CONTAINER GARDENING-2017 Project Follow-Up

Remember those pots we did together a few weeks ago? 

I focused for a few posts on container garden tips and tricks

and used a project from our church as the example..

Here are some quick links:

Container Garden tips and tricks-Part 1

Container Garden tips and tricks-Part 2

Container Garden tips and tricks-Part 3

It turned out pretty rad.

I don't think there's been a single project 

this rewarding for me personally.

If you doubt that plants can welcome people

then you should see the faces and hear the comments

of our congregation when they enter.

Our goal was to help our church family 

feel welcomed and lifted up as they 

gather together.

Mission accomplished!

Many people actually touch these 

plants as they walk into the church.

I take that to mean that 

they find the pull of the plant material

and the beauty of the colors irresistible.

As immediately satisfying as these beauties were,

gardening is not something that 

I do for immediate (and only immediate) gratification.

With good planning, gardening 

is the gift that keeps on giving

as the plants mature.

In this post, I want to share some photos that demonstrate

 how the planning we did in the beginning

has allowed for these living creatures

to grow, evolve and change

in beautiful ways.

Late May (2 weeks post plant):

You can see that the plants are bigger.  

They are settling in enough to show their colors but

are still quite small compared to their mature height.

There is a lot of visual interest (different shapes, textures) while they get going

so the viewer doesn't feel like there's a pause happening.

The Dahlia in the middle was showing off quite a bit this week.  

Also, the double impatiens were starting to kick it up. 

Having single doses of an individual plant

keeps the eye from trying to balance everything in symmetrical form.

Keeping the palette similar (lime and purple)

means that in spite of different form/texture, 

everything in the pots seem to 'go together'.

The lime green coleus and sweet potato vines really shine here 

and have started to quickly add on size.

We are seeing height begin to reach

but also seeing the drape over the sides 

begin to add dimension.

These planters are beginning to show us the 3-D design

we envisioned.

Mid-June (5 weeks Planted):

 If we had not planned for this....

we would be freaking out within a month of planting these beauties.

Look at how much size the plants have put on 

within 5 short weeks?

Can you believe these are even the same pots?

Look at that Lantana sending out fireworks!  

You can barely see it in the first picture.  

And the elephant ears have tripled in size.

The fountain grass is a great backdrop, 

 the Canna lily shot up and is blooming!  

I didn't get a good side view on this day

but the sweet potato vine and coleus on the sides

are starting to spill out.

We had to move the pots away from each other

to give them space and keep them

from crowding each other out.

Early July (6 weeks Post-Plant)

Approximately 6 weeks after planting, these pots have

lost their minds.

Can you see those petunias and sweet potato

spilling over the sides?  They reach almost to the ground.

The Canna lilies and elephant ears almost cover the brick.

And the color focus has shifted once again

as the Lantana takes a short pause

before it blooms like gangbusters again.

You can see more of the lime and purple contrast

happening in these photos.

One of the best parts so far is that we've only had to water 

these plants about twice a week.

I expect that to change as the summer heats up

and the plants become even more gigantic.

It's also likely that as the summer continues

and plant growth continues

that we'll have to do some strategic pruning.

The Lantana has already needed some trimming.

The pots on the right side get slightly more shade than the pots on the left.  

It's interesting to see how different plants have 

responded to the slightly different micro-climate.

Well...it's interesting to me the plant nerd.

CONTAINER GARDENING TIPS AND TRICKS- Part 3

You've stepped into the third installment of my attempt to give advice 

relating to container gardening.  

When I started this series, I thought it was going to be one quick post. 

 Because...container gardens aren't that hard right?

Right?

Wrong.

Working on this post made me highly aware 

of many instances where container gardens go wrong.

Or just don't quite go right.

It's also made me more aware than usual of how easy it is to judge.

If you have a tried and true system that you love, then LOVE IT!

I'm glad you know what works for you and you're not required to change for me!

I don't always get it 'right' nor do I always care that I get it right.

There are some examples in my yard right now

of containers that are not display worthy.

