Good growing mixes provide essential plant nutrients, hold adequate moisture, and allow excess water to drain. This arrangement echoes the look of the container with dark, boldly textured foliage from 'Brit Marie Crawford' ligularia (the thriller) as well as the fillers 'Obsidian' heuchera, 'Fanal' astilbe, and 'Red Threads' alternathera. You may feature just one plant in each pot or consider the thrill, fill, spill concept: place one plant in the center to 'thrill' the eye and draw attention, 'fill' the planter with an accenting color, and pick one or two plants to 'spill' over the sides to soften the appearance. In the heat of summer, you may need to water it every day. Water in Your Plants Water your container garden to help the soil settle in. How to Plant Containers. Also, if allowed to dry excessively, the potting media will shrink away from the side of the container and be harder to re-wet.
Whatever its star quality, each of the plants below (and in the the video of our editor Kristin's favorites above) has that extra something that every gardener can use. When plants begin to grow, add a fertilizer tablet available at the garden center where the plants were purchased. Varieties to try: Harvest Burgundy or Dolce Cinnamon Curls (pictured). If your plants are looking spindly, pinch off the tips of the stems to stimulate them to produce more branches. Most New Guinea impatiens are self-cleaning, meaning they drop their spent blooms without any deadheading from you. Spacing is a consideration as well, but plants are typically spaced closer together in container gardens than in garden beds. Plastic, Fiberglass, or Resin: These types of containers can be made to look like just about any other type (but at a lower price and lighter weight). If you're placing several plants in a single container, you have a couple of options. Plants for five-gallon containers are cabbage planted 12 to 18 inches apart or cucumbers spaced 14 to 18 inches apart. The container you select should be large enough so the plants won't dry out between waterings. Diamond Frost® is the standard white. If you plan to grow onions to full size, you'll need a container with at least a 5-gallon capacity that allows 3 to 4 inches of spacing between the plants and holds at least 10 inches of soil. Payprus (Cyperus papyrus and Cyperus involucrata).
Clumping types work the best, but be aware that any bamboo grown in containers won't grow as thick or tall as it would grow in the ground. In fall, you need oranges, deep golds, and rich reds. Remember that you can easily rearrange and replace plants within a container as well as rearrange which containers are grouped together. The plants that grow at the water's edge, "marginals, " are potted in a heavy clay soil in mesh pots. When tender sages are packaged in 4-inch pots and lined up along the greenhouse benches at the nursery in spring, it's difficult to believe that their handful of compact bloom spikes daintily dancing above tidy foliage could make an impact on.
With foliage ranging from bright lime green to dark purple depending on the variety, trailing sweet potato vines can add a welcome color contrast to your container. Use colorful trellises and pretty obelisks for supports. Because it cannot take freezing temps, it's best to plant after the average last frost. If it's dry, it's time to water again. Concrete: Concrete containers can take any type of weather. "I love to tuck this into my rock wall also. " Have a cluster of pots with each holding its own plant. It's okay to have only one plant per container but think in opposites: Put the spotlight on a plant's distinctive leaves by choosing a simple pot. Choose the Right Growing Medium. Combining these three types of plants adds interest and balance. If you're ready to grow great-looking containers, it all starts with the best plants. They're known for clean foliage and prolific blooms, too.
While they only live one summer, they'll bloom the entire season. Hydroponic or hydrogardening systems let you begin growing herbs indoors on a countertop with little or no soil. Remember to keep the soil level a couple of inches below the rim of the container to prevent water and soil from spilling out. "A bonus is that their delicate flowers are a huge pollinator magnet for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds, " says Wise. There are a few considerations for container materials. Colorado State University, U. S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating. It's drought tolerant and includes trailing, mounded, and upright varieties in too many colors to count. The foliage color is best in part shade. The procedure varies by the severity of the winters. Some removal of spent flowers is desirable with many perennial flowers to prolong bloom.
But some plants shine just a bit brighter in certain circumstances. Now it's time for the fun part – planting your flowers! New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hybrids).