Seeking a garden oasis? It is easier than you think to transform your balcony, porch or patio! 

We have experienced a full year of pandemic restrictions and challenges and I suspect we are all looking forward to getting outside to relish the warm sun and fresh air! But, what do you do if you don’t have a yard with a garden space? Container gardening is a simple way to enjoy nature’s bounty without the struggle and trouble of digging up a yard. The Toledo Lucas County Public Library offers many books and resources for container gardening, ideal for condo dwellers and renters. You will find it is easy to transform your balcony, porch, or patio into your own personal oasis.

Planting and designing potted plants is a wonderful activity for people of all ages. Gardening is the perfect way to introduce your little ones to the joys of nature. Kids love the scent and textures of herbs. Planting a cherry tomato plant, like Sweet 100, adds a continuous harvest. It’s like a miniature Kitchen Garden, always offering something as a nibble or garnish. Children also love making “fairy gardens.” Creating a mini-potted garden will bring out the creative spirit in anyone. Just buy a tiny gnome, and place him in a pottery container among herbs, bark, and stone to create this magical habitat.  

I sometimes nestle herbs, like parsley and cilantro, among my blooming flowers. The outcome can be delightful. Parsley fills in the container’s bare spots and is also a host plant for swallowtail butterflies. Chives will give your planters a heightened, whimsical, wild effect. In its youth, cilantro is a leafy- green Mexican garnish, but it matures to coriander as it seeds-out. Essentially, a balanced pot will have thrillers-fillers-and-spillers. As you plant, do not invite lemon balm into your potted containers. It is an unwelcome visitor that never wants to leave! Not to mention mint, so fragrant and too persistent. Lemon balm and mint will jump out of their pots and thrive wherever they can. Oh, the joys of nature!

Container Gardener's Handbook: Pots, Techniques, and Projects to Transform Any Space

Container Theme Gardens: 42 Combinations, Each Using 5 Perfectly Matched Plants

The Complete Practical Guide to Patio, Terrace, Backyard & Courtyard Gardening: An Inspiring Sourcebook of Classic and Contemporary Garden Designs, with Ideas and Techniques to Suit Enclosed Outdoor Spaces of Every Shape and Aize

Small-Space Container Gardens: Transform Your Balcony, Porch, or Patio with Fruits, Flowers, Foliage & Herbs

Easy Container Combos: Vegetables & Flowers

The City Gardener's Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Small-Space Gardening

Container Gardening Complete: Creative Projects for Growing Vegetables and Flowers in Small Spaces

Teeny Tiny Gardening: 35 Step-by-Step Projects and Inspirational Ideas for Gardening in Tiny Spaces

Fairy Gardening: Creating Your Own Magical Miniature Garden

Plant Magic: Herbalism in Real Life

The Kitchen Herb Garden [electronic resource]: Growing and Preparing Essential Herbs

eBook

Container Vegetable Gardening [electronic resource]: Growing Crops in Pots in Every Space

eBook

In addition to Toledo Library’s gardening books and e-media, check out another informative online resource: Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center. 

Log-in from home to this free resource using your library card and PIN number: toledolibrary.org and choose Research Tools A-Z. 

Here you can browse thousands of reference books, projects and magazines on a variety of hobbies including arts and crafts, collecting, gardening, cooking and baking and more!