I'm writing for the person who is overwhelmed,

has no idea how those containers they saw ended up so pretty,

and no idea that they could do it TOO!

After talking to several people and understanding where they went wrong

I revised my assessment for what could be helpful to non-gardeners.

There is a need for perspective and space assessment.

You can find my thoughts about that here.

Choosing the right size pot and focusing on a palette is discussed here.

Today we're going to talk about how to use the installation step (actually planting stuff!)

to your best advantage (so you can be lazy too)

And then we'll have the big reveal.

As a refresher, I'm using a recent weekend project for my church as the example.

Before picture....

There's a lot of preparation and planning that goes into a successful container garden.

At this point, I know you want to get on with the planting

but I have a couple last things to plug.

Proper drainage and soil.

It is so easy to slam some dirt into a pot and then walk away.

By mid-summer, you're wondering what the heck happened-
why that pot is not draining or why your soil is hard as a rock.

If you've invested in big pots, then you will have a really hard time excavating 

in the middle of the season to figure out what is wrong.

So...we're back to boring old prep work again for a while.

Drainage

Drainage is not a sexy word.
But in the container gardening world, it's important to understand.
Plants need watering-remember goldilocks?
Not too much, not too little...just the right amount.
That means the pot will have to hold water-but not too much.

Never use a pot that doesn't have holes in the bottom.
Pots without holes in the bottom are for decoration.
They need you to place a pot that will drain inside of them
and remove that inside pot to water.
Every time you water.

Your BIG pots should have holes in the bottom.
Sometimes they have a hole provided by 
the manufacturer but it will prove insufficient.

We drilled extra holes in the bottom of the large beige pots
used in this project so they would be sure to drain out.

It's a BIG plus if you can find one with self watering or 
extra drainage like the tall black one below.

Even when your pot has enough drainage holes at the bottom,
it's a good idea to add a layer of gravel.

I have skipped this step a few times and regretted it.
The plants go hog wild and before you know it, 
there's something clogging the holes at the bottom.  
Then they can't drain and it's a mud-pot.

Just bite the bullet, buy a $3 bag of gravel and put it in there.
Each of the beige pots have a bag of gravel in the bottom.

We used mixed river rock in the bottom because it was cheapest...any medium size gravel will do

Stage It

Before you plant....stage the pots where you want them to go.

This is especially important if you are the size of a hobbit (like me).

When you fill these pots with gravel, then dirt, then plants...
then water...you won't be able to budge them.
If you stage them beforehand, you have one last opportunity
to make adjustments before you're committed.

The Dirt

Fill with a potting mix that is made for containers.

There are lots of ways to mess this step up.

I know that there are people who want us to use soil and compost and everything
...and you can do that too...
so long as you have a degree in soil science.

Most everyone else should just buy the Miracle-Gro 
or the extra special potting mix from the big box home improvement store.
You need to fill the soil to within two inches of the top.
This project took 8 bags.
Do not skimp.
If you skimp, your plants will be fighting to be seen over the rims of the planter.
They might also be sitting in water more than they need to be.
They won't get the proper access to sunlight and it will take a while for them to start growing.
They might end up weirdly tall and leggy.

Don't over fill.
If you overfill, your water is likely to run OUT of the pot 
instead of staying inside the pot-where the roots are.

Planting

Now we get to the planting part.  This is often the most exciting part but is...
sadly, an easy place for things to go wrong again.
Some plants you're planting will be brand new babies.
These need to be handled gently when taken out of
 the plastic store bought pots.
Gently....flip the plant upside down and squeeze the bottom
 of the plants while holding your hand over the soil line.
DO NOT PULL ON THE STEMS.
Ever.
The little baby plant should fall out into your hand.
Stems between your first two fingers, soil keeping it from falling through.

Place the plants in the pot in the relative space that you want to put them.
You're trying to be gentle to these little babies.
Once you're happy with placement, then bury the roots so that the line of soil
is even with the depth of the soil in the pot..
If your soil didn't have an added fertilizer
then add some now.  
Osmocote is a slow release option or you can 
use more natural ones like blood meal and bone meal.
(yes, that is really what they are-blood and bone concentrated down)
Finally...you're almost done.
Water that pot until water runs out of the bottom.  
It needs to be thoroughly soaked.

