Martha Stewart uses these versatile container plants to decorate her summer terrace – but there's no time limit to their beauty

Martha Stewart, she's just like us. The founder of her eponymous lifestyle empire takes joy in filling her terrace with summer blooms – but, unlike us, she's not worried about the colder months robbing her of her favorite plants. While we can't avoid the fact that fall is approaching, Stewart has ensured she will continue enjoying the same greenery, just in a slightly different setting.

'I love container plants, and whenever I am home, I always like to keep a collection of interesting specimens in and around my Winter House where I can see them every day,' she says in her blog. 'Most of my potted plants are kept in my main greenhouse, so they can be monitored and maintained properly. Now that it is summertime, I have a beautiful selection of lemon cypress, Eugenia topiaries, and a variety of herbs displayed in the sunken terrace behind my kitchen.'

While Stewart may have filled her outdoor space with container plants over these warmer months, she reminds us that we can make just as beautiful of a statment indoors when the summer passes. 'Potted plants bring life to any space – indoors and out,' she says.

The aesthetic benefits of following Stewart's lead need no long introduction. However, as she explains, there's more to container plants than their good looks. 'I feel so fortunate to have such an amazing collection of extraordinary potted plants. Not only do they enhance the overall appearance of a space, but they’ve also been known to increase creativity, reduce stress, and eliminate air pollutants,' she comments. 'I always have some plants displayed inside, but now I also have some right outside my home.'

Container gardening, whether done indoors or outside, offers an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of greenery, regardless of the size of our space. It's one of the simplest ways to fill our homes and gardens with natural color (and, of course, it's Stewart-approved), but as the planting experts at Two Wests & Elliot Ltd explain, there are yet more tips to maximizing success.

'Firstly, the color of the container can affect the temperature of the soil, and the temperature of the soil will affect how the plants grow. Dark-colored containers will help increase soil temperatures, while light-colored containers will help keep the soil cooler,' they say.

Research has shown that root growth is affected if the soil becomes too warm. Although many plants tolerate heat well, root growth could be significantly lower for heat-sensitive plants. So on hot sunny days, plants growing outdoors in containers which are small and dark will not grow as well as those in small, light containers.' We currently love these containers that are perfect for storing plants both indoors and outside.

Unsurprisingly, mastering watering habits is another step to success. 'One of the most essential tasks to ensure your container plants remain healthy is to get their watering correct. Incorrect watering can result in stunted growth, reduced flowering, smaller crops, and increased disease and pest damage,' they say.

'Depending on the time of the year and the weather will also affect how often you should water plants in containers – although the important thing to remember is never let the compost within the containers dry out completely between watering as it then makes it harder to water your plants and recover them from that situation.'