diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 9198a68dfd..088f7ad6ad 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,24 +12,24 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/).
 
 - Added `App.batch_update` https://github.com/Textualize/textual/pull/1832
 - Added horizontal rule to Markdown https://github.com/Textualize/textual/pull/1832
+- Added `Widget.disabled` https://github.com/Textualize/textual/pull/1785
 
 ### Changed
 
 - Scrolling by page now adds to current position.
 - Markdown lists have been polished: a selection of bullets, better alignment of numbers, style tweaks https://github.com/Textualize/textual/pull/1832
+- Added alternative method of composing Widgets https://github.com/Textualize/textual/pull/1847
 
 ### Removed
 
 - Removed `screen.visible_widgets` and `screen.widgets`
 
-### Added
-
-- Added `Widget.disabled` https://github.com/Textualize/textual/pull/1785
 
 ### Fixed
 
 - Numbers in a descendant-combined selector no longer cause an error https://github.com/Textualize/textual/issues/1836
 
+
 ## [0.11.1] - 2023-02-17
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/examples/code_browser.py b/examples/code_browser.py
index 215b85bcf6..4616be4f73 100644
--- a/examples/code_browser.py
+++ b/examples/code_browser.py
@@ -38,10 +38,10 @@ def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
         """Compose our UI."""
         path = "./" if len(sys.argv) < 2 else sys.argv[1]
         yield Header()
-        yield Container(
-            DirectoryTree(path, id="tree-view"),
-            Vertical(Static(id="code", expand=True), id="code-view"),
-        )
+        with Container():
+            yield DirectoryTree(path, id="tree-view")
+            with Vertical(id="code-view"):
+                yield Static(id="code", expand=True)
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self, event: events.Mount) -> None:
diff --git a/examples/dictionary.py b/examples/dictionary.py
index f0e69d8caf..3767905452 100644
--- a/examples/dictionary.py
+++ b/examples/dictionary.py
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ class DictionaryApp(App):
 
     def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
         yield Input(placeholder="Search for a word")
-        yield Content(Markdown(id="results"), id="results-container")
+        with Content(id="results-container"):
+            yield Static(id="results")
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:
         """Called when app starts."""
diff --git a/src/textual/_compose.py b/src/textual/_compose.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..272e8690ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/textual/_compose.py
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from .app import App
+    from .widget import Widget
+
+
+def compose(node: App | Widget) -> list[Widget]:
+    """Compose child widgets.
+
+    Args:
+        node: The parent node.
+
+    Returns:
+        A list of widgets.
+    """
+    app = node.app
+    nodes: list[Widget] = []
+    compose_stack: list[Widget] = []
+    composed: list[Widget] = []
+    app._compose_stacks.append(compose_stack)
+    app._composed.append(composed)
+    try:
+        for child in node.compose():
+            if composed:
+                nodes.extend(composed)
+                composed.clear()
+            if compose_stack:
+                compose_stack[-1]._nodes._append(child)
+            else:
+                nodes.append(child)
+        if composed:
+            nodes.extend(composed)
+            composed.clear()
+    finally:
+        app._compose_stacks.pop()
+        app._composed.pop()
+    return nodes
diff --git a/src/textual/app.py b/src/textual/app.py
index 6f6fa31fbf..318dc32239 100644
--- a/src/textual/app.py
+++ b/src/textual/app.py
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
 from ._ansi_sequences import SYNC_END, SYNC_START
 from ._asyncio import create_task
 from ._callback import invoke
+from ._compose import compose
 from ._context import active_app
 from ._event_broker import NoHandler, extract_handler_actions
 from ._path import _make_path_object_relative
@@ -399,6 +400,9 @@ def __init__(
         self._installed_screens: dict[str, Screen | Callable[[], Screen]] = {}
         self._installed_screens.update(**self.SCREENS)
 
