant ears?? on their own or mixed with other plants ? ensure a long season of interest. Most of these bulbs are tropical, which means they thrive in heat and humidity?and will?hit?their stride as many other plants are beginning?to fade.

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