Container Gardening: The Terra Cotta Garden

New to Container Gardening?

What you need to know.

1. Choose your Planting Container- Your container can be anything you choose from the traditional terracotta pot or plastic pot to an antique kitchen sink that you find in your travels and anything in between. You are only limited by your imagination and creativity. For some tips on what makes a suitable pot see Choosing the Right Container for your garden.
2. Choose your plants- This includes trees and shrubs, fruit trees, climbers or vines, vegetables, ferns and bulbs as well as the more commonly grown annuals and tender perennials. Do you need height to cover an unsightly wall or wires? Do you want a bright splash of color or more muted tones? Is your site shady or sunny? Is it windy? All of these factors will affect your plant decisions.
3. Prepare your Container for Planting- Now that you have chosen your containers and your plants, It is time to talk about planting materials. You have several options for planting materials, soil, compost, commercial soil-less potting mixtures, or homemade potting mixtures. I recommend making your own potting mix, you will save money and be sure of what is going in your plants. Whichever material you choose your planting medium should drain rapidly while retaining enough moisture to keep the roots evenly moist.
4. Maintaining your Plants- Once you plant a plant in a container, you need to maintain it. A plants roots in a container can not travel outside the container in search of nutrients and the leaves and stems can not travel toward sunlight. Therefore providing them with the right amount of water, nutrients and sunlight from the very beginning is essential. Starting with a good container soil and the right location is essential for a plant to thrive, but the maintenance must continue through out the season. Regular feedings are essential to good plant growth, using a slow release fertilizer in your potting mix at the time of planting is good for annuals. If you will be planting perennials you will need to reapply nutrients each season. Another option is using a water soluble fertilizer to feed the plants every one to two weeks. This brings me to watering. It is easy to underestimate the water needs of a container plant. This maybe the most common reason for plant failure. A Container 18" in diameter will take up to a gallon of water per watering session. During hot summer days you may need to water your container plants twice a day. An automatic watering system may be a good investment if you are not sure you will be able to manage a twice a day watering schedule.
5. Re-potting- When do you re-pot? A good rule of thumb is to re-pot when the roots begin to mat around the edges of the pot. When you re-pot move the plant to a pot one to two sizes larger. Moving a plant to a pot too large will leave the roots sitting in water at the center. Plants will need to be re-potted at different times based on their individual rate of growth.
6. Protecting Against Frost- Depending on the hardiness of the plants you choose and the climate zone you live in, you may need to protect your perennial plants over the winter. This can usually be accomplished by grouping the pots together in tight formations in a protected area such as a covered porch or under the eaves of your house and covering the plants with a generous layer of mulch. More tender plants may need to be brought indoors for the winter or covered with a fleece blanket or protective covering during the coldest of weather. Refer to your plants particular growing instructions to determine what type of winter care it will need.

Keys to Dynamic containers

Variety, Variety, Variety.

One of the biggest design keys to creating beautiful, dynamic container gardens lies in the variety of the plant material. Most people who plant in containers tend to put only one type of plant in each container, creating a static and somewhat boring design.

As you chose plants for your container, you should look at several aspects of the plants:

1. Height: chose plants of varying heights to create interest and depth in the container. Also be sure to read the tag to determine the height of the plant at maturity.


2. Color: Decide on a color scheme for your container. Don't forget to look at the color of foliage. A good rule of thumb is to work in odd numbers like 3 colors. Also a single floral color works well (i.e. three different plant varieties all producing white flowers)

3. Texture: Variety in the texture of the foliage adds depth and interest to your containers.

4. Groups: Containers look better in groups. Unless your planter is exceptionally beautiful, a nicely arranged grouping of pots will make a far better statement than a single pot. Try varying the size and shape of the containers as well as the heights of the plants within. Here is a good example of a Vegetable Container Garden, where they have varied, the size and shape of the containers, as well as the height, color and texture of the plants.