+        self._compose_stacks: list[list[Widget]] = []
+        self._composed: list[list[Widget]] = []
+
         self.devtools: DevtoolsClient | None = None
         if "devtools" in self.features:
             try:
@@ -1643,7 +1647,7 @@ async def on_screenshot():
 
     async def _on_compose(self) -> None:
         try:
-            widgets = list(self.compose())
+            widgets = compose(self)
         except TypeError as error:
             raise TypeError(
                 f"{self!r} compose() returned an invalid response; {error}"
diff --git a/src/textual/cli/previews/colors.py b/src/textual/cli/previews/colors.py
index fb11f059a4..b9d8da3eba 100644
--- a/src/textual/cli/previews/colors.py
+++ b/src/textual/cli/previews/colors.py
@@ -41,18 +41,14 @@ def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
         ]
 
         for color_name in ColorSystem.COLOR_NAMES:
-            items: list[Widget] = [Label(f'"{color_name}"')]
-            for level in LEVELS:
-                color = f"{color_name}-{level}" if level else color_name
-                item = ColorItem(
-                    ColorBar(f"${color}", classes="text label"),
-                    ColorBar("$text-muted", classes="muted"),
-                    ColorBar("$text-disabled", classes="disabled"),
-                    classes=color,
-                )
-                items.append(item)
-
-            yield ColorGroup(*items, id=f"group-{color_name}")
+            with ColorGroup(id=f"group-{color_name}"):
+                yield Label(f'"{color_name}"')
+                for level in LEVELS:
+                    color = f"{color_name}-{level}" if level else color_name
+                    with ColorItem(classes=color):
+                        yield ColorBar(f"${color}", classes="text label")
+                        yield ColorBar("$text-muted", classes="muted")
+                        yield ColorBar("$text-disabled", classes="disabled")
 
 
 class ColorsApp(App):
diff --git a/src/textual/cli/previews/easing.py b/src/textual/cli/previews/easing.py
index 38a0a9710d..204cd62463 100644
--- a/src/textual/cli/previews/easing.py
+++ b/src/textual/cli/previews/easing.py
@@ -73,16 +73,14 @@ def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
         )
 
         yield EasingButtons()
-        yield Vertical(
-            Horizontal(
-                Label("Animation Duration:", id="label"), duration_input, id="inputs"
-            ),
-            Horizontal(
-                self.animated_bar,
-                Container(self.opacity_widget, id="other"),
-            ),
-            Footer(),
-        )
+        with Vertical():
+            with Horizontal(id="inputs"):
+                yield Label("Animation Duration:", id="label")
+                yield duration_input
+            with Horizontal():
+                yield self.animated_bar
+                yield Container(self.opacity_widget, id="other")
+            yield Footer()
 
     def on_button_pressed(self, event: Button.Pressed) -> None:
         self.bell()
diff --git a/src/textual/widget.py b/src/textual/widget.py
index 869b7e7642..2099896165 100644
--- a/src/textual/widget.py
+++ b/src/textual/widget.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 from fractions import Fraction
 from itertools import islice
 from operator import attrgetter
+from types import TracebackType
 from typing import (
     TYPE_CHECKING,
     ClassVar,
@@ -33,11 +34,13 @@
 from rich.style import Style
 from rich.text import Text
 from rich.traceback import Traceback
+from typing_extensions import Self
 
 from . import errors, events, messages
 from ._animator import DEFAULT_EASING, Animatable, BoundAnimator, EasingFunction
 from ._arrange import DockArrangeResult, arrange
 from ._asyncio import create_task
+from ._compose import compose
 from ._cache import FIFOCache
 from ._context import active_app
 from ._easing import DEFAULT_SCROLL_EASING
@@ -370,6 +373,25 @@ def offset(self) -> Offset:
     def offset(self, offset: Offset) -> None:
         self.styles.offset = ScalarOffset.from_offset(offset)
 
+    def __enter__(self) -> Self:
+        """Use as context manager when composing."""
+        self.app._compose_stacks[-1].append(self)
+        return self
+
+    def __exit__(
+        self,
+        exc_type: type[BaseException] | None,
+        exc_val: BaseException | None,
+        exc_tb: TracebackType | None,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Exit compose context manager."""
+        compose_stack = self.app._compose_stacks[-1]
+        composed = compose_stack.pop()
+        if compose_stack:
+            compose_stack[-1]._nodes._append(composed)
+        else:
+            self.app._composed[-1].append(composed)
+
     ExpectType = TypeVar("ExpectType", bound="Widget")
 
     @overload
@@ -2497,7 +2519,7 @@ async def handle_key(self, event: events.Key) -> bool:
 
     async def _on_compose(self) -> None:
         try:
-            widgets = list(self.compose())
+            widgets = compose(self)
         except TypeError as error:
             raise TypeError(
                 f"{self!r} compose() returned an invalid response; {error}"