Container Garden 411

If you are like me, I absolutely love the smell of fresh herbs. However, buying fresh herbs at the grocery store would often make my wallet cry, so I would pass them up. Often times I didn’t buy enough or they would spoil before I used them all.  So like me, Container Herb Gardening can give you an abundant, readily available supply of fresh herbs. It doesn’t matter if your living quarters are small because you can put the containers inside in the kitchen within reach.  Even next to the coffee pot.

Growing herbs in containers is the perfect gift for gardening friends, as well as for cooking. Take into account these 3 tips for the successful container herb garden, for some flavorful and or smelly results.

Tip #1.  Select the herbs you want to grow. Choose from basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, thymes, parsley, mints and dill. All are easy to grow in containers, require very little maintenance, and are adaptable for a wide variety of dishes. Plants such as lavender and yarrow spread quickly and can take up all your space, so these are ideal for container herb gardening in small batches.

You will want to grow herbs that you will actually cook with. Because your fresh herbs are full of flavor and not diluted, you only need to use half the amount of fresh herbs as store bought herbs in recipes. In fact, when substituting dried herbs for fresh herbs, one tablespoon of fresh herbs equals about one teaspoon of dried herbs. You might even consider growing a container full of organically grown herbs. It’s safer for you and less expensive because you aren’t using pesticides. Organic pest control is a comprehensive approach instead of a chemical approach.

Tip #2.  Seeds or budding plantings’ are viable options. Growing herbs in a small garden is quite affordable especially if you start from seeds. Don’t skimp on seeds of good quality, go ahead and spend a little more. Remember seeds can spoil just like other natural food products.  I typically don’t get my seeds from plants, but it’s your choice. In doing that, you just need to understand how to properly dry out and store the seed. Remember to check the dates on the package, to ensure your seeds are fresh.

If you are using plants to start your container garden, plant the plants at the same height.  If you plant them too shallow, some hair roots may be exposed. If you plant them too deep, they may choke or suffocate due the all the soil overhead. Also, check to see if your plants have become root bound. If roots start coming out of the drainage holes, replant them in a larger container. Roots have feelings too. Have you ever worn a pair of pants and have gotten a wedge. Ouch. !

Tip #3.  Where are you placing the containers (pots, etc.)? Mother Nature will not provide the right amount of water and sunshine. Container herb gardening provides the mobility necessary to protect your herbs from bad weather and seasonal conditions, as well as hungry animals and insects. Inside, you can place your containers in the right location for the herbs they contain. Most herb plants require similar growing conditions: a minimum of six hours of sunlight per day. Plants may need full sun, partial sun or partial shade. For example, parsley and thyme like to be in a sunny spot. Plants will only receive what you give them; therefore, you will be able to regulate the pH, nutrients, nutrient strength, water amount, and light amount. This makes it important that you research the plants you will be growing so you know what they need to survive.

Now that your vision has been expanded, you can see that the possibility of creating that special herb container garden that can happen now. You will be able to incorporate all of your 5 senses; touch, taste, smell, feel. What you will hear is everyone applauding the wonderful flavor or smell you create. Using these 3 tips for a successful container herb garden will have you well on your way to herb heaven.

See also: Herb Container Garden Soil Needs

If you follow these 5 tips for successful container gardening you will not only save time, but money, frustration and possibly embarrassment. As this is an increasingly popular venue for gardening, container gardening is making a fashion statement. Container gardens are already very popular for entries, patios and decks. Maybe you’ve thought about incorporating them into your office or home, but haven’t. If by chance you feel a little overwhelmed on the basics, here are 5 tips for successful container gardening, even if it’s your first.

Before you run off in all directions as if you had 2 hours to create a masterpiece, pause to do some planning. First think about what type of feeling you want to have, when you look at your container. For me, I want to feel like I’ve walked into my own “secret garden” and have a sense of calm. I think about how it will smell, and feel among other things.  Is it going to be a focal point in a room, or mixed in as part of a theme? Will it be the centerpiece on a table, or placed in a semi-lit hallway?
Tip #1
Anything can be used as a container. If you are purchasing a container from the store, choose ones with drainage holes. However, if you can poke, drill or carve a hole in it then use it. Container gardens have been made from tables, old pots, milk cartons, cans,  gloves, boots, pocketbooks, suitcases, pots, pans and mailboxes, just to name a few. You can be creative and recycle items to use as containers. Allow yourself to be creative.  Be sure to clean it out, and let it dry thoroughly. If you’ve used any chemicals or any type of varnish, clean and let dry. Look around for anything that can be shaped to hold dirt.

Tip #2
Use containers larger than the root ball of your plant, considering the size of the mature plant.  This is really important and sometimes we forget about how big the plant may actually grow or say to ourselves we’ll just transplant it as it grows.  Therefore, you want your roots to be able to expand; otherwise the plant is going to eventually die. So read the information card to get a good idea of what size container you will ultimately need.

Tip #3
Use a good potting soil, compost or combination of both.  I didn’t realize how many types and combination soils are available.  Just because a bag of soil is on sale, doesn’t mean it’s good. Think of your soil as a primary food for your plants food chain. To get the desired results it pays to know what’s in a particular soil and if it what your plant/flower needs. Also, sometimes the soil may be too heavy for what you are planting. Just filling a pot up with dirt and stuffing your starter plant therein, may cause you to waste time and money.

