Container Gardening

Posted by maureen

April 5, 2007 |

I love growing plants in containers whether itâ€™s in pots, hanging baskets or tubs. They are a wonderful way to add color and have many advantages for those who want the pleasures of gardening without all of the hard work. If you havenâ€™t considered containers before consider these points:

There is no strenuous digging and no weeding
There is a large selection of beautifully made containers
They make it easier to provide the best care
There is an ever increasing range of seasonal and hardy plants.
You can grow almost any plant in a container
You can be creative with the type of container you use: Iâ€™ve seen old watering cans and old wooden crates filled that look delightful when filled with flowers.

Before you start you need to consider what you want and what you have got. You also need to think about the practical as well as the aesthetic factors: a large stone planter might be far too big for a small patio area; a brilliant display of fuchsias and begonias will not do well in full sun

Another point to consider is if you need your container to look good throughout the year or just for one season. Positioning is also very important and you can get the best impact when your containers are put into an appropriate setting.

Letâ€™s take a look at a spring medley in a simple basket that is simple to create, easy to care for and adds color:

You Will Need
A sturdy wicker basket
Plastic liner
3 double daises
6 pansies
12 grape hyacinths
4 dwarf forget-me-notes
Preferred location: in sun, on a balcony or patio table or in a porch
Method

Line the basket with the black plastic, and then pierce drainage holes in the liner. Add a layer of potting compost before laying out the plants

Spend some time getting the plants into a pleasing arrangement, daises to the front, pansies and grape hyacinths in the middle, forget-me-nots mainly at the back

Fill in with more potting compost, taking care not to soil the blooms, and then water the plants well. Gently dress the arrangement, lifting up the flowers and draping some grape hyacinths over the edge of the basket.

For continuity frame the pansies with 5 petunias.

Notes:

Deadhead, water and feed regularly so the arrangement lasts all the summer.

Transplant the daisies and grape hyacinths to a border after flowering

Comments

1 Comment so far

Christopher Waldrop on April 7, 2007 8:44 am
I never thought of container gardening for things like pansies or grape hyacinths, but it sounds like a really great idea. And if, like me, you have a lot of shade you can place the container on a sunny porch or patio. Mostly I’ve used containers for things like orchids, sundews, and pitcher plants.