Transcript Document

Plant Beauty in Convenient Packages: Container Gardening
Mary Meyer,Professor,University of Minnesota
Copyright © 2007 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
Containers for
plants can be
anything!!
As long as it
has:
Drainage!!
Drainage!!
Drainage!!
Plant containers
can be anything
that holds soil !!
Remember:
Drainage
Drainage
Drainage
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.
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
Container options:
plastic & fiberglass
• Lightweight, maybe
too lightweight
• Hold moisture
longer, maybe too
long
• No staining
• Colorful, can be
decorative and
attractive
Container options: wood
• Minimum
temperature
fluctuation: good
insulators
• Needs replacing
eventually, can
last many years
• Informal, natural
appearance
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
Container options: metal
• Little insulation:
can be very hot or
very cold, less of
a problem in large
containers
• Can be very
attractive
Container options:
stone, hypertufa troughs
• Heavy in weight
and cost
• Harder to find
• Moss grows on
containers
• Drainage may be a
problem.
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.
Most people
use synthetic soil.
Lightweight; holds water and
air; ideal for plant growth.
C
o
c
c
Coconut fiber or coir is
in the ingredients.
Slow release
fertilizer is in this
potting soil, but in
a very small
amount.
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.
Watering: very important
• Daily in summer
• Small and hanging
containers need
extra care
• Type of container
type makes a big
difference
Pouches require lots of water, use a
piece of hose in the back of the pouch.
What plants should you use? It depends on:
Site
Personal preference
Color scheme
Purpose: food, color, hide/cover, frame,
soften, attract attention
Hot Sites call for
careful plant selection.
Purple or pink
fountaingrass loves
sun and warm or
hot locations
Shade is easier: Begonia‘Dragon Wings’,great container plant
Hidcote, England
Fuchsia: likes cool weather
and lots of moisture.
Osteospermum
’Orange Symphony’
likes cool weather; opens with sun
Personal Preference
informal
formal
Color scheme: red and pink
White color theme:
featherreed grass ’Overdam’
Miscanthus sinensis ’Variegatus’,
caladium and
Zinnia angustifolia ’Crystal White’
Purpose: define a patio: Sissinghurst white garden
Define a bench: Plectranthus,sweet potato
vine‘Margarita’,coleus,supertunia
Fuschia,Carex buchananii, licorice plant,nasturtium,fan flower.
Decorate: Denver Botanic Garden: Up on the Roof
Define or make a new garden with just containers
Place plants where there is no soil access.
Cover a bare wall: use tough plants.
Containers allow you to grow plants where
there is no access to the soil.
Highlight a special plant collection: carnivorous plants; herbs
Denver Botanic Garden: a trough for every
county, showing their native plants.
Mini-landscape: Trough Gardens; Rice Creek Gardens.
Use containers to feature an area: entryway,
walkway, door, bench.
Sissinghurst entryway
Containers can highlight a flower border
Combinations for Containers
• Resources, fun websites:
• http://www.plantbynumber.com/ Ball
Horticultural, Inc.
• http://www.provenwinners.com
click on:
Combinations
“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
New forms of old favorites
Nasella or (Stipa) tenuissima, pony tails, Mexican Feather Grass;
Osteospermum, Angelonia’Angelface Blue’, Argyanthemum ‘Butterfly’
Scirpus cernus,fiber optic grass; vinca,dusty miller,viola
Tibouchina grandiflora, large leafed gloryflower is
a South American flowering tree,tropical plant.
Use coarse and fine textured plants. A banana
shredded from hail at the Arboretum.
Tropical look: Olbrich Gardens, Madison, WI
Nicotiana sylvestris, flowering tobacco and Hibiscus
Containers for food and
horticultural therapy
Use raised beds for elders, children,
or where soil is very poor.
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
William Baffin hardy shrub rose,
probably some roots in the ground, roots cannot survive
above ground winters in Minnesota.
Containers for all Seasons
Containers can provide
beauty and interest
in winter.
In our zone 4, nothing
survives the winter
in a container, without
significant protection.
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.
Copyright © 2007 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.