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Dynamic Container Inspiration

These are some of my favorite Container Gardening books. They offer inspiration as well as preplanned designs, and step by step instructions for creating specific container designs.

P. Allen Smith's Container Gardens: 60 Container Recipes to Accent Your Garden

by: P. Allen Smith

This Container Gardening books offer 60 examples of beautiful container gardens with specific instructions so you can actually create the exact same container in your garden.

Amazon Price: $10.45 (as of 11/04/2012)

Edible Container Garden

by: Michael Guerra

Amazon Price: $141.36 (as of 11/04/2012)

The Container Garden

by: Nigel Colborn

Amazon Price: $7.98 (as of 11/04/2012)

According to the astronomical Definition, spring begins on the Vernal Equinox which falls on March 20th in the Northern Hemisphere.

Countdown to The First Official Day of Spring

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The First Official Day of Spring: March 20, 2012

Keeping a journal

Keeping a journal can be a gardeners best friend. It allows you to store all your sucess, year after year in an organized fashion. When I keep my journal I record the plants that grew well and those that did not. I record any perenials which will be coming back next season. I also like to draw diagrams of the containers that I liked, and sketches for next years garden. A journal can also be a great way to lift your spirits during the cold winter months. Planning and reviewing can be a great pick me up.

Butterfly Journal

From: Mythic Creations

Price: $10.99

Choosing the Right Container for your Garden

Tips for selecting the Right Container for your Space and for your Plants

Containers for your vegetable or flower gardens can be almost anything: flower pots, pails, buckets, wire baskets, bushel baskets, wooden boxes, nursery flats, window planters, washtubs, strawberry pots, plastic bags, large food cans, or any number of other things. You are only limited by the size of your space and your imagination. So how do you choose a good container that will help your plants flourish and make your container garden a work of art? Here are some tips to help you identify the best candidate.

• 1Size- Choosing the appropriate size container for the plant you want to grow is the first step in selecting the perfect pot. If you are growing vegetables the pot must be at least 6 inches deep and about 10 -12 inches wide for best results. When planting flowers the pot size should be in relation to the size of the full grown plant.
• 2Drainage- It is essential that any plant container that you choose have adequate drainage. Drainage holes should be located on the bottom of the container or on the sides no more than 1 to 2 inches up(depending on the size of the container) Also it is a good idea to add a thin layer of gravel to the bottom of your container to improve drainage.
• 3Color- Choosing a color to compliment the plant, garden or surrounding decor is important. But color is also important in the growth of the plant. If you choose a dark colored pot, it will absorb more light making the soil warmer. This could potentially damage the roots of some plants. If you want to choose a dark container, take this into consideration and try to arrange the pot so that it is at least partially shaded.
  
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Container Inspiration

Recycled, Repurposed, and Found Items make your Container Garden Unique

These books will give you some inspiration for creative containers as well as some guidance in pairing the right plants with the right container.

New Container Style

by: Adam Caplin

A wonderful collection of planters made from recycle, reused and found items, that will have you looking at items around your house with a whole new perspective.

Amazon Price: $3.48 (as of 11/04/2012)

Planted Junk

by: Adam Caplin

This book is full of great container garden ideas made from items found at flea markets, antique shops and all around your travels. It is sure to spark your imagination.

Amazon Price: $8.02 (as of 11/04/2012)

Decorative Planters

Rustic Western Cowboy Boots Flower Planter Pot Patio Decor

Current Bid: $24.95

Location: USA

Ends At: 12/02/2012 10:46:47 PM

Time Remaining: 28 days, 16 hours, 1 minute

New England Arbors VA68210 Barcelona Planter Box

Current Bid: $25.00

Location: Beacon,NY,USA

Ends At: 11/04/2012 09:23:09 PM

Time Remaining: 14 hours, 38 minutes

1/4 WINE BARREL HEAD W/ MARKINGS/ art /CLOCK/ planter

Current Bid: $39.00

Location: Santa Rosa,CA,USA

Ends At: 11/21/2012 10:50:38 AM

Time Remaining: 17 days, 4 hours, 5 minutes

How to choose the best plants for your Container Garden

Choosing the correct plants does take a bit of research. You will want to start by asking yourself a few questions about your potential garden.

