25 Quick and Clever Small-Space Container Gardening Ideas You Can DIY on a Budget
A compact garden can be just as glorious as a big backyard if you get creative with your planters and patio pots. Here’s all the inspiration you need to transform your outside space without splashing the cash…
Small garden? Then you need some big ideas! Container gardening brings all sorts of benefits, but the best is that you can quickly switch up a planter to suit whatever garden style you covet, from a sleek urban yard to a cottage-garden dream.
So, if your plot is more on the petite side, you seriously should take full advantage. Container gardening in a small space brings opportunities that gardeners with big backyards just can’t enjoy, such as a happy hour spent rearranging pots for a whole-garden new look. Growing plants in pots also means you can carefully control the environment, giving your plants just the conditions they need for lush growth. And those planters don’t just need to be for plants, either!
I hope you find plenty of ideas here you’d like to try, and make the most of your bijou backyard or balcony garden.
1. Raise Pots on Bricks
Creating a multi-level pot display is as easy as stacking bricks. Placing pots at different heights immediately adds interest, and the plain surface of larger planters placed behind serves as a foil to show off the flowers and foliage of those in front. Another benefit of staging plants in this way is that you soften the boundary edges, which is one of those clever tricks landscape designers use to make small spaces feel bigger.
To find reclaimed bricks, look on online marketplaces and take a look at the global Salvo directory to find your closest salvage yard.
2. Rotate a Table-Top Centerpiece Planter
Having an always-abundant pot overflowing with flowers on a patio table is a joy! While no plant is energetic enough to produce blooms year-round, it’s straightforward to rotate seasonal pots into the spotlight. The trick is to choose four similar pots that match the material and style of the table – in this case, the upcycled pot is a great match for the metal table. Plant a seasonal showstopper in each, then rotate whichever is at its peak into the top spot.
Choosing a container that’s usually used indoors adds a stylish indoor-outdoor living vibe, and it’s a simple matter to drill a drainage hole in pretty much anything you can find in the kitchen. You’ll obviously need a metal drill bit for a pan like this one, and for ceramic or porcelain dishes, use a dry diamond drill bit that’s normally used for tiles, such as this from Amazon. The secret to not cracking such a pot is to place it upside down on a slightly cushioning material like a towel, and stick a cross of masking tape over the spot you want to drill. This stops the drill skidding across the glazed surface and helps to prevent chipping. Then just let the weight of the drill do the work, rather than applying any pressure.
3. Plant Summer-Flowering Bulbs
May isn’t too late to plant summer-flowering bulbs such as Oriental lilies, pineapple lilies and calla lilies. These are exotic, eye-catching plants but are incredibly easy to grow, and most thrive in the well-drained conditions of a container. The big benefit of growing them in a planter is that it’s simple to dig them up and store them over winter, as most don’t survive freezing temperatures. But it’s well worth the effort: few other plants bring such incredible floral fireworks as these!
4. Craft a Pot Wreath
Having drainage holes makes it easy to attach plant pots to a sturdy flat wreath frame with wire or twine. Fill them with resilient plants like these pelargoniums (zonal geraniums) that will tolerate harsh living conditions, and you’ll find plenty of such annual bedding plants at your local garden center. The wreath base does need to be strong enough to hold the weight of the watered potting soil so, if you’re using wire bases such as these from Amazon, double up.
5. Use Baskets as Pot Covers
If you’ve got baskets you no longer use indoors, repurpose them as plant pot covers outdoors to bring cottagecore style to even the smallest of spaces. It’s best not to plant directly into a basket as it’s so porous, but simply stand a pot inside. Another option is to line a basket – an old potting soil sack turned inside out works perfectly.
6. Start a Patio Veg Patch
There are all sorts of small-space veggie varieties that thrive in a container, so you can be plenty more adventurous than raising a pot of radishes. From bushy tomato and bean plants that don’t need supporting to compact cultivars of summer squash and even sweetcorn, you can raise a full vegetable garden in patio pots.
