A Little Extra Help

Mandevilla is on my shopping list every year. I usually opt for white. I try not to buy it too early in the season because it can only be left outside after nighttime temperatures consistently remain above 55F.

I always repot my mandevilla so that it can climb up the trellis that I already have. It requires some unwinding from the support that is provided in the nursery pot and sometimes that takes a while so a little patience is required. Often times, you can buy the mandevilla in a good-sized pot with its own small wooden trellis and there's nothing at all wrong with leaving it just like that. I saw a whole bunch at Home Depot a couple of weeks ago--healthy plants at a price that was well below that of the area nurseries.

I unwound this white mandevilla and planted it in my pot with my green wire trellis. The plant was sort of drooping forward and I thought it might need some immediate help locating its support. So I got some garden tape and loosely tied several of the plant stems to the trellis to give it a helping hand. Now there's no stopping it.

Bookshelf: Container Gardening Books

Salvaging Jenny

I just read on a website that Creeping Jenny (a.k.a. Lysimachia for you Latin fans) has one of the most extensive root systems on Earth. In fact, many people have written in asking how to permanently rid their gardens and landscapes of it. And here I am, trying to save it. Go figure.

As I've said before, it's one of my all-time favorites for trailers in containers. It has come back every year for me. This year, it returned in a pot that was also previously planted with annuals. Of course the annuals died but I wanted to keep the Creeping Jenny. It seemed like it returned in sufficient quantity as to allow for division and distribution which is exactly what I did.

I used this great Felco saw that my brother gave me for Christmas. I don't know how I've survived this long without it. I cut the Creeping Jenny into several pieces and I've planted it into a couple of other pots. Now let's see if it lives up to its reputation.















Bookshelf: Container Gardening Books

Cutting Back

Time to break out the pruners! I've spent several afternoons cutting back my perennials and shrubs. Now I'm no expert on pruning although I've seen encyclopedic volumes on the subject. I don't have the time or patience to read them. I can only speak from my own experience. Last year, I didn't cut back anything in the fall. Instead, I waited until spring to see where the new growth would emerge and then cut back all the old, dead stuff from the previous year. Nothing at all scientific about that and it seemed to have worked just fine.

This year, I've decided to cut back all of my perennials in the fall (but, of course, not my Japanese Maple tree) just to see if I end up with a different result when next season comes around. I had no choice but to cut back my Lespedeza because this is the year I am forced to divide it which I expect will not be an easy task given how long it's been in the same pot.

I've included pictures of one of my butterfly bushes. In the first picture, you can barely make out the blade of my pruners cutting one of the stems. The second picture shows what the plant looked like after I finished the job. It just so happens I did more research on cutting back butterfly bushes (after I had already cut mine, naturally) and I think I may have been a bit too aggressive. I guess I'll find out.

I'm going to be away for a little while. At the end of this month, I will be posting more information about planting bulbs because that's when I'll be ready to plant mine. You can still find a nice selection in the nurseries and online at sites such as www.whiteflowerfarm.com but they're going fast!

Bookshelf: Container Gardening Books

Organizing Supplies

Yesterday I bought a few things from GardenMasters, a vendor that sets up a temporary tent for about six weeks in the local Whole Foods parking lot. But my big shopping will be this Friday at the nursery located about 20 minutes from our house. In the meantime, I've gathered some of the tools and supplies I'll be using. As the picture indicates, it really doesn't take a whole lot to get started.

First, a pot, or some other type of container that can hold soil and water. The size of the pot depends on the amount of space you have and how much watering you really want to do. If you are just going to do a one pot container garden for your front door entryway, go for a good size pot in which you can plant a number of things so that you can make a real statement. You want it to be noticed. The pot shown here would be ideal to put by our front door. It's about 20 inches in diameter. Be sure you can provide drainage so if your container does not have holes at the bottom, you'll have to drill them but be sure you can safely do this without destroying or compromising the support of the pot.

Second, to facilitate drainage, to lighten the overall weight of the pot, and to minimize the amount of potting soil you'll need, you'll want to fill the bottom of the pot with material such as styrofoam peanuts. A pot as deep as the one shown here does not need to be filled entirely with soil--that ends up being heavy and expensive! Plus most plants (including perennials) do not need all of that room to establish a root system. Pot feet also help with drainage because they elevate the pot by an inch or so. I have a large supply of terra cotta ones that cost about $.99 each. You'll need at least three for a round pot, four for a square or rectangular pot.

Of course you'll need potting soil. With the twenty-five or more pots that I have, I'm obviously going to need quite a bit. Be sure to buy potting soil or potting mix but not garden soil--and definitely don't take soil out of your flowerbeds and put them in your pots. Potting mixes are less compact and contain compost, peat moss and other ingredients to facilitate the growth of the plant's root system. Don't go the cheap route, because your plants are only as good as the soil they are grown in. Also, a soil scoop would be handy or you can just use the two scoops nature gave you.

I usually mix in some time release fertilizer such as Osmocote®. I sprinkle a tablespoon or so in the top layer of potting mix before I put in my plants. A few times during the summer I will also use a water soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro (shown in blue bag).

I rarely use gardening gloves but I'm also forever scrubbing and cleaning my hands and fingernails. You can decide for yourself. When dealing with roses, you'll want to consider gauntlets because you'll want to be protected up to your elbows.

And finally, pruners and/or scissors which I discussed in my April 30th post.

All of the supplies you need can be found at any nursery or big box store so you can count on one-stop shopping.

Over the next week or so, as I begin to plant, I'll be revisiting much of what I've talked about today and showing step by step pictures so you'll know exactly what to do to get your own container garden started.

Bookshelf: Container Gardening Books

Tools and Supplies: Cutting

I don't have a lot of gardening related tools and gadgets because when you're container gardening, you really just need the basics. So I'll tell you what works for me. For pruners, the Felco #2 has everyone beat hands down. This is the pruner to choose if you plan on having an extensive garden, if you're growing roses or perennials with woody stems (like my Japanese Maple, shown here), or if you just are the type who wants the ultimate cutting tool. They'll probably cost you close to $50. They can be found online (Felco) as well as in well-stocked nurseries. Whatever you do, don't leave them out in the rain, as I have done in the past.










For lighter cutting work, which is mostly what I do, I reach for this pair of Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors. These are marketed primarily as kitchen scissors but I have used them for years in my garden and have a spare pair just in case. They are comfortable and make deadheading and trimming a breeze. Well worth the $20. I've seen them in lots of places: online, of course, but also in specialty kitchen stores as well as department stores.