“One of the joys of containers is you can move them around,” says Sydney Eddison, author of six gardening books, including Gardens to Go. Here, Eddison’s steps for arranging, positioning and assembling a knockout collection.

1. Limit Your Plant Choices

Choose only two or three colors you love to give your garden a sense of coherence and a look you’ll enjoy, recommends Eddison. Consider texture, too. A smooth, glossy potato vine sets off the rough coleus leaf beautifully.

2. Hit High and Low Notes

When you fill your pots, follow Eddison’s foolproof formula. First, place something tall in the middle, like a geranium or a vine on a tripod, to carry the eye upward. Then add some bulkier plants, like petunias or impatiens, to surround the tall plant. Finally, put trailing plants on the outside edge of the container (gold-leaved ivy is a good choice) to soften the edges and to connect the pot to the ground.

3. Create Drama

Just as in the theater, entrances are important in the garden. Eddison recommends framing yours with two big, welcoming pots on either side. “That’s really the start of your garden,” she says.

4. Give Those Pots Company

The next step is to create a cluster of planters around the foot of those two pots framing your entryway. “You want them to be like little satellites around the major pot,” says Eddison. The surrounding pots should be lower than the main one and smaller in diameter. “Three is a good number,” she says.

5. But Why Stop There?

You are most certainly not limited to three additional pots: Build a bigger cluster around each big container. Your garden will look more casual if you don’t reproduce the same kinds of plant combinations on each side. “The two sides don’t have to match!” says Eddison.

Next page: 5 essential ingredients