Accompanying the trend of larger patios is the growing container gardening movement. Container gardening is simply growing plants in containers, which can range from small flowerpots to industrial metal containers. Containers offer a variety of benefits beyond just adding plant life to constructed surfaces. They expand your creativity by allowing you to not only select your plants—whether ornamental or edible—but also the look of the containers they grow in. Containers increase your plant choices because you have more control over soil, water, sun, and shade. They also offer more flexibility for your outdoor aesthetics by allowing you to place them where you want, rearrange them when you want a change, and add to them when you desire. Container gardens are more like your home furnishings than conventional yard plantings.

Creating a patio with a container garden can be the ideal solution for city dwellers who want to make the most of a small yard. Small city lots, often situated on hillsides, can present various maintenance challenges and limit usable space. By terracing a hillside or covering the entire yard with patios, you can maximize usable space without the hassle of maneuvering a lawnmower up and down flights of steps to mow a small grassy area. Container gardening offers the flexibility to create an attractive garden with flowers, trees, and even vegetables, limited only by your imagination.

If you are thinking of creating a patio container garden, here are a few tips.

• Make sure your decorative planters have drainage holes. Waterlogged soil will rot the roots of your plants. If your decorative container does not have drainage holes, place a regular pot with drainage holes inside the decorative container.
• If you use a large container remember that weight will be a factor. Place the pot on a stand with casters or mount casters to the container so it can be easily moved.
• Use a good brand of potting soil. It may be more expensive, but it will contain the needed nutrients and insure that there is plenty of organic matter.
• Water regularly. Containers don't hold much soil so watering every few days may be required. The watering schedule depends on a number of factors including the size of the plant compared to the size of the container which affects the volume of soil available to store water, the plants specific watering needs and, of course, the weather.
• Fertilize often. Because containers contain a limited amount of soil and plants often grow rapidly, the food available quickly diminish. Soluble fertilizer products may be diluted and used with every watering or kept stronger and used weekly or every other week. Follow the specific directions of your choice of fertilizer.

Reynolds Landscape has built hundreds of patios using every possible construction material. We understand the features and benefits of flagstone, stamped concrete, paving stones and many more. We can design and build the patio of your dreams and turn it into a patio container garden that will be rich with color, easy to maintain and give you the best use of your yards space.

If you are interested in an estimate on a new patio or any other landscaping need, Contact Us here

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