Garden in a Pot

If you have

• a spot where nothing will grow
• no land, just a porch or balcony
• brick-hard soil

you are in luck. All you need for beautiful flowers is a pot, potting soil, and a few annuals. So much for the black thumb excuse for not growing plants.

If you don’t have a sense of design, there are two websites that have dozens of plants designs for pots: www.provenwinners.com/combinations and www.plantbynumbers.com. The proven winners site goes by season; the plant by numbers site goes by sun exposure. I’d be concerned about planting coleus and petunias on a 120-degree balcony; I’d go with “Rembrandt’s Portrait” for a bold look or “Remington’s Western Prairie” for a wild, windblown look (these are at plant by number). “Country Cottage Blues,” “Mardi Gras” or “Sunny Side Up” at proven winners might do well for a really hot, sunny place. The rest need some afternoon shade.