Creative Container Gardening
How, Why, Where and When to create container gardens.
Why
Convenience, flexibility, portability, temporary-no long term commitment. Container gardening is a creative fun and fast way to begin learning about the art and craft of gardening. both the combining of colors and textures and about plants- how they grow and how to care for them. Just collecting the containers themselves can become yet another fascinating and rewarding hobby!
Where
Stairs, porches, patios, outdoor rooms & kitchens, windowsills, entrances, punctuation points at entrances to, and along paths, into and among existing gardens, sun, shade, wet, dry, anywhere.
When
Winter - Evergreens, colorful twigs, and berries, cones, and seedheads
Spring - Bulbs, blooming small trees and shrubs, spring perennials and annuals, green grass
Summer - Hot tropicals, tender vines, heat-loving annuals, herbs, water gardens-
Fall - Grasses, grains, fall shrubs, cool weather annuals & vegetables
Don’t forget to change out plants occasionally as the seasons change!
How
Pot Selection
Anything with a drain hole or holes that is sturdy and weatherproof, especially if year-round. Should be as large as possible for less watering and maintenance. Clay for weight, porosity, and classic good looks. Plastic for economy, lightweight, and ability to be hidden by a cache pot type cover (basket, bucket, etc..). Other containers for planting include galvanized tin, fiberglass, wood(excellent), stone, hypertufa (fake stone), cement, which may be aged for an instant antique look. (Mix up a bar of pottery clay in water with some moss and a small bottle of fish emulsion fertilizer to a thick slurry and paint onto your container).
Planting mix
A soil-less, light & well-drained potting mix should be used. Combine with both a long and short-term fertilizer like Plant Tone & Osmocote, which is what we use. Other amendments can be added as needed: peat, sand, vermiculite, perlite, or sol-u-sorb granules for hanging baskets, window boxes, etc…. Think about a decorative mulch or ground cover on top of the pot for moisture retention.
Watering
Should be done as needed, thoroughly and gently with a water breaker type watering wand or watering can. Water until you see it run out of the drain holes at the bottom, then don’t water again till needed. It’s just as easy to over-water as underwater! Group pots together to cut down on watering needs. Staging of some sort will increase the attractiveness of your container garden. Plant stands, benches, crates, old wheelbarrows, and upturned buckets & pots will all work & show all plants to good advantage. Space plants properly to increase light availability & add air circulation. This will help prevent diseases. In addition, be sure to groom plants regularly: deadhead, cut back, and remove dead or damaged branches and leaves to keep them looking their best. Lastly, try to intersperse some garden art or personal artifacts; signs, statues, or maybe even a fountain or other water feature to further highlight and enhance your grouping.
Light
Even sun-loving plants in small containers will need some kind of break from the summer heat. Look for an area that gets part-day shade, like the west or east side of a building or fence. If there is no direct light at all, don’t despair; there is plenty of gorgeous shade-loving plants to create with. Try some tuberous begonias - they like dry shade and are very easy to care for. Other plants for dark corners include ferns, mosses, coleus, English ivy, hostas, and low light houseplants like philodendrons, etc...
