These days, many of us live in homes or apartments and often don't have much spare space for the garden we would really like.
In addition most of us are struggling to find the time for day to day living without the added burden of looking after a huge garden.
The garden bug is a hard one to shake and having a green thumb but no space or time for a garden can be very frustrating.
There is, however, a way that can give you a garden and satisfy the garden bug within you and that is container planting.
What is Container Gardening? Just as the name suggests, container gardening is when you grow your plants in containers or pots.
The scope of gardening this way is enormous.
You are not limited to planting a few annuals but can incorporate vegetables, herbs, a whole range of flowers, ferns, shrubs and small trees.
You are not limited to growing your plants outside but can bring them in when they are flowering to literally bring your garden inside your home.
A patio, balcony or veranda, no matter how small, can be the site for your container garden.
Even the smallest of areas can accommodate a few productive pots.
If you live in a townhouse, condo or apartment you can design a container garden to suit your patio or balcony.
If you are renting and do not want to develop a garden for your landlord then consider planting in containers and if you have to move you can take your garden with you.
Why Container Gardening? Growing plants in containers can be extremely satisfying and, like any sort of gardening, tending to your plants can be very therapeutic.
If you live in an apartment with a small balcony, what could be better than looking out at your pot plant garden or picking some fresh herbs or vegetables that you gave grown in containers and using these in your cooking.
Container gardens have the added benefit of being portable.
If you move house, you can take your garden with you or maybe you just want a change and rearranging your pots an achieve that.
In a very short time your garden can have a whole new look.
A container garden is not subject to the flat one dimension of a conventional garden but gives you the added dimension of height.
By using pots of different heights or placing them on benches you can have the advantage of several levels of plants.
This is great for hiding walls or untidy areas.
The style and look of your portable garden is limited only by your creativity and imagination.
Being able to raise your container garden off the ground and the ease of maintenance means that these gardens are ideal for the elderly or people in wheelchairs where bending to ground level and using heavy garden tools is not an option.
This is one of the most positive benefits of growing plants in pots and shows just how versatile it can be.
Your container gardening supplies, like pots, potting soil and plants are readily available from garden centres, hardware stores and supermarkets.
Is Container Gardening For You? If you are a passionate gardener or just someone who likes to potter around in the garden and have limited space or a disability that prevents you from doing conventional gardening, then container gardening could be for you.
With its ease of setting up, simple maintenance and accessibility aspects, anyone can be a container gardener.