Containers
container tips:
wash out your pots with mild bleach solution
use fresh potting soil, ready mixed or your own recipe
think about keeping your containers larger in size- to prevent drying out
Soil-based potting soil has good drainage, it holds water and nutrients well. Personally, I prefer its heavier consistency, and in my sunny, often windswept place that is an asset. Many people advise soiless (peat-based) potting mix, so it is a matter of experimenting with what works best for you. Both are recommended.
Most importantly, water daily and keep fertilized throughout the season for best results (fertilize every two to three weeks). Trim back when necessary and dead head annuals.Don’t let your plants dry out! Try lining clay pots or having a water reservoir saucer underneath. The best times to water are at night or in the early morning.
Containers: To Pretty Up Just About Anyplace
Creating your own container accents
Containers make eye catching focal points, or can even comprise an entire garden picture when grouped together. With the variety within the components of container style, size, and combination of plants the effects and uses are many. Container gardening has become increasingly popular due to the easy effects and versatility for the busy gardener.
Traditionally, containers are often seen as urns on garden piers, or flanking doorways holding either greenery or shrubs, or as in modern use: flowers. The original use of urns in ancient gardens, Greek and Roman, seem to be for the purpose of conserving water. Large tubs containing citrus trees were used in “Orangeries” for the rich, but as Victorian times advanced containers and urns of all sorts became common for the middle classes and many photographs record their uses in gardens and yards.
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn
Containers can form a number of functions. They can provide height and interest, they can provide a movable feast of color, and they are easily planted, with seasonal displays or replacement plants as needed. In my case, presently containers provide color while I renovate the rest of the garden. No need to do without our visions of paradise whether living in constricted city conditions or circumstances which prevent large in-ground flower beds. They are also ideal for experimenting with combinations of plants and colors.
Container Style
Generally I like to keep styles coherent with one another and with the general feeling of the house and garden, although there are no real rules. A Country garden seems best complimented by large clay pots with decorative rolled rims, although a classic and simple design probably will fit with most homescapes. Good examples and one I liked - fun and contemporary,Smith & Hawken® 10" Wave Pot
Something that can be quite effective is the “Found” container. Have an old sink, wheel barrow, or wooden kitchen chair? All sorts of things become garden planters with a little imagination. Sometimes they need a little help to blend in, sometimes the whimsy of it is enough. Try painting the old tub or adding a coating of tuffa concrete and moss-inviting yoghurt. Sounds a little crazy, but you would be surprised how wonderful some of these cast-offs can look filled and covered in plants.
Here’s a quick recipe for growing moss on a surface:
1 can of beer
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Several clumps garden moss
You will also need a plastic container (with lid),
a blender and a paintbrush
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To begin the recipe, first of all gather together several clumps of moss (moss can usually be found in moist, shady places) and crumble them into a blender. Then add the beer and sugar and blend just long enough to create a smooth, creamy consistency. Now pour the mixture into a plastic container.
Find a suitable damp and shady wall on to which you can apply your moss milkshake. Paint your chosen design onto the wall (either free-hand or using a stencil). If possible try to return to the area over the following weeks to ensure that the mixture is kept moist. Soon the bits of blended moss should begin to grow into a whole rooted plant ~thanks to Moss Graffiti
Filling that Fabulous Container
Some of the best looking garden focal points and ornament have been an elegant pot filled with just one magnificent plant, but half the fun of container gardening is putting together the combinations. First choose a color scheme, then the sun exposure… sunny, part sun, or shady. Then find your plants and put together your creation. I like to set out the plant choices together on the deck before deciding which I like in combination, and I love viewing other peoples ideas and taking notes. There are many brand new plants for container plantings that I wasn’t familiar with, but chanced upon in nurseries and public gardens.
It is possible with larger containers to add height with a trellis and some climbing plants- this would work best against a wall surface. Try a variation of the Christmas grapevine coil- only as a base for vining summer bloomers.
Some excellent online sources for planting ideas:
Fernlea’s Awesome Accents Planting Recipes
“Proven Winners” Container Recipes
