• Container gardens make balconies more interesting and beautiful.from balcony image by Erg??n ?--zsoy from Fotolia.com
  
  A study by the National Gardening Association showed that in 2004 households with container gardens reached 26 million. Planting flowers in containers is a convenient way to add color to decks, balconies and other areas where flowerbeds won't fit. Since you can control the temperature and sunlight easily movable containers receive and get choose the soil, there is a lot of flexibility with container gardens.
  
  

Unicolor

• Planting flowers of all one shade can make a container garden bolder.red flowers image by WojtekZ from Fotolia.com
  
  Many flowers come in a variety of colors and many colors. Create a container with a burst of blue with perennials such as burgundy glow, Johnson's blue and McKana's giant. Construct a combination of reds by planting brandywine, Bishop of Llandaff and red magic. Emulate the sun with a container full of yellow blooms by planting early sunrise, sunray, coronation gold and big hummer.
  
  

Multicolor

• Mixing different colors, textures and sizes of plants to make your container garden interesting.Flower Girl and Basket of Flowers image by TMLP from Fotolia.com
  
  Put cascading plants along the edges of your container and taller plants in the center, according to the National Gardening Association. Selecting plants of different colors, sizes and textures can make for an attractive and interesting garden, but be sure that all the plants are suitable for the same light and soil combinations for best results. One combinations the editors suggest is blue bacopa, silver helichrysum and red salvia
  
  

Curious Containers

• Don't throw those old boots out! Put some plants in them.army boots image by green308 from Fotolia.com
  
  Use your imagination when selecting containers for your garden. An old work boot filled with sandy soil could house two drought--resistant perennials hens and chicks (Sempervivum). Use your chiminea during the summer months to plant black pagoda, also called lipstick plant. Spare tires, old toilet tanks or defunct fish tanks could be revitalized with perennial flowers as well.
  
  

Dry or Arid

• Succulent plants do well in container gardens.Succulent image by verdantspaces from Fotolia.com
  
  Succulent plants selections for dry or arid container gardens provide color all year-round. Plants such as sedums, hens-and-chicks and donkey-tail spurge tolerate varying water levels. Plant an aloe vera in this type of garden and use it on sunburns when summertime comes around.