Container plants will enhance your home’s curb appeal, add interest to your garden and complement your home’s architecture. If you’re planning to sell your home, it’s an investment with quick return. Beautify your home or put more flavor in your favorite recipes by planting container gardens.

Make no mistake, container gardening is not for everyone. Like any gardening, getting started may seem overwhelming. There’s a dizzying number of container and plant choices. Designing and maintaining are time-consuming. And the cost for everything you need keeps going up and up.

What is it? Containers come in all shapes, colors, sizes and materials. We tend to think of flower pots or wooden barrels, but old wheelbarrows, hollowed-out tree trunks, troughs and almost anything that holds dirt is a candidate. There are limitless locations too! Likewise, what you plant in containers could be any type of plant.

Why go to the effort? Container planting provides flexibility to have all types of plants in microclimates and even when poor soil and shade make growing anything difficult. With patches of sun, containers can be repositioned to get plenty of light. What’s more, you can have a reliable supply of herbs like mint, basil, rosemary, chives and thyme right outside your kitchen door. You can even grow tomatoes and blueberries. With the rising cost of produce in grocery stores, you can grow your own, organically and conveniently.

What’s the best timing? Any time of year! You can have beautiful containers in the dead of winter, during the scorching heat of summer and everything in between. With a roller system, you can easily move large containers into your garage when it’s below freezing or to locations that give plants good conditions to thrive.

How do you get inspiration? Take a stroll and get ideas from your neighbors. Shop around for containers at local garden centers like B.B. Barns. Purchase a book that fits your interest and goals. One of my favorite books that covers everything and has amazing photographs is the Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Container Gardening. Nearby Skyland/South Buncombe library has a good selection for free.

Container gardening adds much to our neighborhood, providing focal points on our properties, whether placed on the ground or a pedestal, mounted on a windowsill, hung over a fence or hung above your porch. Plant container gardens with annuals, trees, vegetables or herbs and add ambiance, fragrance and joy to your days!