Container gardening has become all the rage in the last few years, and it's easy to understand why. Not only does it allow you to add life and color to your windows, porch, patio, or deck, but it also lets you change the scenery several times through the gardening season, so you've always got a fresh, vibrant arrangement. Even more to the point, it's fun. Mixing and matching annuals, perennials---both tender and hardy---and herbs in various combinations is really quite satisfying, and when a combination doesn't work out exactly as you'd have liked, well, there's always another container, another season, another chance. Container gardening is forgiving. And a deck or patio covered with all sorts of containers of different sizes, shapes, and materials, is still an inspiring and delightful visual treat for you, your family, and your friends, even if all the plantings are not, in your estimation, perfect. They'll still be beautiful.
There are so many different kinds of containers, though, that it can be confusing to choose. Your tastes, of course, can help you sort through the different styles. But what about materials? Plastic, wood, metal, stone, concrete, and, of course, clay, are all options.
Let's talk about these materials. Weight is one consideration. If you're a petite gardener---or even of average size---you don't want to be hauling stone, concrete, or clay pots around. Large pots made of these materials, once filled with soil and plants and watered, can weigh well in excess of 100 lb. Of course, if you're certain the pot is going to live in one spot, then weight is less of a consideration, but it's nice to have the flexibility of being able to move a container to another spot where it's perhaps better suited. Still, for sheer drama and impact, it's hard to beat a truly immense classic stone or terra-cotta planter overflowing with a half-dozen different kinds of plants.
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Fortunately, the quality of faux stone, terra-cotta, and concrete planters has really improved in the last year or two, while prices have come down as well. The wonderful thing about these planters is that they couple that traditional look with the advantages of being lightweight and largely weatherproof---they can even be left outside over the winter. Do that with a genuine terra-cotta pot in the North, and you'll be heartbroken come spring when you find your pot in shards.
Because they're light and relatively weatherproof, wooden and metal planters are both attractive options as well. If you're inclined to choose a wooden planter, make sure it's made of a rot-resistant wood like redwood or cedar because a planter made of pine or other rot-prone wood won't last long with its inside in constant contact with moist soil. If you choose a metal container, be aware that, if it's painted, the paint is likely to peel eventually. That's not necessarily a problem---it could even be considered an advantage if you like that worn, antiqued look---but if you prefer a neat, clean appearance, choose galvanized or stainless steel rather than metal with a painted finish.
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