Gardeners: Contain Yourselves!

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 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

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