When you think about gardening most likely one of the first thought that comes to mind is finding the best spot in the ground to plant. For many home gardeners, that single thought might miss one of the best gardening options around—container gardening.

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An old shoe makes an interesting plant container.

Don't be afraid to use your creativity when selecting a container. If you think a terracotta pot is your only choice for a container garden, you are also missing out on a world of creative containers that can add style and flair to your garden spaces. Just about any object that can hold potting mix and provide drainage can become a centerpiece in your container garden. Have an old bucket with a lot of “character”, find an interesting soft rock that can be easily hollowed out, or did you have an interesting shaped cooking pot that has seen better days. All of these, in addition to the incredible variety of containers you will find at your local garden center, can make fabulous container gardens.

Now that you have expanded your container horizons, you can start looking for interesting places where your containers will attract attention and add beauty. Decks and entries are common locations where containers are used. When you are looking for locations think about multiple containers for a location rather than just a single container. Clustering containers can create a more visually interesting container garden.