Remember That Pot?

In my May 17th post, I had a picture of a beautiful, square, Italian terracotta pot.  Here's what I planted in it:

• Ivy Geranium ("Contessa Burgundy Bicolor" and "Precision Blue")
• Purple Sage
• English Thyme
• Salvia ("Wild Thing")
• Hypericum Calycinum ("Brigadoon")
• Heuchera Coral Bells ("Obsidian")
• Alpine Geranium

I've listed these to point out that you can put more plants than you think in one container as long  as they all have similar sun and water requirements.  

Here's how the pot looked soon after I planted it.  I'll do my best to remember to take a picture at the end of the season.  

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

My Lucky Day

You know that saying:  "The best camera is the one you have with you." It was definitely true today. My little hummingbird friend showed up today and I happened to have had my cell phone in hand. I quickly clicked the Instagram video button and started shooting. I thought I had missed him but then a split second later, he flew right up to the glass door and started rooting around in the Belamcanda (Blackberry Lily).
Belamcanda is easy to grow. It's in the Iris family and produces star-shaped flowers with six petals. The blooms close at night by twisting. It requires sun to light shade and is hardy to zone 5. I'm going on my third year with these in the same pot. I like them and apparently my hummingbird does too.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

It has been raining for nearly a week straight. I had hoped to get the last of my planting done but that was not the weather's plan for me. Things started to clear up late this evening so I decided rather than plant the last few things, my time would be better spent arranging the pots on the deck. I had too much stuff everywhere and I was tripping over everything. So I spent an hour and half finding a place for (almost) everything. This little guy hung on for dear life as I moved from one corner to another the huge (and heavy) hydrangea that he apparently has made home.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Let's Review: Read the Label

Read the label.

Wherever you buy your plant, it will likely have a plant tag or a label stuck in the soil. This is not for decoration. It's important to pay attention to the information on it. It can be the difference between your delight or your disappointment. I'll tell you why. That tag lets you know under what conditions your plant will thrive such as full sun (6 or more hours of sun) or full shade. This is probably the most important fact on the label because if you put a shade plant (such as a fern) in the full sun, it will die a miserable death. And if you put a tomato plant in full shade, you'll go all summer without a single piece of fruit.  

The label will also tell you the dimensions of the plant when it reaches full size, which can guide you in selecting the proper size pot. It will also tell you the plant's hardiness zone. If it's a perennial and you have hopes of it surviving the winter, be sure it's hardy to your zone. I usually subtract two zones because plants in pots are more exposed to the elements. Here in Virginia, it's zone 7 so if I have any hopes for a plant to return the following year, I look for those that have a zone of 5.  

There's good information here.

Finally, if it's a flowering plant you're looking at, the tag will tell you its bloom season. With annuals, you can rely on blooms the entire season. But with perennials, you'll want to read the label closely. Most (not all) perennials will only bloom for a couple months--it might be spring, early summer, mid summer, late summer, or fall. You can plan accordingly and buy different types of flowering perennials so that you can have staggered blooms. I often mix flowering perennials with annuals so that I'll always have something in bloom.  But keep in mind, flowers aren't everything. I've learned to appreciate interesting foliage, which can often be beautiful all on its own.

So read that label and give your plant the best possible chance to thrive.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Let's Review: Pots

Terracotta pots are beautiful but require more frequent watering.

I've always said that you can grow almost anything in a pot.  At various times over the years I've grown trees (a Japanese maple that I've had for eight years--maybe longer), shrubs, vegetables, perennials flowers, annuals, and herbs.  The pot you choose has to be large enough to accommodate its contents. For example, my Japanese maple is in a huge container, which is only problematic when I need to move it, or should I say, when my husband needs to move it for me.  

My garden has an array of containers--from terracotta pots (see photo) to wine crates to pots made of lightweight composite materials. You should consider several things including aesthetics, weight, and size. I prefer an eclectic mix of pots, which is why you'll see such a variety in my pictures. It's part aesthetic preference and part experiment.  

Pot feet allow for drainage and air circulation

But if you remember nothing else, remember this: no matter what container you use, you must have good drainage. You accomplish this three ways. First, be sure that your container has holes at the bottom. If it doesn't, don't buy it, or be prepared to drill the holes yourself. Depending on the type of material, you may not want to risk it. At the very least, use an appropriate drill bit. Second, use potting mix not garden soil. Potting mix is formulated to facilitate drainage and allow for root growth. Garden soil is too heavy to use in containers and your roots will suffocate. Finally, elevate your pots. I use pot feet (see photo). On a round pot, you can get by with three; on a square pot, use four.  

The right pot and proper drainage are the foundations of successful container gardening. There are other considerations of course, which I've talked about in the past and will review in future posts.  

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

In the beginning...

One carton of many filled with plants

This is the weekend that I typically do my big shopping for the garden. I bought more than I have in past years because we had a bitter winter, which killed some of the plants that typically survive the season.  Well, that's how it goes. I just scrubbed out those pots and readied them for something new and interesting.

In the beginning it's chaos

So here's what things look like in the beginning. It's sort of chaotic. I have plants everywhere, dirt everywhere, water everywhere, everything everywhere. And don't even ask me how many times I tripped over the water hose today.

Stay tuned. I'll continue to post on the weekends as I document my progress. Meanwhile, go buy some plants.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

A Huge Thank You!

No pictures for this post--just a huge thank you to The Washington Post for featuring my garden and two other beautiful DC gardens in today's issue of The Washington Post magazine.  Thanks to Jennifer Barger, whose skill with words I very much appreciate, and to April Greer, who clearly knows how to capture a beautiful photograph.

Starting Lineup

Starting Lineup

Welcome back to container planting season!  I spent last weekend scrubbing out pots and I'm not quite finished yet.  Unfortunately, I lost a couple of perennials over the unusually bitter Virginia winter.  That's all the more reason to pay attention to the hardiness zone information on plant tags. When I plant perennials, my rule of thumb is to plant those with a hardiness zone that is two zones lower than the official zone I live in.  For example, in my area of Virginia, the hardiness zone is 7.  Remember that plants in containers are more exposed than plants in the ground. So to be safe, I choose perennials that have a hardiness zone of 5, that is, if I want a fighting chance that they'll return the following year.  I planted a beautiful Butterfly Bush last year.  I took a risk knowing that the hardiness zone was 6. It did not end well.  Of course, I can always look at the bright side and remember how much I enjoyed having it in the garden last year.  

So get ready to start planting your containers.  I usually wait until Mothers' Day weekend. By that time, most of the cold nights are behind us so I don't have to worry about bringing plants inside--that's a lot of trouble and I really don't have the space for them anyway.  

Now that the season is underway, I'll be posting on weekends (occasionally more often).  I'll show you what I'm planting and offer helpful hints and lessons learned.  It's time to get dirty!

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books