Demo Project?

Before

After.  

Here's what our final project looked like on day one.

It will look very different in two weeks.

The tallest plants get 4-6' high so should stretch to the top of the brick.

The vines that drape over the side get 2-4' long.

I pinched the red tops off of the salvia in the auxillary pot...I may end up going back to pull them out altogether but didn't want to do that right away.

We have almost no repeats in these pots...there is one of everything EXCEPT deep purple petunias. There are repeats across the pots that tie them together (petunias, coleus, gomphrena, dahlias).

We used lots of foliage for color since it shows up better from a distance than flowers.  

Purple and lime green!  the best combo ever!

Side view

Sweet potato vine, dahlia , ornamental pepper, sage and canna lily in the back...

CONTAINER GARDENING TIPS AND TRICKS- Part 2

To celebrate spring and summer
and in an effort to stave off unnecessary plant death and associated shame...
I've decided to share some tips and tricks relating to Container Gardening.
You can see my first installment here:
CONTAINER GARDENING TIPS AND TRICKS- Part 1
where I talk about visualizing the space and determining 
project area size and grouping strategy.
As a refresher, the example project is a redo of the front of my church.

Refresher BEFORE picture for reference

This installment focuses on an important part of projects...spending money.
This post has some tips that should help you keep on track when you go shopping.
That sounds like something you could use right?
You will notice that I'm not saying that I'll be saving you money.
I'm offering tips to keep you focused so that you make the best decisions.
Not necessarily the cheapest.

First Confession

I bet the amount of money that I allocate in my budget for plants
or plant materials is higher than the average person's.
Some people like shoes, some people like sports.
I like plants.
And food.
Plants that make food get double points.
It's all connected for me but I just want you to know that 
I am aware that my spend on a plant nursery visit is
 different than the average consumer.
I don't know what your budget is for plants.
But I know a lot of people who work really hard 
every spring setting up about a million plants.
That are dead by June 15th.
I don't think that's a good use of money.
Hopefully, this will give you an easy strategy into how to keep 
the plants that you purchase alive.

Second Confession

I am a very lazy gardener.
I do not want to slave away on one little plant.
The more maintenance required for a plant, the less I like it.
Some plants need to have allowances made for their 
neediness (I'm looking at you tomatoes).
In general though, it is possible to have lots of beauty
and minimize the upkeep.
I have built my life around mastering that balance.
It starts with choices.


Let's talk about choosing a container.
For me...it's no contest.

I LIKE BIG POTS AND I CANNOT LIE....

3 of the 4 big pots used in this project.....

Picture this....
You're at the big box store.
Surrounded by  hundreds of small to medium pots.
There are blue, green, ceramic or glazed pots.
There are metal pots with designs.
There are plastic pots in every shade that look like candy.
There are terra cotta pots that remind you of vacations 
you always wanted to take but never did.

You can't decide what you want....
More is more right?
So you buy a bunch of smaller pots-
and assume that you'll just mix them 
around each other.
After all, you can fit the same number of plants into the smaller pots.
It'll all work out....right?
Wrong.

First off-don't forget about the first two tips I gave you.
You've got a certain size space that needs to be filled.
But I can see that you want to find a way to make this approach work
So we'll give some grace here for a minute.
Let's just assume your pots are big enough to fill the space
and they are also in the appropriate odd numbered count.
Even if that is true...you've got to stop and consider the plant.
This is not a knick knack to sit on your coffee table.
This is a home for a living organism that has needs.

BIG POTS ROCK

The simple botanical truth is....Plants grow better in bigger pots.
There are lots of reasons....I don't have four months to give you Botany 101.
Here's a few highlights to hold you over:

Plants don't grow in pots in nature.  
When you put a plant into a pot, you are trying to mimic
it's natural habitat.
That's why you pay attention to things like sun exposure, 
water availability and the kind of dirt you put in the pot.
You want the plant to think it's in an nice comfy space where it can make a home.

