Transcript Document

Container gardening
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
MASTER GARDENER
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© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
Containers for
plants can be
anything!
As long as it
has:
Drainage!!
Drainage!!
Drainage!!
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Plant containers
can be anything
that holds soil!
Remember:
Drainage
Drainage
Drainage
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KNOW YOUR PLANT’S MOISTURE REQUIREMENTS!
Moisture-loving plants can stand in water:
bacopa, peace lily, cannas. Plastic pots are
good for these plants.
Most plants cannot stand in water and need
oxygen as much as moisture. Double pot these
or use containers with several drainage holes.
Dry loving plants require drainage and pots
that dry out: terra cotta, or clay. Plastic is
worse for these plants.
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CONTAINER OPTIONS: TERRA COTTA OR CLAY
 Classic choice
because it is great for
plant root growth:
provides good air or
oxygen exchange.
 Heavy
 Dries out quickly
 Develops mold, salts
etching
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CONTAINER OPTIONS: PLASTIC & FIBERGLASS
 Lightweight, maybe
too lightweight
 Hold moisture
longer, maybe too
long
 No staining
 Colorful, can be
decorative and
attractive
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CONTAINER OPTIONS: WOOD
 Minimum
temperature
fluctuation: good
insulators
 Needs replacing
eventually, can last
many years
 Informal, natural
appearance
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CONTAINER OPTIONS: GLAZED CERAMIC
 Beautiful
 Non-porous and can
be too airtight for
root growth
 May clash with
plants flowers and
foliage
Phormium, New Zealand flax
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CONTAINER OPTIONS: METAL
 Little insulation: can
be very hot or very
cold, less of a
problem in large
containers
 Can be very
attractive
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CONTAINER OPTIONS:
STONE, HYPERTUFA TROUGHS
 Heavy in weight and
cost
 Harder to find
 Moss grows on
containers
 Drainage may be a
problem.
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Traditional Container Soil Mix:
• 1 part garden soil
• 1 part peatmoss (wet first: soak in a bucket)
• 1 part sand
Use new soil each year.
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Most people
use synthetic soil.
Lightweight; holds water and
air; ideal for plant growth.
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C
o
c
c
Coconut fiber or coir is
in the ingredients.
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Slow release fertilizer
is in this potting soil,
but in a very small
amount.
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Container plants need fertilizer. You can use a slow release
fertilizer in the soil mix and weekly liquid fertilizer applications
for actively growing flowering annuals in containers.
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WATERING: VERY IMPORTANT
 Daily in summer
 Small and hanging
containers need
extra care
 Type of container
type makes a big
difference
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Pouches require lots of water. Use a piece of
hose in the back of the pouch.
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What plants should you use? It depends on:
• Site
• Personal preference
• Color scheme
• Purpose: food, color, hide/cover, frame, soften,
attract attention
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Hot sites call for
careful plant selection.
Purple or pink
fountaingrass loves sun
and warm or hot
locations
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Shade is easier: Begonia ‘Dragon Wings,’ great container plant.
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Hidcote, England
Fuchsia: likes cool weather
and lots of moisture.
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Osteospermum ‘Orange Symphony’
likes cool weather; opens with sun
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PERSONAL PREFERENCE
formal
informal
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COLOR SCHEME: RED AND PINK
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White color theme:
featherreed grass ‘Overdam’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’,
caladium and
Zinnia angustifolia ‘Crystal White’
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Purpose: define a patio: Sissinghurst white garden
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Define a bench: Plectranthus,sweet potato vine ‘Margarita’,
coleus, supertunia
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Fuschia,Carex buchananii, licorice plant, nasturtium, fan flower
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Decorate: Denver Botanic Garden: Up on the Roof
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Define or make a new garden with just containers
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Place plants where there is no soil access.
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Cover a bare wall: use tough plants
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Containers allow you to grow plants where
there is no access to the soil.
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Highlight a special plant collection: carnivorous plants; herbs
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Denver Botanic Garden: a trough for every
county, showing their native plants.
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Mini-landscape: Trough Gardens; Rice Creek Gardens.
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Use containers to feature an area: entryway, walkway, door, bench.
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Sissinghurst entryway
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Containers can highlight a flower border
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COMBINATIONS FOR CONTAINERS
Resources, fun websites:
 http://www.plantbynumber.com/
Ball Horticultural, Inc.
 http://www.provenwinners.com
click on: Combinations
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“Pennies from Heaven”
Proven Winners
A
A
C
B
B
B
C
Proven Winners:
A. Lysimachia ‘Goldilocks’ 2 plants
B. Lobelia ‘Laguna Sky Blue’ 3plants
C. Petunia ‘Supertunia Double Purple’
2plants
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New forms of old favorites
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Nasella or (Stipa) tenuissima, pony tails, Mexican Feather Grass;
Osteospermum, Angelonia’Angelface Blue’, Argyanthemum ‘Butterfly’
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Scirpus cernus,fiber optic grass; vinca,dusty miller,viola
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Tibouchina
grandiflora, large
leafed gloryflower is
a South American
flowering tree,
tropical plant.
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Use coarse and fine textured plants.
A banana
shredded from
hail at the
Arboretum.
Tropical look: Olbrich Gardens, Madison, WI
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Nicotiana sylvestris, flowering tobacco and Hibiscus
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Containers for food and horticultural therapy
Use raised beds for elders, children,
or where soil is very poor.
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Container vegetables require:
1. Full sun
2. Lots of water
3. Fertilizer
4. Rule of thumb for container size:
3 gal of soil for every 1’ of plant
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William Baffin hardy shrub rose, probably some roots in
the ground, roots cannot survive above ground winters in
Minnesota.
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CONTAINERS FOR ALL SEASONS
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Containers can provide
beauty and interest
in winter.
In our zone 4, nothing
survives the winter
in a container, without
significant protection.
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FURTHER REFERENCES:
Best Annuals for Minnesota: http://www.florifacts.umn.edu/
St. Paul (USDA Winter Hardiness Z4; Heat Z5; 169 growing days)
Books:
Contain Yourself by Kerstin P. Ouellet, 2003.
Ball Publishing.
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Discover more at
extension.umn.edu
Created by Mary Meyer, Extension horticulturist
© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities
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