SUCCESS IN THE GARDEN: GARDEN CONTAINER IDEAS

IDEAS ON GARDEN CONTAINERS

These beautiful planters found at Wave Hill Gardens in Bronx, New York are made of stone which is a porous material.

1. Small containers will need to be watered more often than large flowerpots.  Planters made out of porous materials such as a terra cotter planter will need to be watered more often than a plastic container.  Plastic and glazed pots are slower to dry out because water doesn't evaporate through these non-porous materials.

 2. When the outside temperature approach 80-90 degrees; in the sun (and shade) you may need to water a small container more than once a day.  A garden container with more soil means your plants can grow a bigger root system.  Plants with lots of roots tend to be healthy, happy plants.

Large terrace planters need a significant amount of irrigation to be successful. They also need a constant application of fertilizer.

 3. A light-potting medium is recommended with addition of natural cedar mulch as a topping to retain moisture and mitigate temperature extremes.

4. Fertilizer is essential for having the best plant containers. Remember that with constant watering, nutrients are consistently leeching out of the soil of your beautiful container planting.  On a regular basis, you should be feeding these plants -- unless they are plants that prefer low nutrient soil (such as lavender.)

5. Typically, the more plants you have in a single planter design, the greater their need will be for irrigation.

Using various plants in a large planter design can be effective in a generous sized terrace garden planter or as a smaller focal point at eye level.