What is your Climate zone? Your zone will determine which plants will survive in your garden. Any Garden Catalog or plant encyclopedia will give you the zones that a plant will survive in.

What is your color scheme? Try to stick to the design aspect of using odd numbers, one color, three colors.

How much sun or shade does the area you will be placing the plants receive? This well help you decide whether you will plant full sun, part sun or shade plants.

Will you be bringing the containers in during the winter? This gives you more flexibility in planting tropical plants or plants from warmer climate zones.

Do you have any micro climate issues to plan around, such as strong winds or full shade? Some plants thrive well in strong winds while more delicate plants will not survive.

Do you have any unsightly items, such as a wall, wires or object which you would like to cover or conceal?

Once you have determined your planting needs you will want to consult your favorite seed catalogues and a Plant Encyclopedia to plan your garden.

Since there are thousands of different plant varieties, including annuals and perennials, fruit trees, shrubbery, Vegetables and vines that can be planted in a container garden it would be impossible to list all of the different options you have for your garden. However I would like to give you a few examples to get you started:
If your garden area is Windy and Sunny you may try Hebes, Astus, Cordyline or Pittosporum.
If your garden area is Shady you may like Hostas, Camellias, Pieris, Heucheras, Fuchsias, Lilies and Impatients.
If you have an unsightly wall, climbers may be best. Try Clematis, Morning Glory, Climbing Roses, and Nasturtiums.

Your Garden Encyclopedia

When designing a garden it is so important to have resources to research potential plants for your garden.

New Complete Guide to Gardening (Better Homes & Gardens)

by: Better Homes and Gardens

This book gives a detailed description of almost every plant on the planet. It is the ultimate gardeners encyclopedia and I still use it to this day to plan my garden every year. But the greatest thing about this book is that it has handy charts through out the book that list plants that grow well in specific situations. (i.e. Low light, high humidity, etc.)

Amazon Price: $6.71 (as of 11/04/2012)

Vegetable Gardening in Containers

You don't have to have a traditional garden to grow your own vegetables. If inadequate space or poor soil puts a damper on your vegetable garden, consider raising fresh, flavorful, homegrown vegetables in containers. Your windowsill, small patio, balcony or even a doorstep can provide adequate space for a productive pint sized garden, and problems with insects, poor local soil and soil-borne diseases will be easily overcome by switching to a container garden.

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Unique Plants to add Drama to your Container Garden

If you are lloking for some inspiration, or some unique plants to try in your container garden, you will love these lenses.

Rare Vegetable Plants for your Home Garden

Rare Vegetables turn a fun hobby into a garden work of art. Gardening is such a rewarding hobby, you dig in the dirt, plant some tiny little seeds than water...

Rare and Unique Fruits for your Garden

Once the weather begins to get cold, I start to get the itch to plan next years garden. This year I wanted to look into a few new fruit plants to add to my regular...

Rare and Unique Flowers

For those who love nature and gardening, nothing is more relaxing than sitting out on a warm day in your very own beautiful garden. After a hard, stressful...

Rare and Unique House Plants

House plants can be a wonderful addition to any room in your house. They bring color and texture and fragrance and they clean the air. They bring a part of...

Thinking outside the pot.

When traditional isn't the only answer

Coffee mugs aren't just for coffee anymore. I love using coffee mugs as small container gardens. Group three of them in the center of the dining table for a great centerpiece. Line them on a narrow windowsill or a small shelf. They are great on a desk or on the bathroom counter. And there are so many interesting designs out their, that you can match any decor.

But my all time favorite use for them is as party favors or presents. Pot them with fresh herbs or flowers and you have a great inexpensive gift.

Just don't forget the drainage, place a generous handful of rocks on the bottom to provide drainage and be careful not to over water.