3. Do a walk through. Your first run around the nursery should be just to get the lay of the land and get you thinking about all the possibilities. If you're new to container gardening, you'll probably want to stick to annuals, vegetables, and herbs unless there's a particular perennial plant you know you want.
4. Round up some plants. Although the folks at the nursery may hate me for this suggestion - the best next step is to collect a dozen or more plants that you like the looks of and get them in your cart so you can see them all in one place. The only rule for which plants you're allowed to pick up is if they meet your light/environmental conditions. Check the tags or signs that go with the plants to find out.
5. Create your imaginary garden. Once you've got all the plants together, you need to start thinking about design and form. First step is to take a look at the tags on the plants you've collected and separate them by height - tall plants (18"+), shorter plants, and trailing plants. Then group one from each category (tall, shorter, trailing) into a container and see how they look. You can't lose with the simple recipe of one tall plant in the center, a couple of shorter plants on either side, and several trailing plants around the edges. (For more design suggestions, and a few "inspiration gallery" ideas check out the "Planting a Harmonious Container" articles at Windowbox.com.) Play around with different combinations in the containers, and don't be afraid to walk away and admire them from afar - whatever it takes to help you decide. Then, put back the plants that don't make the cut.
6. Ask a professional. If you want to be sure you're making the right choices, after you've narrowed down your choices ask the local nursery staff if the combinations you've put together are compatible. Hopefully there will be enough information on the plant tags for you to know if a plant has specific needs that makes it a bad match to grow with other plants. But it can't hurt to ask.
That's it. Depending on your budget and lifestyle, you can either buy your entire garden all at once, or do several nursery runs through out the growing season - adding to your collection each time. Either way, pick a nice day and enjoy the process.
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