Remember the days when Mom's would swoon over a homemade gift? Why not revive that tradition by creating a lovely flower container for that special woman and give her a Mother's Day gift that will she will admire all summer long.

A flowering container is actually an easy process and all the ingredients can be purchased with one stop at your local garden center. There are just a few simple things to consider when choosing materials and putting the container together. The steps below should help ease any apprehension and result in a beautiful, professional garden container any Mom (wife, grandmother) will proudly display throughout the summer.

The Container:

You want to be generous when choosing the size of the container. It should be large enough to accommodate additional growth and provide enough room so the soil does not dry out quickly. A 14" diameter or larger is an ideal choice.

Choosing the Plants:

There are three plant varieties to include in your garden container to give it balance, movement and best of all, attention: filler, spiller and thriller.

Filler: The filler plants will float throughout the middle of the container like a cloud. Examples of filler plants are Diamond Frost Euphorbia, Colias or Persian Shield

Spiller: The spillers soften the edge of the container and tend to drape off the edges and spill down the sides. Some good spiller plants are Ivy, Vinca or Lysimachia Goldilocks

Thriller: This is the plant that gives the container the WOW factor. It stands up tall and expects to be seen. Some good thriller choices would be Banana, Plumbago or Cordyline.

The Soil

The soil is a very important component for the health of the plants. Choose a good, light soil mix such as Fafard Container Mix.

Fertilizer also makes a significant influence on the plants' continued health and encourages new growth.  A slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote will fertilizer plants for four months. Once application and you are fertilized for the season!

Container gardening has become a very popular ingredient to a gardening landscape. They can be assembled rather together quickly, economical and give gardeners immediate gratification and the initial investment of containers can prove cost-effective throughout many seasons and years of enjoyment. Of course, for those who prefer not to get their hands dirty, there are many ready-made garden containers available at nurseries.

Many if not all of the plants mentioned are available at local garden centers. Print this article as a reference at the nursery when choosing plants and accessories or most employees are more than welcome to assist in the planning process.

The hard part after this is really done. Once at home, set up space outside or in the garage, preferable on a table and begin assembling. Sometimes it is easier to simply place the plants on top of the dirt before digging to gauge plant placement.

A colorful bow would be a nice touch, but after that, prepare to impress!

If the idea of a container garden sounds like an appealing garden landscape accent, and Mother's Day is already covered, Chaves' Gardens if offering a container workshop, Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. The price is $35 for the workshop and all the materials.

Information for this article was contributed by: Chaves' Gardens, 935 East Main Rd., Middletown, RI. 401-846-0623, chavesgardens.com.