Tip #4
In most containers the weight and scale of a container can become an issue when the pot has to be transported to a new location. The best thing to do is to move your pot to its final location before you plant it.  You do have the option of reducing the overall weight of a large container. You can fill it with lightweight potting soil, ceramic beads, styrofoam, broken pieces of pot, drainage gravel, pine cones, aluminum cans or small plastic nursery pots. I’ve even used an empty plastic milk carton. 

Tip #5
Select plants that suit your light conditions. Too much sun for one plant will kill it while do little sun for another plant will do the same. Full sun means your plant will receive a minimum of six hours of sunlight daily.
If you follow these 5 tips, you will experience successful container gardening with flowers. You won’t pull your hair out, or throw darts at a dartboard because you can get it right the first time.

See also: Container Gardening Flower Color Choices

One of the exciting things about container gardening is that you get to experiment with all kinds of flower colors. You can mix it up or be very specific to show off a theme.  Now realize that the plants in the pots are confined. I made the mistake of stuffing my container with all types of flowers only to have some get crowded out. They just died. I wanted instant beauty and didn’t consider how much the flowers would grow. I hope I’m not the only one that has done that before.  

Lesson learned: Flowers can grow like children; they need extra room, because they are going to grow – up and out.  I hope that analogy makes sense.

Therefore, in container planting, the subtle color and combinations of color that might not stand out in a border setting are right in front of you. I loved looking at my tulips earlier this year, and so did the postal woman, my neighbors and the kids running through my yard. It was awesome. 

 If you are unsure about how to use colors in your containers, let me tell you what I did along with a few other ideas.

•  Look through some magazines at the bookstore for inspiration. Cut out the pictures of examples that you like. Now if the magazine is in the bookstore, please just don’t tear out the picture, buy it.
• Think about how you want to feel, when you look at the container every day. I know I wanted my colors to be happy, and bright, and shocking for spring.

The following color combinations also work well. White is very versatile and supports most other colors. Put a little green and it takes on a feeling of freshness. Use colors like yellow and green and it reminds me of a bright sunny day with freshly cut grass.  My power color choices are red, oranges and pinks. Using colors in containers is like that HGTV show, “Color Splash” with David Bromstad. He’s much better, but I do get some inspiration from him and “Myles of Style”, Kim Myles.

If you are a little color shy, then use one color, and use it in several different types of containers to make a color impact. You can also, use several different types of plants that have different bloom periods to give you continuous beauty.

 What do you do when selecting which colors of flowers you are going to use?

Types of roses suitable for potting.

It wasn’t too long ago that no serious rosarian would even consider having a potted rose on their property except for, maybe, last minute emergencies where they had run out of space but couldn’t resist buying just one more plant.

Times have changed and potted roses have a place in the lives of condo and apartment dwellers, city slickers who live in areas where there isn’t a tree in sight, and anyone who has a spot on their lawn or garden in need of the beauty that only a rose can deliver.

Not all rose types are good candidates for growing in pots. The following varieties have been found to do best. Feel free to try any variety that you want, even climbers, and see how they make out.

All that Jazz

Ballerina

Blush Noisette

Bonica

Cecile Brunner

Clotilde Soupert

Green Rose

Gruss an Aachen

Hannah Gordon

Hermosa

Katharina Zeimet

Mrs. Oakley Fisher

Peace

Perfume Delight

Precious Platinum

Sea Foam

Sexy Rexy

Souvenir de la Malmaison

Stanwell Perpetual

The Fairy

Valentine

Whiskey Mac

Planting potted roses is a relatively easy task as long as you do your planting in the spring after any chance of a frost is long past. If you live in a warm climate zone, then hold off planting until autumn when the ravages of July and August are far behind.

When you’re ready to plant, choose an appropriate sized container with drainage holes. Make sure that the container has enough room for your plant to grow without having to transplant frequently.

Fill the container with garden soil that has some compost or organic fertilizer mixed in.

Dig a hole that’s a bit bigger than the root ball, knock the rose loose from its shipping container, and plant it.

Dig a shallow trench or moat around the base of the plant to hold water, and water well.

Potted roses are susceptible to the same diseases as garden roses are, and they require feeding, pruning and all of the other rose care basics. Potted roses aren’t less work or responsibility; they are simply more space-saving than a regular rose garden. Don’t treat your roses as if they were ordinary potted plants or you will lose them.

People are constantly asking if they can grow potted plants indoors. The answer is: “Maybe, but it’s a risky proposition.” That’s because roses need high humidity and a lot of direct sunlight. High humidity conditions do not usually exist inside of most air-conditioned homes. However, if you live in a hot, steamy area, and you don’t have air conditioning, then you can probably get away with it as long as you pick a sunny spot.

Of all the rose varieties that are likely to survive indoors, miniature roses are your best bet. Miniature roses are actual roses that have been bred to grow into small and compact plants with equally small flowers. They do very well in pots and are quite beautiful.

If you’re willing, go ahead and experiment. You’ve really got nothing to lose and you just might discover a whole new aspect of rose gardening!