|
Lifestyles,
Holidays
and Celebrations:
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
New
Year
Valentine's
Day
Easter
Mother's
Day
Ladies
who Lunch
Traditional English
Afternoon Tea
Swiss
Fondue
Party
Hints
and Tips
Articles:
No
more clutter
How
to slim during the Holiday Season
Resolve
your Debts
Home
Decorating
New
Year's Resolutions
|
|
|
Gardeners: Contain Yourselves!
by: Debbie Rodgers
Whether you live in a tiny city apartment or on a
large country estate, gardening in containers is a way to add colour and the
beauty of nature to your surroundings. The three main elements of creating
successful containers gardens are:
- Choosing the pots
- Getting the right planting medium
- Selecting the plants
In all of these elements, the key is to create a
healthy growing environment for the plant roots. For a healthy root system,
water must be able to pass quickly through the soil. As the water drains out,
air replaces it in the soil and an exchange of carbon dioxide is made with the
plant roots. This movement of water and air is essential to a healthy plant.
Here are some tips to help you choose from the
dizzying array of pots, troughs and boxes:
- Pick the spot for your garden first and then
find a container to suit it. For example, a quaint wooden trough would not
suit a modern balcony, nor would classic urn shaped pots be the best choice
for an informal country style garden. In addition to style considerations,
give attention to size and proportion issues.
- Consider the weight of the container – not
only empty, but filled with wet soil and plants. If there is a strong
prevailing breeze across your outdoor space, the container must be heavy
enough to prevent it from tipping over. On the other hand, the structure on
which the containers are placed must be able to support them (so a large
concrete trough would be less than ideal for a balcony or wooden porch, and
a 6 ft wooden trough would need a VERY strong ledge to make it a suitable
window box). Since a 30-gallon planter can weigh more than 200 pounds once
it’s filled, think about either planting the container in place, or
setting it on plant casters or dollies.
- Clay/terracotta pots are attractive and
complement a wide range of foliage and flowering plants. They are the
traditional potting container because, in addition to draining well, they
wick moisture through their sides. This provides a drier root environment,
which means less opportunity for root diseases. However, it also means more
frequent watering is needed. If you tend to underwater, use terra cotta pots
for only drought tolerant plants, or choose another type of container. On
the down side, clay pots can be heavy and must be protected in colder
climates during the winter to prevent cracking. A glazed clay container is
non-porous, creating a moisture barrier. Because this will not allow the
root system to breathe, glazed pots are best used with a regular terracotta
pot inside of them.
- Plastic pots are inexpensive, lightweight and
functional, and come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors. If you
don’t like the look of plastic, apply a faux finish to fool the eye, or
slip the plastic pots inside other containers. With the proper soil mix and
attentive watering, plants do well in plastic pots. If you tend to
underwater your plants, plastic is a better choice than terra cotta for you.
However, plastic containers may need to be weighted down to stay in place on
windy days.
- Wood containers look good in naturalistic
environments, and most plants do well in them. Wood drains better than
plastic but does not have the wicking advantage of clay, and wood containers
can be heavy when planted. Choose containers made of hardwood, such as
redwood, cedar or cypress, which are less susceptible to rot over time.
Lining wood containers with heavyduty plastic bags will give you added
protection from moisture, but you must remember to provide proper drainage.
- Metal containers can be used successfully in
many modern settings. Galvanized containers are the best for planting –
they won’t leach rust or chemicals into the soil. Unless the container was
designed as a planter, you’ll need to add drainage holes to the bottom of
the pot, or slip other pots inside it.
- Found items can add variety and whimsy to your
container garden. If you’re going to plant directly in such items as
watering cans, old boots, teapots or wheelbarrows consider drainage and air
movement around the roots of the plants.
Now that you chosen the perfect containers, you
need to select the planting medium and the plants. We’ll cover that in a
future issue of Tales From the Porch Swing.
About The Author
Debbie Rodgers owns and operates Paradise Porch, and is dedicated to helping
people create outdoor living spaces that nurture and enrich them. Visit her on
the web at www.paradiseporch.com
and get a free report on “Eight easy ways to create privacy in your outdoor
space”. Mail to debbie@paradiseporch.com
Article from:
http://www.articlecity.com
Disclaimer
|
|
|
|
|
