Container gardens are a great way to go green

Earth Day is an ideal time to start planning a container garden. Why? All plants help clean the air, but putting them in containers saves water.

For some tips, I turned to Karl Gercens of Longwood Gardens Inc. in Kennett Square, PA, longwoodgardens.org. “Creating mixed containers is one of the most exciting types of gardening one can indulge in,” says Gercens, who started gardening in 3rd grade with his grandmother on their family farm in Mississippi.

He points out that containers let you highlight the beauty of individual plants and have flexibility with your garden.

“They’re living flower arrangements and you can change them and rearrange them on a regular basis, say with the four seasons.”

He encourages people plan first and plant later.

“Think about why you want to plant a container garden. The next step is choosing the correct container for your garden. There are so many choices it’s important to match your needs with what’s out there. Container planting media is an important consideration if you’re going to have tropical plants, which love extra food and water, or desert plants, which need sharp drainage and little feed.

“Site selection is always a primary concern as sun loving plants shouldn’t be placed in shade and vice versa. Watering, fertilizing and grooming are regular maintenance duties that should attract attention.”

Container garden

Also in honor of Earth Day, here are some good reads:

10 ways to help the Earth's health: green.yahoo.com/news/livescience/20080422/sc_livescience/
10waysyoucanimproveearthshealth.html

Top 10 indoor plants:
home.ivillage.com/gardening/picks/indoor/0,,,00.html

For city folks who crave some green:
“Moss in the City” by William Moss is aimed at urban and small-space gardeners, garden.org/urbangardening.

Container garden

Flower Fact of the Day: This comes courtesy of the above-mentioned and aptly named Mr. Moss: Plant hardy annuals like snapdragons and larkspur in front of and between your spring bulbs. The colorful annual flowers will help hide the fading foliage of tulips and daffodils.

Jacqueline - Editor

April 22, 2008

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Comments (3)

Comments

Paz

I love these containers gardens. Very nice.

Paz

S. Malik

I agree with Paz. The container gardens really seem nice. But as Karl said "Think about why you want to plant a container garden", makes me wonder as to what could be the reason for someone to plant a garden like this other than just for decoration or because I love gardening.
However, I agree with plan first and plant later.

I like the flower facts that you never forget. Keep them coming.

K Hawk

I love container gardens. Thanks for the tips.

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