Container Gardening Basics-
Container gardening is a lovely way to bring color and fragrance to your porch, patios and small spaces. It is perfect for those who do not have yard or garden spaces or who live in the city and want to brighten up their balconies and terraces too.
I enjoy having flowers on our porch and patio just as much as I enjoy them in the flower beds. I have been busy filling our pots and containers with sweet summer flowers. Some even have blooms already. I also use containers for some perennials like these in our bird garden. ( click on the photos to enlarge)
Container gardening Basics– a few easy steps for success.
• Pick your container– you can have a container in any size shape and style. You can use traditional planter pots or get creative and use barrels, ceramics, boxes and anything else that will provide a happy home for your flowers. Choose your planters according to your flower/plant/vegetable/herb needs.Smaller containers are portable so you can move them wherever you like.
• Drainage-A trick I learned from my Mother is to use plastic bottles and jugs in the bottom of your pots and containers for drainage. No need to gather rocks or buy rocks to provide drainage for your containers. It’s a great way to recycle and keep that plastic out of the landfills too.
From This to This
• Soil- I use a premixed container gardening mix (Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix) available in most stores and garden centers. But if you are really ambitious you can make your own using equal parts compost, pulverized bark (pine) and vermiculite. Soil from your flower beds and yard is too dense for container gardening.
• Plants-I stick with a three flower system for most of my containers- A focal flower/plant, a filler flower/plant and a hanging/spilling flower plant. You can also plant seeds, herbs, vegetables and perennials in your containers.
Plant the flowers/plants- leaving plenty of room for them to fill in your containers as they grow. Container gardening takes patience while you wait for your flowers/plants to grow and to fill in. It will be worth the wait.
Note-I planted some flowers/plants that are already grown and blooming in our window boxes and the planter on the table) . But I still think half of the fun of container gardening is watching them fill in. When they are full and lush the hummingbirds will be visiting ( I’ll share my container garden progress in a future post).
• Water- Water container plants thoroughly and often. Weather, sunlight, plant size, and pot size will help you determine how frequently to water. Do not let your container’s soil dry out.
That’s it my sweet bloggy friends you now know everything I know about the container gardening basics.
Will you be planting using containers?
Have a great weekend everyone!
Such a neat tip with the plastic bottles. I’m so glad the weather is warm enough to enjoy the plants and flowers again!
its sooo hot now…But the flowers are loving it, LOL
I love to use containers, especially out of the ordinary. I’m loving these photos.
Angel
Thank you Angel, you wouldn’t believe how much they have filled in already. I hope you will share your photos soon, Hugs
I, too, love container gartdening. I use geraniums, begonias, impatiens, coleus, lots of different things. I also plant alot of annuals all around the yard too. I love color!!!! Now that we have the patio and pond, we have pots on the patio and flowers all around the pind too. I plan to do a post about all of it next week.
I look forward to your post my friend xo
I’m thinking of doing that instead of planting in the ground, no weeds to pull that way!
hi Missy did you fill some containers? Hugs
They are all beautiful. I love your window box. laurie
Thank you Laurie I am already seeing the containers filling in . The flowers are loving out heat. Hugs!
So beautiful! Can you come to my house and help :)? I pinned it, stumbled it, and google +’d it! Have a great weekend!
Lana, you are such a sweetie, thank you for pinning and sharing. Big Hugs!
You are always such an inspiration! I also have several container gardens in process, and just as soon as I leave your little corner here I am going outside to finish up. Perhaps I should post some photos, too, just so you can see how much you have inspired me. ;o)
PS Do you have any photos that we could use in the summer issue of Ruby . . . . . I think I have the cover finalized, but maybe you will have something that we could use for cover of the autumn issue? Let me know what you think! Hugs, Nina
Thank you my friend,what a sweet comment. I hope to have a photo for you shortly. xo
Very cool tip with the water bottles. I’m “green” when it comes to having a green thumb so thanks for the gardening tips!
Thank you always happy to share. 🙂
I love flowers and yours look gorgeous. I had never heard of the plastic bottle trick. Thank you for sharing because I have a lot of landscaping to do (probably next year) and I would really like to add some container gardens to my outside entryway.
Hi Rachel, my pleasure I am always happy to share. Hugs
These look gorgeous 🙂 I hope you have a great weekend xx
Thank you my friend xo
Containerized plants and flowers are a wonderful hobby, dear Katie. Cactus and succulents captured my imagination in recent years and at one point I had more than 100 displayed on the patio. Mrs. Shady has quite a few flowering plants in containers on mirrored pedestals and in hanging baskets.
Have a wonderful weekend, dear friend Katie!
100! Oh my goodness I would love to see that my friend. How wonderful. Hugs
Gorgeous and just actually planted sunflower seeds for Emma last weekend and can’t wait to see some growth on those. Have a great weekend now 🙂
Sunflowers are such a fun summer flower. I look forward to seeing them in full bloom in your pots.Hugs!