Container GardeningYou don't have to have a green thumb to grow beautiful plants in pots. Containers are a great way to get some immediate results, and there's a container for every situation and every budget. Growing plants in containers also lets you experiment and take chances, whether you're an experienced gardener or a beginner. Here are some tips for foolproof container gardening:
Containers. Choose a pot that suits the space requirements of the plants you'll put in it. A small pot may be fine for pansies, but an impatiens will overwhelm a small pot by the end of the season. Keep the plant's mature size in mind. Also be sure the container has a drainage hole in the bottom to protect the plants. One way to keep soil from washing out of the drainage hole is to put a coffee filter over it before you add the soil. That will let the water drain and keep the soil in.
Soil. Look for potting mix or container mix. They are engineered for containers; they often have fertilizer and moisture-retention particles built into the soil. Don't use garden soil. You can re-use container soil from last season, though, but you'll probably have to add some nutrients.
Fertilizer. It can be hard to figure out which fertilizer to use; there are so many! You can use either granular or liquid fertilizer for containers. The numbers on the package are confusing, but here's a good tip: Think "up, down and all around." The "up" pertains to the plant growth aboveground, "down" refers to the root, and "all around" is the overall plant health. Fertilizer that has numbers that are the same or close to the same (3-3-3, for example) provide a balanced mix of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
Plants. Annuals will give you a good burst of color for the entire season. Perennials will last for many years, but their bloom time is shorter. If you want to use perennials, find out how well they tolerate cold. You may have to bring the container inside in the winter, depending on where you live. You also should consider warm-weather and cool-weather annuals. Marigolds, for example, like heat; pansies prefer cooler weather. And don't forget to consider the amount of sun the plants will be getting. Some will scorch in full sunlight, while others need full sun to bloom.Design. There are no rules for setting up a container, but there are some guidelines. Remember three words that describe different kinds of plants: thriller, filler and spiller. The thriller is the tallest plant in the container, and it's the first one to plant. Then add the fillers, which will hide the "legs" of the thriller and keep the container looking full and lush. If they starts to look straggly as the summer goes on, you can just put in something differnt. Finally, plant a spiller, which will cascade down the side and add a lot of visual interest. The result will be a full, layered look.
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