Projects: One-Pot Gardens

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Potting the perfect terrace planter is easier than you’d expect. The trick is in the shopping. First, find a sturdy container. We chose a stout glazed pot from Vietnam ($79) for a more traditional arrangement, and a tall, injection-molded plastic vessel ($200) for a more modern look. (Both are from Northern Liberties’ City Planter, where they’ll do the planting if you’d rather not DIY.) Next, you’ll need soil with a dose of slow-release fertilizer, plus a trowel and clippers. Use gravel or broken bricks to fill the bottom of your pot; add soil to a few inches below the top of the container. When it comes to flora, “The rule of thumb,” says City Planter’s Mary Costello, “is to choose a thriller, a filler and a spiller.” Her advice: Combine shade-lovers with shade-lovers, tropicals with tropicals, and so forth.

City Planter, 814 North 4th Street, 215-627-6169, cityplanter.com.