Container Gardening Tips For You And Me
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Container Gardening For Those Will Little Space.
Before we had room for an in the ground garden we gave container gardening a try. When the conditions aren’t just right where they are.
Container gardening really gave us the opportunity to grow flowers and vegetables without having yard space. Even though we now have a large property and lots of gardening space we still do the container gardening thing because we like it.
Container Gardening On The 11th Floor
When I lived in Toronto my home was on the 11th floor. Not much garden space but I made great use of the balcony and containers.
We even have containers with both vegetables and flowers growing around our little patio. It’s so cool to reach over and pluck a strawberry or tomato while I am playing my guitar outside.
This year we are going to have a few window boxes as well. I think they will make a great herb garden that I can access directly from the kitchen window. Now that will be very cool indeed.
Container Gardening Configuration
We don’t usually group our containers as we did when we didn’t have much room but I have seen some yards that have beautiful configurations of flowers in containers. I may give that a try this year and see how we can do with a themed container garden.
A container gardening tip that works for us is to just remove the plants that have finished blooming and swap them out for another plant that is just starting to bloom. Keeps your container garden looking fresh all the time.
I have to admit that I am no designer so I have to learn from what others do. I can look at an arrangement and like it but I find it hard to create it myself. One thing I have learned is that varying heights work but never put the tall plants around the short plants so that they don’t get sunlight. That doesn’t work well in the long run.
Choose plants with a long flowering season, or have others of a different type ready to replace them as they finish blooming.
Container Gardening Containers
Experiment with creative containers. You might have an old porcelain bowl or copper urn you can use, or perhaps you’d rather make something really modern with timber or tiles. If you decide to buy your containers ready-made, terracotta pots look wonderful, but tend to absorb water. You don’t want your plants to dry out, so paint the interior of these pots with a special sealer available from hardware stores.
Cheaper plastic pots can also be painted on the outside with water-based paints for good effect. When purchasing pots, don’t forget to buy matching saucers to catch the drips. This will save cement floors getting stained, or timber floors rotting. Always use a good quality potting mix in your containers. This will ensure the best performance possible from your plants.
If you have steps leading up to your front door, an attractive pot plant on each one will delight your visitors. Indoors, pots of plants or flowers help to create a cosy and welcoming atmosphere.
Decide ahead of time where you want your pots to be positioned, then buy plants that suit the situation. There is no point buying sun lovers for a shady position, for they will not do well. Some plants also have really large roots, so they are best kept for the open garden.
If you have plenty of space at your front door, a group of potted plants off to one side will be more visually appealing than two similar plants placed each side. Unless they are spectacular, they will look rather boring.
Group the pots in odd numbers rather than even, and vary the height and type. To tie the group together, add large rocks that are similar in appearance and just slightly different in size. Three or five pots of the same type and color, but in different sizes also looks affective.
With a creative mind and some determination, you will soon have a container garden that will be the envy of friends and strangers alike.
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I really enjoyed this article. Lots of ideas for the keen gardener.
My wife was the one that started the container gardening back when we had no space. I was busy being a workaholic in computer training.
When I finally started started getting involved we had purchased a home big enough for a huge garden but we still love to have pots around the yard growing different things.
This year I want to get a few containers that are different for a change and see how we like it. I would love to get an old wooden wheelbarrow and plant in that.
Well glad you liked the article. I will be able to write more detailed articles on container gardening and other gardening we do once the weather changes and the ground thaws out.
Happy gardening