Designing A Container Garden Nursery Landscaping Guide
Designing A Container Garden To Blend With Your Home Ideas
By Jennifer Dullard
Designing a container garden requires proper planning just like
any other kind of gardening. Container gardening is an easy way
to keep plants close by, where you can enjoy them, and a large,
dramatic planter can be a focal point for a porch or patio.
Container gardens require more frequent watering than your average
on the ground garden, due to the exposed sides of the containers
resulting in more evaporation. Plastic containers do not dry out
as quickly as ceramic, especially unglazed ceramic pots.
Garden Tools Adapted To Reflect The Disability
Whether you live in an apartment or have a palatial spread, container
gardens add a welcome burst of color to your home. Designing a
container garden is fun, doesn't require a lot of maintenance
and can be changed with the seasons. Let's look at several elements
common to container gardening that will help you review your options
and become a master of this gardening niche.
Remember, when designing a container garden, it need not be all
flowers. Cactus and succulent container gardens can be stunning,
while vegetable container gardens are delicious!
Container Gardens Inside Your Home And On Your Balcony
Container gardens can be set up on an apartment balcony, the
entry to a condo or on decks and patios. Stairways offer possibilities
to create a terraced look and can be quite spectacular. Depending
on the effect you're looking for, you can use containers that
are identical or a variety of sizes and materials.
For example, a small balcony may look best with equal sized pots.
If you have the space, oak half barrels hold a big display and
make an attractive statement. On the other hand, an entry with
wide steps leading up to a porch looks good with several different
sizes of pots.
Creating Impact WIth Your Container Garden Designs
A few large pots, with smaller pots of individual plants nestled
up to the large ones creates a cascading effect with lots of impact.
The first step in designing a container garden is choosing the
arrangement and sizes of your pots.
You'd be amazed at the latitude you have in containers. Some
gardeners use an old clawfoot bathtub to plant a whimsical container
garden that looks great at a country style home. Large antique
watering cans make a nostalgic container that is lovely outside
the kitchen door. Think creative!
Excellent Drainage Is Essential For Healthy Plants
Now that you've got your pots in a row, you'll want to prepare
them for their occupants. Designing a container garden that grows
vigorously and blooms profusely requires that your drainage is
excellent.
A good rule of thumb is to fill the container 10% of the total
volume with gravel. Fill your pots to within a couple of inches
of the top with good potting soil from the nursery. Don't mash
the soil down. You want it to be fluffy. Water thoroughly.
Choosing Your Plants
Now to the best part of designing a container garden, which of
course, is choosing your plants. A large area can sustain a variety
of colors, whereas a small area looks best with just two or three
colors.
For example, when the container garden design consists of many
pots, several pots of blue campanula cascading down the steps
below a few large pots filled with day lilies provides a dramatic
look.
Decide on your color theme and consult your plant books. When
designing, place the tallest plants near the center, with short
or trailing plants near the edge. Try to vary plant heights for
added interest.
Growing Vegetable Plants In A Container Garden
Container gardening makes it possible to position vegetable plants
in areas where they can receive the best possible growing conditions.
Cheap plastic pots and terracotta pots dry out easily. So which
pots do you choose for your container garden design?
Container gardening is growing plants in pots, boxes, barrels
or baskets, and it can be convenient for those with limited space
and time. Containers can be mobile if small enough, which is convenient
if weather changes.
Besides the wide variety of flowers, vegetables and foliage
plants, the available container options and styles are almost
endless. Container gardens with geraniums may require watering
every day, depending on the weather, but the pot should never
be constantly wet or sitting in a pool of water.
Growing Different Plants All Year Round
Container gardening can be a very rewarding experience as it
is possible to grow beautiful plants and vegetables all year round
without too much maintenance. There are many different plants
and vegetables that can be trellised to minimize the risk of pest
invasion.
When planting seeds, use a 6-inch pot. The plants should be about
1 inch apart over the entire surface area. Bring a list of plants
you like and those you don't like to the nursery and get advice
on what is best for container gardening. Planter boxes, hanging
baskets, wooden barrels, and large flowerpots are just some of
the containers that can be used.
As you can see there is a large range of ideas for designing
a container garden.
About the Author:
Jennifer Dullard has written a number of articles on gardening
and landscaping including
Metal Window Boxes,
Flower Beds,
Wrought Iron Garden Gates,
Growing Tomatoes,
Ornamental Grasses,
Window Box Garden,
Gardening Container,
Hanging Baskets,
Container Gardening,
Wrought Iron Outdoor Furniture.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.
Little Known Gardening Facts....
Are flowers considered container gardening?
Yes. Technically anything grown in a container
is considered to be container gardening. Flowers are a great way
to add color and freshness to a landscape. By placing flowers in
containers, you can move them around for different landscape designs.
One thing to keep in mind is how tall or wide the flowers will
grow. The larger the flower plant, the bigger the container must
be in order for the plant to grow to its fullest potential. Repotting
a plant is often an easy solution for flowers and plants that
have grown too large for their pot.
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