A Container Garden

Berger estimates that a professional installation of this project would generally cost about $4,800, but a do-it-yourselfer could purchase all the materials for about $2,000 and complete the work in about two weekends. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the hardest, Berger rates this project an easy 3. Moving the small boulders and large pieces of flagstone are the most challenging tasks involved.

Step One: Building the Frame

To get the project underway, the crew digs up the weeds and removes the small concrete slab patio currently in the yard. Next, they dig a trench across the center of the site that will accommodate the main drainpipe of the irrigation system.

Then they dig smaller trenches around the perimeter of the area for the thinner lengths of pipe. As they grade the area, the crew creates a slight incline in the yard on both sides of the main drainage trench. Although the slant is only about a two percent grade and not noticeable to an observer, it's enough to direct the runoff from the containers into the central drainpipe.

After smoothing the filter fabric in place, the crew lays a length of three-inch perforated drainpipe in the trench, where it's connected to an existing catch basin. (Berger explains that the pipe could also be directed to another outlet or toward the street, if there were no catch basin.)

To complete the site preparation, the crew lays down a four-inch-thick layer of 3/8" and 3/4" ornamental pebbles, which equals about five yards worth for this 30'x12' area.

Step Two: Building the Re-Bar Trellises and Patio

Since Berger wants to add height to the area partly with vines, he designs simple yet distinctive trellises from lengths of re-bar, which he positions at several points just in front of the wooden fence that encloses the area. To fashion the trellises, the crew first digs a hole at the point where each trellis will be anchored.

After the concrete has set, Berger and the crew set to work bending the lengths of re-bar into various freeform and spiral shapes using re-bar benders (figure D), tools designed for this specific purpose (sold in concrete supply stores). Berger says re-bar can also be bent to shape by hand, but is easier to manipulate with the bender tool.

With the trellises complete, Berger and the crew lay down large pieces of Arizona flagstone to form the patio and curving path that will wind through the garden (figure E). Berger says this particular type of flagstone, with its rosy hue, makes a perfect complement to the terra cotta pots that will be placed in the garden. However, he says homeowners can choose whatever type or color of flagstone best suits their personal taste.

To add more texture and interest to the area, Berger builds a low wall from small boulders known as head stones (the name is derived from their size, which is about the same as an average human head). He piles the stones about two deep, working carefully to get an optimum fit from one stone to the next. Then, he back-fills around the low wall with more ornamental pebbles to hold the head stones in place.

As he adds the plants to the site, Berger places several taller varieties behind the low rock wall, just front of the fence, leaving them in their plain black plastic nursery pots. Once each plant is in place, Berger camouflages its container with more piles of ornamental pebbles. Then, he adds several taller plants closer to the back fence and fills in around the patio and path with colorful mid-size perennials; accents include small pots mingled with the larger containers and climbing vines planted on the re-bar trellises.

Featured plants:

• Purple coral pea (Hardenbergia violacea), Zones 10-11 (unable to tolerate harsh winters)
• Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda). 'Longissima Alba', Zones 5-9 (a cold-climate alternative to purple coral pea)
• Chinese fringeflower (Loropetalum chinense), Zones 8-9 (unable to tolerate harsh winters)
• Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), Zones 4-9 (a cold-climate alternative to Chinese fringeflower)

Step Three: Planting the Pots

Berger says that using containers that reflect the homeowner's personal taste gives the garden a personalized feel--and with so many styles to choose from, it's easy to create a unique look. Whatever the preferred style, Berger recommends choosing a variety of shapes and sizes to avoid an unnatural, uniform look. When creating groupings, he advises using an odd number of pots in various sizes filled with plants in contrasting colors and textures, as he does here.

Berger suggests using one part polymers per six parts soil, and says it's essential to soak the polymers prior to mixing them with soil. (If the polymers are mixed with the soil and added to the containers when they're dry, they probably won't have enough space in the container after they absorb water and expand).

Homeowner Jill Davis adds her own personal artistic accents to a few of the containers-- her techniques include a gold-leaf finish, a verdigris treatment and several original designs (figure I). After allowing the paint to dry, Davis sprays the pots with a coat of clear acrylic sealant to protect them from the elements. She places her plants in their containers, then stands back to enjoy her finished garden.