Container Gardening

        With months to go before any planting can be done here in Indy, I thought a colorful post would keep us all going during the wait! Most of this article was written last summer, and we are pleased to present it to you now.

 

        Today we’ll bring you a short “How-To” on creating container gardens. We have many friends who don’t have yards, and must relegate their gardening to patios, balconies, and windowsills. Container gardens are a great way to bring some plant life and color to your small spaces. Follow these simple steps to creating your own container garden:

1.       Choose a pot/pots for your garden. Make sure they have at least one drainage hole in the bottom. Without a drainage hole, water will collect at the bottom and your plants may rot! If you are choosing pots for an indoor container garden, just keep a tray under them to collect water (this may seem like a no brainer, but the previous owners of our house produced some lovely stains on the white carpet where they kept a potted plant without a tray). These can be found in any stores that sell pots. Our pots, shown in the photo below, were purchased at Home Goods last May and were the best prices we have found in Indy so far, including big box stores.

2.       Place some rocks around and on top of the hole in your pot. This may seem counterintuitive, but it keeps the soil from leaving your pot whenever the water does. By loosely covering the hole in your pot, you are allowing the water to leave and keeping the soil in.

3.       Fill your pots with potting soil. Though it may be tempting to use soil from your garden to fill your pots, we suggest against it. Soil from your garden will often contain clay that can clog the drainage hole. Any brand of potting soil will do.  The composition of potting soil creates an environment that will make moisture control more manageable for you. Fill the pot to a couple inches below the top lip of the pot.

4.       Buy your plants! Select your plants based on how many hours of sun (and whether it is direct or indirect sun) your garden area gets. Also consider purchasing annuals versus perennials – annuals won’t last past one season, whereas perennials will generally come back year after year if properly cared for. Lastly, consider sizing when choosing plants. You’ll want something taller in the back, something small in the front, and an in-between size for the middle of your pot.

Gardener’s Note: When choosing a plant, many people will buy the plants that are currently in full flower (this means there are a lot of flowers on the plant, and few or no flower buds). This is great if you need to throw together some pots because you are having people over and want them to look great right away, but otherwise you’re not really getting the bang out of your buck. Most experienced gardeners will choose plants that have some flowers, but mostly flower buds. This way you have a much longer flowering season with your plants.

5.       Place your plants. I always put my plants in the places where I think I want them to go before planting them. I usually end up tweaking an arrangement I’d initially come up with once I see how the plants work together. Below you will see that I have scilla (dark purple flowers) in the back, along with junco grass. I have some pincushion flower (light purple flowers) in the middle, and pansies in the front. The grass I have in the back of the white pot is called blue fescue. (Also, notice the awesome doormat Daniel’s mom purchased for us)

 

 



 

6.   Plant your plants! Dig one hole at a time. To make sure it’s deep enough, put the potted plant in the hole you created until the soil level of the potted plant matches that of the hole. When you take the plant out of its pot, I always squeeze the bottom of the pot a bit to loosen the roots (see photo below). These potted plants can often become root-bound – this happens when the roots keep growing but there is no more soil space, so they start swirling around the pot and you end up with a mass of roots entwined at the bottom of the pot. This is not a problem, but it can sometimes make it difficult to remove the plant from the pot – thus the plastic pot squeezing. I upend the plant, holding the base of the plant with one hand. With the other I squeeze the pot while pulling the pot from the plant and accompanying soil. This ensures that I don’t harm the plant by tugging it out of the pot.  If the roots are root-bound, simply tear apart the roots a bit with your fingers before you place the plant in the soil. This is important because otherwise the plant’s roots might continue to growing in this crippling circular manner instead of spreading into the space in your pot.

        Once your plant is in the ground, fill in around the plant with soil. There should not be any roots exposed, or leaves buried beneath the soil. Before you move on to your next plant, gently press the base of the plant into the soil – this helps prevent future movement due to air pockets, and makes it easier for your plant to get the water it needs. Repeat this for the rest of your plants!

 

 

 

Gardener’s Note: If you are one of those people who read everything on the tag that come with your plant, I’m sure you will notice that virtually every plant tag says how far you are supposed to space your plants apart. This spacing rule can generally be bent for container gardening. As you can see from our pictures, there is very little space between the plants in order to create the biggest visual impact. The truth is... Your plants will be just fine squished together like this.

7.       Care for your container garden. Keep an eye out for bugs/caterpillars that might chomp on your plants. There are many remedies for these pests that can be found in any stores that sell plants. Do some research on what you should buy beforehand, unless you are headed to a nursery with people with some plant know-how. Make sure to keep your container garden watered (I know, duh). A good rule of thumb is if you poke your finger into the soil and it is damp an inch or so below a dry surface, you don’t need to water that day. Lastly, realize that you might have to make some plant changes depending on how your plants do in their pots. For example, I noticed a few weeks ago that the pincushion flowers I have in the pots are straining towards the sun instead of standing straight up like they should be. This is a good hint that I may need to relocate these guys soon to a place where they will get more sun. Then I’ll need to replace them with something that can stand a bit more shade.

        Container gardens are fun because they enable us to have bright splashes of living color in small spaces or in focal areas (ours is right next to our front door). They are easily changeable, especially if you purchase annuals (though be warned, annuals are generally not terribly cheap and you’ll need to replace them a few times a year). Let us know of your container gardening adventures, or any tips or questions you may have! We’d love to hear from you.  If you make a container garden of your own, email us pictures and we will post them to our blog. Happy planting!