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Creating a Showcase Container Garden |
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You don't have to have a large garden to have the fun and satisfaction of working with plants. Container gardens are very popular and easy to maintain. They are nearly always weeding free and if they do get the odd weed it is relatively easy to remove it. If you're thinking of just having one or two containers to make it easy to maintain, first decide where you're going to have it, sun or shade, so you know what type of plants to buy. Then if you don't already have tubs or pots to use, I advise you to go out and buy very decorative or unique pots that will look attractive and compliment your plants. This way if the pot is in an area that you see all year round it will still be attractive in the winter and you will not need to move it. The next thing to decide is if you want to plant with annuals or perennials or a combination of both.
There are lots of lovely new basket stuffers in the greenhouses and nurseries, so you will have a huge selection to choose from. Some times this makes it more difficult instead of easier. Try restricting yourself to a combination of 4 or 5 plants and create an interesting effect with different heights and leaf types. For instance, in a sunny location, you could combine a Carex grass with Diascia, Euphorbia and Osteospernmum, or Angelonia, 'Supertunia' petunia, 'Superbena' verbena, and Ageratum. For a shade pot you might like a combination of Coleus, Heuchera, Torenia, and perhaps an ornamental grass such as Duranta ' Gold Mound' or Carex 'Green Sedge'.
Grasses give a great texture and fullness to your pots and many are winter hardy, especially in a large pot. When choosing perennials to add to your pots, remember that they need to be hardier than usual, to survive in a pot. You can loose two zones in exposed pots due to frost damage to roots that are more exposed in a pot. I have used Heucheras in my pots for a few years now, with great success. The foliage is the attraction more than the flowers because of the wide range of colors the different varieties come in.
If you have a busy life style and are not always home for watering you might choose to plant a drought tolerant pot. You could choose an attractive bowl shaped pot, add an interesting rock or garden ornament, for interest and then choose a variety of succulent sedums. Tall Autumn Joy, with Dragons Blood sedum and Golden Creeping Sedum with Donkey tail for a trailing accent would make an attractive pot and would not require as frequent watering. Some grasses such as Blue Oat grass, Zebra grass or Blue Fescue are very drought tolerant, and a pot of mixed grassed could be very eye-catching. If you wish to add flowers, you could try drought tolerant varieties such as portulaca, or Dortheathus Gelatate, which looks a lot like ice plant and has wonderful daisy like flowers. Of course there are lots of other choices. You only have your imagination to limit you. Have fun and create your own small work of art at your own backdoor.
Lindi Karmason for Lake Country Greenhouses 2005-05
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