Container Gardening, How To:

Container gardening is one of the easiest ways to add color and beauty to a space.  For some people containers are used to spruce up a deck, a front door, or a dull spot in the landscape.  For others, containers make up their entire garden.  Check out the steps below and then get started on your container garden.

Evaluate your light.  How much sun your container receives per day will determine what type of plants you will use.  Full sun plants require 6+ hours of sun per day.  Part shade plants need between 3 and 6 hours.  If your container will get 3 hours or less, use shade plants.  When buying your plants, check the tags for proper sunlight exposure.      

Determine your color scheme.  There are numerous ways to combine color in a container: 

• One plant, one color - this is the simplest container design, using multiple plants of the same variety and color.  Theses containers are great at creating a pop of color in otherwise boring spaces.
• Monochromatic color scheme - combines varying shades of a single color.  For example, different shades of pink or purple.
• Analogous color scheme - or colors next to each other on the color wheel, these colors tend to blend well.  Analogous colors include:  red and orange, orange and yellow, yellow and green, green and blue, blue and violet, violet and red.  You can also combine three colors, such as, red, orange and yellow, or violet, blue and red. 
• Try using complimentary colors if you like contrast.  Complimentary colors are across from each other on the color wheel:  violet and yellow, red and green, orange and blue.
• The triadic color scheme uses three colors that are equally spaced around the color wheel, providing an even higher degree of contrast.  Such combinations include:  red, yellow, and blue, or orange, green, and violet.
• Neutral colors, such as, white, black, grey, silver, brown, and green, can be used with any color combination.
• When choosing your colors, think about the area you are going to place the container.  What is the feeling you would like to portray?  For a calm and relaxing atmosphere use cool colors (blue, pink, purple).  If you are looking to draw attention to an area or for a more tropical setting, use hot colors (orange, red, yellow).

The most attractive containers follow these three simple rules:

• Choose a thriller.  The “thriller” plant is your focal point and are the big, bold plants in your container.  Common thrillers include:  bananas, caladiums, cannas, elephant ears, dwarf golden rod, and tall grasses.
• Choose a filler.  “Fillers” are just what they sound like.  They are used to make the container look full and provide color and texture.  Typical fillers include:  begonias, coleus, lantana, pentas, hosta, coral bells, euphorbia, small grasses, ferns, petunias, and mums.
• Choose a spiller.  “Spillers” cascade down the side, softening the edges of the container.  Some good options for spillers are:  sweet potato vine, calibrachoa (million bells), hakonechloa, creeping jenny, bacopa, ivy, scaevola (fan flower), and trailing dorotheanthus (livingstone daisy).

Choose your plants.  Select plants that play well together. In other words, all the plants should require the same amount of light and moisture. If you combine plants with different needs, some of them will not thrive.  Check plant tags.     

Think about color, texture, and contrast when picking plants.  Plants with similar leaf/flower shape and size will blend together, whereas, plants with different shapes will stand out.   Do not hesitate to include some beautiful foliage plants in your design.

Choose your pot.  Whether buying a new pot or using an old one you found in the shed, be sure the container is large enough to hold the soil needed for the plants and that it has drainage holes.  Keep in mind that the color of the container will become part of your color scheme, unless it is a neutral, such as, green, black, or brown.   

Add your soil.  Good soil is directly linked to plant performance.  Use a high quality potting mix, amended with compost and shredded pine bark.  A two to one ratio works well (2 parts potting mix, to 1 part compost and pine bark).  I like to incorporate a high quality, organic, slow release fertilizer as well.  That way I do not have to apply a weekly liquid fertilizer throughout the entire summer.  Instead, I use the liquid stuff to give the plants a boost now and then.

Plant your container.  Before you actually remove any of your plants from their pots, place them on top of the soil in your container.  Arrange them in the most attractive design.  When ready to plant, remove the plants from their pots.  If you see circular roots, gently tease the roots out.  Plant them in the soil, tipping them slightly, especially your “filler” and “spiller”, to encourage them to flow over the edge of the pot.

Water well.  When water begins to flow out of the pots drainage holes you can stop.

                               Happy Planting!