What's the Big Deal About Container Gardening?

I never really understood the hoopla over container gardening.  I thought it was for those city folk who have no land on which to garden.  But this year I went crazy for containers.  It's easy to fertilize them.  I use a three-month slow-release fertilizer, Osmocote, recommended by my local garden center.  I have hoses in the front and back yards so they're easy to water.  There are few weeds to fight.  I think I'm now sold on container gardening!  I might even grow vegetables in pots someday.  The one time I grew veggies I had to share my goodies with the woodchuck.

At a lecture presented at the local garden club, we learned how to design pots.  It consists of a

• thriller (big, splashy show-stopper)
• filler (something that spreads)
• spiller (plants that drape over the side) 

I really love trailing petunias and calibrachoa.  This year the woodchuck was kind and let them live.  I also found a beautiful lobelia (Snow Princess) that I hadn't tried before.  I was impressed by my gardening mentor's (my mother) angelonia so I got one.  I hadn't had success before but this year it's doing great.

I thought I'd do a blog on these before this killer heat and humidity gets the best of them.  This has been going strong since May.  It's Superbells Yellow Chiffon, Rhythm & Blues petunia (LOVE), Mannequin Bright Blue salvia, and Riviera Marine Blue lobelia.

This is my favorite:  Snow Princess lobelia, Superbells Plum, Lavender Skies Supertunia and Royal Velvet Supertunia (it's a gorgeous dark purple which my camera can't capture; probably an operator error).

I can't find some of these tags but I think they're basically an orangey calibrachoa, Nautica Deep Navy lobelia and a white lobelia.

This is the most recent:  Dreamsicle Superbells, Snow Princess lobelia, Hot Pink New Guinea impatiens and Patriot Classic Cherry lantana.  I stressed a little about the color combo.

As far as colors go, I pick those on opposite sides of the color wheel.  E.g., yellow and purple, or orange and blue.

Image from fashionbombdaily.com

My mother says all colors go together but sometimes I have doubts.  We've come to the conclusion that pretty pots can really enhance the flowers.  I bought the soft lime green and dark blue pot for $5 each on sale.

Those are Surfinia Sky Blue petunias in the little blue pot.  They were in a pot with an osteospermum I had fallen in love with at first sight.  They were beautiful daisy-like flowers.  Unbeknownst to us they do not re-bloom like normal annuals.  We were majorly ticked about that because they were pricey.  So don't fall under their spell!  (Apparently they were so short-lived I didn't even take a photograph.)  (Update:  I found a picture, below; they're white with lavender edges).