Container Gardening to Enhance Landscapes

Transcription

1 Utah State University All Archived Publications Archived USU Extension Publications Container Gardening to Enhance Landscapes Larry A. Sagers Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Plant Sciences Commons Warning: The information in this series may be obsolete. It is presented here for historical purposes only. For the most up to date information please visit The Utah State University Cooperative Extension Office Recommended Citation Sagers, Larry A., "Container Gardening to Enhance Landscapes" (2005). All Archived Publications. Paper This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Archived USU Extension Publications at It has been accepted for inclusion in All Archived Publications by an authorized administrator of For more information, please contact

2 Container Gardening To Enhance Landscapes

3 Larry A. Sagers Extension Horticulture Specialist Utah State University Thanksgiving Point Office

4 Among the popular gardening trends of the past few years is a renewed interest growing plants in areas besides the garden

5 Planting plants in containers is a rich historic pastime

6 It is hard to identify the first container gardens but Egyptians, Babylonians and others planted container gardens

7 Romans used terracotta vessels or clay pots for container growing

8 In royal gardens of Europe, elaborate container plantings graced the palace grounds

9 Today s interest is spurred by many developments in the horticultural industry

10 While most containers adapt to grow plants, durable, lightweight, attractive pots make container gardening easier

11 Any garden center carries a myriad of styles, sizes and color of pots to delight any gardener

12 They are usually frost proof, less likely to break while being handled and moving them does not require visits to the chiropractor

13 Use a variety of sizes and shapes of pots with four common characteristics

14 Avoid dark, black pots unless they are going into another container

15 Black pots get too hot so, unless you are trying to grow steamed plant roots, select a lighter colored container

16 Avoid growing plants in containers that are too small

17 Use containers that are at least 16 in diameter and hold several gallons of media so they do not dry out too quickly

18 If you have large cast iron or concrete planters, grow the plants in other containers and then slip them inside the heavy unwieldy containers

19 Another important improvement for growing plants is artificial soils

20 These soil-free mixes or peat-based soils are light weight and they have excellent water and air drainage

21 They are free of harmful insects, diseases and weeds so they are excellent growing mediums

22 Use artificial or soil-free mixes

23 Commercial mixes have peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite

24 These mixes are free of pathogens and drain freely so there are no problems with root rot or over-watering

25 Address the horticultural aspects of growing

26 Plant roots need oxygen, so make certain they have good drainage

27 Make certain all of the containers have holes so they drain well

28 The quickest way to kill container planters is to have them sit in water

29 Adequate drainage is essential for all container plantings

30 To help plants bloom profusely, include slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote in the pots

31 You can use liquids and fertilize them every time you water to keep the plants blooming

32 Other developments are the wonderful new plants that make showy, long blooming containers for any growing area

33 Many new plants and an abundance of exciting new cultivars are some of the best performers in containers

34 Many trail over the side of the pot with masses of blooms in a myriad of colors

35 Decide where you want to grow the container and select the plants accordingly

36 Some plants work well in shaded, protected areas and others work best in full sun

37 Plants for shade are coleus, many kinds of begonias and impatiens

38 For full sun, consider some of these favorites

39 Imagination Verbena

40 Symphony African Daisies or Osteospurmum African Daisy are larger and showier than older types

41 Diascia Hybrids

42 For trailing plants, try the ornamental sweet potatoes or Ipomeas

43 The lime green variety is Marguerite

44 The dark purple black colored variety is Blackie

45 The multicolored variety is Tricolor

46 Bidens Bidens

47 Calibrachoa Calibrachoa hybrid

48 Ornamental Pepper Capsicum annuum

49 Vinca Catharanthus roseus

50 Strawflower Helichrysum

51 Edging Lobelia Lobelia erinus

52 Nemesia Nemesia strumosa

53 Geranium Pelargonium x hortorum

54 Annual Fountain Grass Pennisetum setaceum

55 Petunia Petunia x hybrida

56 Creeping Zinnia Sanvitalia procumbens

57 Marigold Tagetes hybrids

58 Garden Verbena Verbena x hybrida

59 Twilight Blue Sparks Verbena

60 Superbena, Pink Shades Verbena,

61 Narrowleaf Zinnia Zinnia angustifolia

62 New, exciting plants are added each season

63 Planting The Containers The formula is simple: Thrills Spills Fills

64 When creating containers use taller flowers for the center These are the thrills

65 Fill in with some medium plants These are the fills

66 Finally add trailing varieties to cascade over the container edges These are the spills

67 You will end up with some of the most attractive plantings ever to grace your garden

68 When growing container gardens, keep care of them for the entire summer

69 Many people plant or purchase container gardens in the spring and they look good

70 Neglecting light, water and fertilizer often make the containers become overgrown and straggly

71 Cut them back and or deadhead them and keep them well watered and fertilized

72 Then they will stay attractive through the entire season

73 Consider creating different types of container plantings with new plant varieties

74 For educational classes offered by Utah State University Extension on this and other subjects log onto