Container Garden 411

Okay all you gardeners. If you are like me, you’ve looked at all the books, magazines and have decided that your budget is way too small for everything you want. Right! Well, let’s just take a minute and move away from the catalog, put the pen down, the credit card back in your wallet and spend some quiet time. Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing some videos worthy of your time. All I ask in return is that you drop me a line, so I know that it the videos are helpful.

Gardening Expert Rob Proctor’s Tips – ABC News 4/08

Many people worry a lot when it comes to caring for their plants.  When talking about house plants, there is no need to worry.  There are just a few things you need to consider. 

1.  Watering
Overwatering kills most houseplants. Looks can be deceptive, so to see if your soil is dry enough to water, try the finger test.  Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil.  If the soil is damp, don’t water it. 

2.  Feeding
Foliage plants usually have high nitrogen needs, while flowering plants, K2O is needed. Slow release fertilizers can be mixed with the compost.  However, certain plants like cacti and orchids need special fertilizer.  Feed plants during their most active growth period.

3.  Lighting
Plants like Sanseveria and Aspidistra require no sun.  They can be placed away from a window.  Spider plants need semi-shade.  You can put plants like these near a window that does or does not get sunlight. Check the label to see what your plant needs.

4.  Temperature
Houseplants can survive in cool or warm temperatures, but drastic fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them.  One thing that most plants cannot survive is gas heating. If you have a plant that likes warm conditions, don’t put it near an air conditioner in the summer.

5.  Humidity
Some houseplants require a humid environment. One tip to maximize humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture.  Grouping plants together often creates a microclimate that they will benefit from. If you want, you can spray them with water once or twice a day depending on the temperature. 

6.  Re-potting
Some plants require re-potting for optimum growth but there are others that resent having their roots disturbed. Or their roots system may be small enough that they don’t require re-potting.  One way to check if your plant needs re-potting is to turn it upside down.  Tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots.  If roots are all you see, then re-pot. Sometimes the roots will come out of the pot. You should either cut them off or re-pot the plant.

You just need to have a little care for your plants and in turn, you’ll reap the benefits.  Indoor plants not only add to the beauty of your décor, but also give much pleasure to  the indoor gardener.

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?

Container gardening is a great innovation of gardening. Container gardens are one of the fastest growing segments of gardening. I personally don’t know who had the first publicly recorded, “container garden”, and it’s probably too trivial to spend time thinking about it. But I think it is an old practice, with a new name. I remember flowers being planted in old tin pots, old work boots, empty milk cartons, jars, etc. Basically, we used stuff around the house that wasn’t usable in its original form. So don’t be a small thinker when it comes to what is or isn’t an appropriate container. Just learn what to do, so whatever is grown in it, blossoms.

• Containers can be grown where traditional gardens are not possible including apartment balconies, indoors, window boxes, rooftops, small courtyards, decks, patios, and wherever a backyard if not available.      

• Container gardening makes it possible for you to position the pots, or planters in areas where they can receive the best possible growing conditions.  
• Container gardening allows people to bring part of nature into their personal living spaces.  
• I like the fact that I can grow plants not native to my area of the country climate and sometimes get awesome results especially where I can control the temperature, like indoors. 
• Growing in containers also minimizes problems of plant pests and diseases, or at least makes these easier to control.
• Anyone can design and enjoy container gardening. It can be an ideal solution for people with physical limitations that prevent them from working down at ground level.
• It can also be the answer for those with soil problems.
Container gardens can soften the hard edges of the deck, balcony or terrace. Individually they can become focal points in the garden, or in quantity can be used to define and create spaces. Just don’t overdo it. Remember, “too much of a good thing, ain’t gonna work”. For those of us who stop to look and admire beautiful gardening, but more specifically container gardening, you’ve probably seen some horrid stuff. I have, and I thought to myself, “this is messed up”. On the contrast, I hope I’m not the only one who has stopped to admire a beautifully landscape area, or ask the owner about the flowers in each container. I am always amazed at how beauty can be created and love the fact that I can enjoy it through, smell, touch, feeling and sight.