Container gardening is worthy of discussion. The concept of gardening in containers is not new by any means. The practice goes back for centuries. In the Middle Ages, Europeans grew valuable, difficult to attain spices in pots. During the Renaissance, gardeners grew various kinds of topiary in pots for the convenience of positioning them in their elaborate knot gardens. Victorians perfected the art of container gardening with all manner of tropicals such as orange trees grown in pots and stored in their conservatories during the winter.
Today, with many gardens being quite small, container gardening has become enormously popular. However, "pot" gardening is by no means relegated to the small garden. It has many benefits, whatever the size or composition of a garden.
One category of container gardening is placing multiple plants in a single pot. This commercial concept is highly promoted, especially by larger, urban garden centers. Many buyers do not realize and are seldom informed that one growing season is about all they can expect from one of these containers in which perennial and annual plants are literally packed into place in order to get the mature garden look. These container gardens work well on decks and patios but they can be very expensive.
The container gardening I most enjoy is potting up perennials and annuals to be placed in any areas of my borders that need them. We are not all fortunate enough to have perfectly level gardens. So, a potted perennial can add the extra height that is sometimes needed at the back of a sloping border. The mobility factor is also important. If a potted plant does not work in one spot, it is a simple matter to move it to a more compatible location. Potted perennials may be placed in conspicuous areas while they are blooming and moved to a less obvious area after the blooms have gone by. An attractive but smallish perennial such as a variegated Sedum or Spurge is much more eye pleasing when it is potted and placed in a prominent elevated position.
The concern I have heard most often voiced about planting in pots is that they lend aclutteredlook to the garden. Part of this problem can be addressed by using uniform pots, both in color and material. Plain black nursery pots work well but may look a bit untidy in the early spring. However, when in-ground perennials begin to grow they will many times almost totally conceal the pots. Therefore, nursery pots should be used in places where they will be hidden by other foliage and more decorative pots placed at the front of the border.
One mistake above all others is made when planting perennials in pots;the choice of pots is too small.With most perennials, pots should be large enough to allow at least three seasons of expansion. For example, Rudbekia 'Goldstern,' a very hardy and healthyBrown-eyed Susanthat works well in pots, will double itself in just one season, as will many other perennials. Large decorative containers can be very expensive but many landscape nurseries discard large plastic pots that have contained shrubs and trees. These pots can be washed with a mild bleach solution and used safely in the home garden.
Several subjects should be considered when locating pots among other plants. Slugs love the damp haven underneath any pot. So, a simple deterrent is to sprinkle a half-cup of powdered lime evenly beneath each pot. The lime will remain active for a whole season. A thin layer of granular insect repellent will keep ants from making their home in the bottom of the pots. If pots are to be positioned under trees, especially maples, you will need to place a flat stone, a piece of tile or a steppingstone beneath the pot to keep tree roots from reaching in through the drain holes and sucking the life from the plant.
Potting perennials can have a more practical benefit. Many an invasive plant can be grown among a border if it is set in a pot. Mints, Tansy, Obedient Plant, and Gooseneck Loosestrife are only a few of these. Just check the bottom of the pot now and then to make sure that roots are not growing out of the drainage holes into the soil. Tender perennials such as Rosemary, Mexican Bush Sage, Salvias, Lemon Grass, Sweet Bay, Lemon Verbena and many others can be grown in pots and wintered in an unheated green house or in a basement if they are deciduous. Common geraniums can be grown for years with this method. Shrubs such as Japanese Maples, Spirea, and Boxwood will grow happily for many years in large pots. Potting up can give seedling shrubs time to develop an abundant root base, giving them a head start when they are planted in-ground.
Roses, Hostas and herbs do extremely well in pots. Roses and Hostas will thrive if the pots are large enough because all the water and fertilizer is made available to the plant instead of leaching out into the soil. Because of the elevation of a pot, herb foliage dries quicker, lessening the possibility of mildew, especially during rainy seasons.
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and other annuals flourish in pots. Of course, they must be located where they will get the optimum amount of sun. Annual seed such as Marigolds can be directly seeded in pots in early spring. Securing a piece of clear plastic over the pot will create a greenhouse atmosphere and will soon have your seed germinated and growing.
Now the question is, how do we move these large pots around our gardens? With amover's hand cart, of course. It took me many years of lugging heavy pots around my gardens in a wheelbarrow to realize that they can be easily transported from place to place, even up or down a steep slope, by positioning the pot on the platform of the cart and securing it tightly with a bungee cord. These carts can be purchased for a nominal sum at most hardware or building supply stores.
One last bit of advice: be sure to check pots frequently. A rain that soaks the surrounding garden or border may only dampen the soil in a pot. Drying out during hot weather causes damage that may not show up until the next season.
Container gardening can be rewarding, whatever the size of your garden. Give it a try!
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