Admit it.
You’re envious of all those brazenly lush hanging baskets dangling from shepherd’s hooks and containers spilling over with mountains of blooms in garden magazines. Of course, you aren’t a professional gardener, money to buy all those plants doesn’t grow on trees (you can’t spend those silver dollar-sized seed pods on money plants!) and you just don’t have the time to cosset container plants.
But you can still have beautiful containers, following a few simple tricks:
Experts at Proven Winners describe two planting methods: traditional and living plant arrangement. The traditional planting means leaving space between plants when filling your planter and it will fill out in two or three weeks. The living plant method is, bluntly, stuffing in as many plants as the container will hold so it looks exuberant right off the bat.
Traditional planters will have healthier root growth, better air flow and overall healthier plants. Rule of thumb is three or four plants in 10 to 12 inch pots; five to eight in 16 to 20 inch planters, depending on the size of the plant.
Densely crowded pots will not live as long, dry out faster and are prone to disease problems. You can trim plants to give other ones room to grow. If you do this, plan on a little more quality time with your containers.
When planting containers, fill the container up to a few inches from the top with potting soil and layer in plants. Fill around plants as you go so tops aren’t smothered in more than a 1/2-inch of soil. Leave head space to allow watering.
Choose foliage with flair — mix delicate or fine foliage with narrow, straight stalks and broad leaves; strappy leaves with rounded leaves, etc.
Choose a focal plant, then fillers and then a plant that cascades over the side of the planter. Mix or match your colors to suit your tastes.
Large pots require less care with room for bigger roots and better water retention. Small pots may need to be watered twice daily. Clay pots will dry out faster than plastic and glazed pots; fiber or moss-lined baskets need more frequent watering.
Plant like-with-like — sun worshippers together and shade-lovers in their own pot.
Use a light potting soil. Shake the pot to settle the soil; don’t compact it by pressing down. It’s not necessary to completely replace soil in large pots. Remove the top 1/3 or so of last year’s soil and fill with new potting soil. This saves money and work. If you had plants with disease problems, it’s best to replace all the soil.
Water when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. Water in the AM, if possible. Don’t be alarmed if plants droop in intense sun. They should recover when the sun goes down. If not, the plants are in dire need of watering, but go slow to avoid drowning the roots.
Fertilize once a week or so with water-soluble fertilizer (look for bloom busters for flowering plants).
Speak Your Mind