7. Push Spinners Into Planters
Pushing a wind spinner into a planter brings movement to your yard whenever there’s the slightest breeze, adding another dimension to any small space without taking up any more ground room. Stakes keep containers looking good even when a plant has passed its seasonal peak, too. The trick to a good look is sticking to one metallic tone – but that means you can add as many spinners as you like without the space looking cluttered.
Silver-Toned Stakes
8. Add a Showstopper Accent Plant
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just because you have a small yard, you don’t have room for a showstopper accent plant. While it’s true that most centerpiece plants are big, there are a few that are compact enough to grow in a patio pot but still charismatic enough to have a huge impact. This new Clematis ‘Elpis’ introduced last year is a great example, intentionally bred for small gardens. Suitable for zones 4–9, it thrives in a container and, while it only grows to 3–4 feet high, is smothered in these fabulous 4–5 inch flowers. Plants are available from Nature Hills.
10. Create a Container Solar Fountain
Pinch a plant pot to fashion a stylish micro water feature with a floating solar fountain. Succulent planters typically come without pre-made drainage holes, and are far cheaper than buying containers intended as garden water bowls. There are so many different ideas to use a floating solar fountain in a small yard, from creating a splash park for birds to a sleek modern micropond or even a fresh drinking dish for your dog!
11. Plant a Hanging Basket for Hummingbirds
Many nectar-rich plants that hummers adore will happily grow in a hanging basket, offering the birds easy access and you a fabulous eye-level view of the feasting frenzy. To plant a hanging basket for hummingbirds, choose bright blooms. Tubular flowers such as petunias are especially good as not all pollinators can reach the nectar, ensuring plenty to attract your favorite feathered friends.
12. DIY a Planter Bench
Using dual-purpose furniture is such a good way to make the most of a small outdoor space, and this DIY project shows how effective it can be. If you already have a substantial pair of planters, then adding a section of wood with circular holes smaller than the container rim diameter makes for a pretty and practical base. To protect existing planting as you feed it through a hole, wrap it tightly with a trash bag and masking tape.
Adding castors to a wooden crate planter that fits neatly beneath is a great idea, too.
13. Use White Planters Against Dark Boundaries
You can immediately see how effective this optical illusion is, as the white planters command all attention and you hardly notice there’s a fence behind at all! If you’re an experienced DIYer then building your own patio planters like these is perfectly possible, but an easier option is to use multiple rectangular planters such as the Block Series Span Planters from Wayfair, available in several sizes. Buying durable planters isn’t cheap, though, so do look out for Memorial Day deals.
Even simpler, spray whatever planters you already have with RustOleum Painter's Touch in Ultra Matte White, available from Amazon. It's suitable for exterior use and adheres to wood, plastic, metal and unglazed ceramics.
For wooden fences, Slate Behr Solid Color Exterior Wood Stain, available from The Home Depot, is the perfect one-step-away-from-black tone for a stylish dark finish.
14. Grow a Terracotta Pot Herb Garden
Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage evolved to thrive in dry environments with excellent drainage, so they do much better in porous terracotta pots than the ground in a temperate climate. And because they’re so drought tolerant, you can use all sorts of pot shapes and sizes. Target currently has a great range of stylish terracotta pots from retro designs to modern urns for a designer look without splashing the cash.
Smart Small-Space Planters
15. Plant a Dwarf Buddleia for Butterflies
Few plants are as beloved by butterflies as Buddleia, and those clever plant breeders have created dwarf varieties so those of us with small gardens don’t have to miss out. While a regular butterfly bush can grow up to 12 feet tall, ‘Chrysalis Cranberry’ is a favorite butterfly bush to grow in a container, only reaching 2 feet high and wide. Despite its compact size, it grows 6-inch-long blooms from spring through summer. It’s hardy in zones 5–9 and perennial plants are available from Burpee.
16. Paint Your Old Pots For a New Look
Get creative and give your planters a unique makeover. This pot seems like it’s a detailed mosaic project but look closer and you’ll see it’s simply been decorated with blocks of paint! Use exterior paint and, if you choose one that’s suitable for many surfaces, you can give a mish-mash of existing planters a cohesive new look. This DecoArt Patio Outdoor Paint Set from Amazon has 24 small pots of color and is suitable for terracotta, plastic, concrete, metal and wood.
