Container gardening: What’s inside those stylin’ pots?

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Container gardening: What’s inside those stylin’ pots?

June 10, 2008

If you’ve been following my posts about container gardening, the ultimate in plant/flower flexibility, you'll know I've been gabbing with Karl Gercens of Longwood Gardens Inc. in Kennett Square, PA, longwoodgardens.org.

A garden made up of pots and planters is fantastic for city dwellers who are short on space and it's a creative green space that you can rearrange at will. Another pro: you'll avoid issues with poor soil.

As Karl puts it: Not all soils were created equal!

Container garden

Here are some of his tips on soil and site selection:

• Do not use straight garden soil; instead choose mixes formulated for container use. Consider what plants will be displayed to determine what components. Tropicals enjoy a peat-based media whereas succulents prefer a bit more sand. Permanent shrubs need some garden soil to avoid decomposition and sinking long term.

• With all container gardens, a well drained mix is required. Several drainage holes should be drilled in the bottom of each container at least as big as your little finer. Some gardeners choose to fill the bottom with Styrofoam peanuts or empty plastic pots to fill space if the container is large. This also aides with drainage.

• A soil-less mix is a good choice as drainage is easily achieved with the combinations of peat, sand, bark, and perlite. Ordinary garden soil should be used sparingly, as it typically compacts and drains poorly in a container situation.

• Always water your containers with cold water on warm sunny days about once per week.

• If you have a very sunny exposed area, then choose very fine leafed evergreen or deciduous plants with colored twigs or berries. If your site is shady or has only partial sun, then the choices expand. Consider using tall and hardy plants in the container to shade smaller more sensitive ones. A plant that stands 2’ tall can cast a large shadow on a neighboring selection. The angle of the winter sun is quite low which can help cut down on leaf burn.

Flower Fact of the Day: Arranging flowers from your own garden? Cut them early in the morning or late at night. This is when the stems have the most water. Then, put them in fresh water until you're ready to begin arranging.

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