What do plants do when they find a home?
Most plants who've found a new space want to stretch (aka grow).  

You're buying babies....many of them become giants.
Think about how often newborns up their clothing sizes.
Little pots are like newborn onesies.  
Within a few weeks, your plants will grow out of pots that fit them now.

Annuals grow all summer long if you're treating them right.
Those little 4 paks of tiny annuals in the spring, 
will grow as much as 20 times 
that size before the summer is over.

Plant tops grow in direct correlation to their roots. 

Squish the roots or keep them from growing 
and the tops will eventually stop too.
Little pots will suffocate eventually suffocate your plant through root strangulation.

Also....you realize that plants need water right?

Most plants used in ornamental landscapes need 
evenly consistent water availability.
Don't know what that means?  
It means you don't want to drown them and you don't want them to get thirsty.  
Like Goldilocks, plants in pots like it juuuuust right.
All the time.

The smaller the pot, the more potential for the water to evaporate 
and leave a desert climate.  
It's something about surface area...
don't ask me to explain, I am not an engineer!
If you plant those little pots, you'll be running outside three times a 
morning by July to keep that sucker alive.
Do not even pretend that you love a plant that much.
No one does.

Trust me (the laziest gardener ever) when I say....

bigger pots give more root space, will hold water longer, and

 will also drain more like real soil.     

Use small pots for seedlings, succulents or TEMPORARY plants 

(think centerpieces for Mother's Day lunch).

They are not long term housing solutions for plants.

Biggest pot for the space available is always the way to go-

for aesthetic reasons and for botanical reasons.

When in doubt, particularly with outdoor spaces, go bigger.

CHOOSE WISELY

Impulse hanging basket purchase....gave to my step-mom for Mother's day

This next one tip is hard....and there's just no getting over or around it.

You have to make hard choices and stick to some guidelines when you're purchasing plant material.

This can be really difficult in the moment.

You walk into the garden center and you are literally overwhelmed by choice.

Every possible color or plant that is full bloom is staring at you

screaming TAKE ME HOME!
Garden centers intentionally overwhelm you so you'll take home plants.
They put everything in a gorgeous mishmash of color.
The more blooms the better!
They push plants up beside each other that would never coexist.
They're working with small pots that they'll break down and repot
 (or toss) when they don't look so great.
Without a plan...you are likely to impulse buy plants

or throw some things in the cart in desperation as you fight your 

way towards the register.

Have a plan!

Make  a rough but flexible plan before you go. 

For example....I knew on this recent project that I needed the following 
for each side of the church entrance:

2-4 really tall plants (that were different)

6 trailing plants

6 bushy medium plants

2-6 tall plants that were 'showy'

2-6 low plants for filler 

I wasn't quite sure what the nursery would have in stock....
and I new these all needed to work together in context.
Your list will not look like my list!
I have a fricking horticulture degree
and I'm a plant nerd.
However...your list should say the number of plants at which height.
Also...know if you're putting it in the sun or the shade.

Notes I took to the nursery for this run.  I too get overwhelmed and need notes!

Consider the placement:  

Unless you are designing a pot for a theme park...
you are likely going to create a mixed pot.  
This will look more intentional (and drive your inherent OCD less crazy) 
if you add both height and drape.  
You want plants that fall into each of these categories:  
tall, medium, low and able to trail over the sides.  

Before you plant the plants inside the container, you need to consider how it will be seen.

Is it going to be stuck in the middle of something and view-able from all angles?  
If so, then you will want the tallest plants in the middle and the height to descend from the middle out.

If the plant is going to be up against something, then you will want the height in the back and the height to descend from the back to the front.  

This container is essentially a mediocre fail...they tried with height but it just looks like a baby with a ponytail.  Probably someone loves this planter-the flowers are beautiful.  However, with just a couple of tweaks, it could have been stunning.

