Containers are versatile, movable

Although the practice has been around for thousands of years, a swiftly growing trend in gardening is container gardening.

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"You can arrange the containers for a party on your patio and then move them to other places in your yard," said Felder Rushing, a gardening expert on Learn2Grow.com, a gardening Web site.

Rushing narrates a course on the site on container gardening.

"You can also change the plants around in the containers," he says.

Here are some tips for successful container gardening:

- Compatibility is important. Select the plants to go into each container carefully. Plants need similar shade and watering requirements.

"Putting plants together in a container is like seating guests together at a dinner party," Rushing says.

- Monitor watering. Plants in containers require more water than those grown in the ground. Also, the type of containers you choose will affect the watering requirements. Clay pots are porous and dry out faster than plastic pots. The smaller the container, the more often you will need to water it.

- Consider weight. That one-pound pot may weigh more than 12 pounds once you get soil and plant material in it. If you want to be able to move your containers around, make sure they're not too heavy.

- Consider conditions. In cold climates, containers will be the first to freeze and in warm climates, they'll hold in heat. Move plants out of the hot baking sun in warmer areas and protect them by placing them in a garage or shed in freezing temperatures.

- Consider types. Decide in advance what you'd like to grow in your containers. You can choose between herbs and vegetables; colorful flowers; tropical foliage; or perennials.

For more information on how to make container gardens, visit www.learn2grow.com.