17. Plant Containers for Texture and Touch
Not all your planters have to be designed to please your eyes. Filling containers with plants that appeal to all of your senses will create an immersive experience in the smallest of outdoor spaces. A tactile pot of lamb’s ear placed next to a favorite chair will invite soothing touch, especially if you choose this Stachys byzantina ‘Helene Von Stein’ variety that has super-big leaves, and is available from Nature Hills.
18. Add Hanging-Basket Spillers to a Planter
There’s no rule that says trailing plants bred for the hanging basket market have to be used as intended! Many of the best hanging basket blooms such as petunias and calibrachoa work brilliantly well in a ground-level container, especially if its a dramatic bowl-shaped or tall planter that shows off those stems. There are all sorts of trailing foliage plants, too, so get creative and craft yourself a planting combination that will command attention.
19. Match the Style of a Patio Feature
Finding a pot that’s a good match to another piece of patio furniture – in this case the matt slate tone of a barbecue – is such a simple way to give an outdoor space a designer vibe. This doesn’t need to be an expensive exercise, as composite resin pots mimic many natural materials at a fraction of the price. Take a look at the PSW Pot Collection on Amazon, made from a blend of recycled plastic, stone powder and wood dust.
20. Grow Strawberries in a Hanging Basket
There are all sorts of benefits to growing strawberries in a hanging basket, but being able to enjoy slug-free berries is pretty near the top of the pile. The secret to having strawberries to harvest all summer long is to choose an everbearing variety, and plenty have been bred especially for life in a hanging basket with trailing stems of attractive flowers and abundant berries.
And don’t worry that a suspended container means hard work: add a few magic ingredients to make hanging baskets low-maintenance, such as moisture-retaining coconut coir and a water reservoir, and you can sit back and just enjoy the benefits.
21. Adopt a Bold & Bright Palette
What do you notice when you look at this urban balcony garden? Not how tiny it is, that’s for sure! Using a mix of bold colored blooms draws all eyes to the flowers, and warm tones work particularly well. The secret to success is to choose one central color as the palette leader – red, in this garden – then supplement with tones either side of it on the color wheel – pink and orange, here.
Using cheap-to-buy annual flowers such as these pelargoniums (zonal geraniums) is an easy way to achieve this abundant look as they’ll bloom prolifically all summer long, just as long as you keep deadheading them.
22. Create a Pretty Pot of Candles
Here’s a lovely planter idea that takes seconds to make. Fill a planter two-thirds full with sand – if you’re using kids’ silica play sand such as this from Amazon, give it a quick water first – then push in dinner candles. Using a mix of pastel colors, such as this pack of six tapered candles from Amazon, looks so stylish.
23. Plant a Columnar Fruit Tree
As their name suggests, columnar fruit trees grow vertically in a narrow shape, only reaching 2–3 feet wide. Despite this compact size, the fruit is full-sized. So, if you’ve always dreamed of having an orchard but never had the space to grow one, here’s the container-garden solution! A wide variety of apple varieties are available, along with a few peach, nectarine, cherry and plum cultivars. And, as long as you plant it in a pot that’s at least 20 inches in diameter, it’ll be very happy to grow on a patio.
24. Make a Pot Stand With Old Ladders
Old wooden ladders and stepladders are regulars in garage sales and online marketplaces, usually at a bargain price. Fix wooden planks to an open stepladder or two vertical ladders lashed together, and you quickly have a set of rustic shelves for plant pots and garden knick-knacks.
25. Fill Planters With Low-Maintenance Agapanthus
No-one wants to be a slave to the watering can all summer, so having a basic background range of planters filled with low-maintenance but still-lovely perennials that reliable come back year after year is a smart move. There are plenty of perennials for patio pots that give maximum flowers for minimum effort to choose from. This glorious Lily of the Nile is one of the best because it loves to have its roots constricted, so flowers far more prolifically in a pot. Hardy in zones 7–11, but easy to overwinter in a frost-free spot if you're growing in a container, plants are available from Fast Growing Trees.
