~Container Gardening~

 

Due to lack of space at our house, I do a lot of container gardening. Baskets make wonderful containers. First you will need to line your basket with plastic, empty potting soil bags work well for this. Place a thin layer of sand in the bottom of your basket, this will allow for drainage, so your flowers don't drown. Too much water can be just as harmful as too little! The best soil to use for this type of container is soiless soil. It allows for better drainage and isn't as heavy as regular potting soil. Impatiens, pansies, daisies, and geraniums grow well in these containers. I usually add a little trailing ivy to spill over the sides.

 

Then there is that old, wicker waste basket you have been meaning to throw out. Don't throw it out! Give it a coat of spray paint and it can become a temporary home for a large array of flowers. This container works best if you leave the flower in its original container and then later transplant it in the garden. I used ours as a temporary home for a flowering hydragena. Once it was finished flowering, I moved it into the garden.

 

As well, the wide range of metal baskets available in kitchen shops, may be used outdoors as an interesting alternative to regular garden pots. You know those wire, 3 tired baskets you see hanging in kitchens? The kind people use to hold fruits and onions? Well, they are not just for the kitchen anymore! These look great used as a container garden. Line them with moss or purchase ready made coco liners, fill them with soiless soil and plant them with whatever you like. It is really important to use soiless soil in these as they are not able to support a great deal of weight unless reinforced. Also, make sure you secure this basket in a good, strong support.

 

Galvanized sap buckets look great with patio roses in them and the roses do well in this type of pot.

 

An old pair of work boots also makes a great container to hold plants. Just remember to add some holes in the bottom for drainage and to put some rocks or sand in the bottom to help in this area as well. Plants that don't mind dry conditions work best in this type of container. If you wish, you may simply leave the plants in their original plants and then transplant them into the garden once they become too large for the existing pot. These look really cute on your steps or on the back porch.

 

In addition to work boots, cowboy boots look cute planted with various cacti. So does that old, rusty mailbox you have been meaning to throw out. Don't throw it out, plant it with some flowers.

 

Take an old, metal colander; fill it with petunias and variegated vinca plants. Place it near a kitchen window. Or, add some S hooks and chain to it and suspend it. Thanks to the holes already there, you don't even have to worry about drainage.

 

Special thanks to Grace,