How to Create Stunning Container Garden Designs
Container gardens allow you to grow anything from flowers to produce in small spaces. The movable gardens give you the freedom to grow plants whether you have little to no yard space, bad soil or limited areas of sunlight. Using containers makes gardening possible almost anywhere. Unfortunately, container gardens sometimes look bland and boring. With some simple design elements, it is possible to create striking container gardens for almost every situation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Acquire planters. The containers need to have drainage holes or a self-watering reservoir. A variety of sizes and shapes works best. Be creative and save money by repurposing objects into planters, such as an attractive pan, a birdbath, a claw-foot tub or and old desk with the drawers pulled out for planters.
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Purchase potting soil or make your own. A good container garden blend will be lightweight and contain moisture-retaining products, like bark or peat. A homemade mix should contain approximately equal parts peat or a substitute, vermiculite and compost.
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Purchase plants. Select a variety of plants that require the same moisture and sun levels for each container. Buy herbs, vegetables, flowers and small fruits that will thrive in the container sizes you chose when the plants mature.
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Dampen the soil mixture in a bucket. Fill each container within 1 or 2 inches form the top. The wet soil mixture will settle less than if you fill the container dry.
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Separate the plants into groups for each container. Add a mixture of colors, foliage, textures and uses for each. For example, put a small tomato plant with trailing flowers around it, a group of three decorative pepper plants surrounded with ivy, or a fountain grass planted in the center of miniature zinnias and trailing cucumbers.
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Dig out holes in the potting soil for each plant. The tallest plants should go in the back or center of the planter. Surround it with midlevel plants of contrasting colors and textures. Finish each planter with trailing or vining plants that cascade over the sides. Place the plants into the holes and fill in the hole with the removed soil.
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Tips & Warnings
Use outdoor paint to add decorative touches to planters.
Some planters will dry out quickly and you might need to water as much as twice a day during hot, dry weather.
Clean any container thoroughly with hot water and bleach to remove any fungus or bacteria that could harm plants. Rinse well before use.
References
Resources
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