This is a lot to ask if you don't know plants and is again why a list is your friend.
Use the google and Pinterest to find things you like.
Take pictures of things you like with you on your phone.
But just like going to the grocery, take a list.

Once you get to the nursery, you will be overwhelmed.
Accept it.
Prepare for it.
Ask for directions by using the tags that are in the plants!
Pay attention to two things:  height at maturity and sun exposure.

Why those two things?
Most plant material that you buy at the nursery will be under 18" when it's sold.  
This is because it's easier to stack into shelves and ship when it's this height.  
The first week you plant, most things will be a similar height. 
Within two weeks, you'll have a mess if you aren't paying attention to 
the average height at maturity.
Also...you are unlikely to turn a shade loving plant into a sun-loving plant (or vice-versa).  Read the tags, take their advice.    
If the tag says the plant needs full sun, it needs full sun.  
It is not plastic or manufactured. 
Save your energy for fighting injustice or loving people.

See this gorgeous planter?  That plant in the middle is a Yew-essentially a baby bush.  It'll be chucked out in the fall but in the interim will give interest and height.

Although, there is another trick you can use for height or drape-but it depends on your flexibility.
You can use perennials and shrubs as temporary items within container gardens. 
Landscapers do this all the time in public spaces-
throwing in a banana tree or ivy for containers.  
The planter above is a mix of annuals, perrennials and a shrub.
It's meant to be a temporary arrangement in a giant pot
so it works.
It would not work as a long term home or in a smaller pot.
You can do this too if your budget and temperament allow it.

Pick a palette.  Stick to it.

The color wheel...

 

I cannot tell you how many times I get home with plants that I love....

but that don't quite fit in with anything else. 
I want them all.  
Think of container plants in the same way that you think of outfits...
things need to go together but not be too matchy-matchy. 
 Flowers are not the only color going on here-there are lots of foliage options. 

The best way to stick to a palette is to pick TWO colors and work around them.  
Yes, just two.  
Other colors will probably get in there and you almost always have green because of foliage.
If you focus on just two options though,
you can edit yourself more effectively.
Here's more on color combinations:  Bright Side Color Chart
And a few pictures that should help illustrate your two color choices 
(and how you almost always also have green as a color in a gardening mix)

Yellow with Purple

Yellow with Red 

White and Silver

Final note here about color...Your pot choice will often be part of the color.
Remember those brightly colored pots?
They can work in the right space and with the right material.
However, you will be tied into to a color scheme for the plant material as well.
Large pots are an investment that you'll want to keep around for a while.
The more unusual the color, the more hustle you may have to do to stay in the plan for future plantings.

Stage Things

It helps me to put all the plants together in one spot in the nursery-
either on a wagon or in a clustered staging spot.  
It can also help you see if you need more contrast or less.
Sometimes you need to back away from the plants too....
just step back 20 feet and see what your brain does with those plants.  
OR TAKE A PICTURE!
Sometimes pink and red will blend into one gorgeous blob.  
Sometimes they will look like your grandma's purse exploded.  
It's ok to take your time and look like a crazy person at the nursery.  

NO MATTER WHAT YOUR CHILDREN SAY!

This is a staging spot in our yard....leftovers from a different project, still helps to see potential color combos.

For this particular project, I had an existing pot at the church 
(see pedestal pot below) that was going to be 
incorporated into the mix.  
That meant I either needed to use purple, yellow or red.  
My preference is almost always purple but I had to see what was at the 

nursery before I knew which of the other two colors needed to get nixed.

Another view of the too tiny pots....which still manage to have too many colors.

Once we were prepped, off to the plant nursery we went.

My favorite is this one: Big Bloomers

It has every perennial or annual or herb that my little heart desires.I am told that it is overwhelming to the non-plant freaks but I've never been disappointed by the selection.
Also-I can wander around for an hour, happily creating my staging zone.  No one bugs me or tries to get me to buy a  lawn mower or a washing machine.
I'm in the sunshine or the greenhouse and even on a spring day, it can be very peaceful.

Tune in for the next installment where you see the final product!

What colors did we pick?

How did we organize it?