Containing the Garden

Before

After

Bringing some life to our otherwise dreary front door.  It's a little thing compared to some people's front walks but I love how these turned out.  I've never been much of a petunia person but this year the nursery was carrying the newest colour - Black Velvet.  Really, more of a deep, dark purple.  Some are deeper than others and others have these lovely pinstripes. In my quest to shake things up in the garden I went for it and decided to try out these black beauties.  Complemented with some lilac on purple dianthus, white lobelia and I especially love the lime coloured licorice plant that will trail down the front.

Tips for Container Gardening:

1.  Choose a great container - terracotta, ceramic,  fabulous new fibreglass that gives the look of cement but are light and easy to move around, salvaged pieces such as old buckets, watering cans, etc. - use your imagination just make sure that they have adequate drainage.

2.  Plan before you plant - choose plants that suit the location of the pot - sunny or shady.  Place taller plants in the middle of the pot and work your way out.

3. Fertilize - I tend to buy Miracle Gro but any fertilizer formulated for flowers should work.

4. Water, water and water - containers easily get dried out, especially if they are small like mine.  Of course, to counter this don't overwater or you'll drown those poor roots.  Once you see water coming out of the drainage holes stop.

5.  Use the best potting mix instead of just soil from your garden.  Often our garden soil is too heavy or contains too much clay.  Available now are some great soils for containers that are formulated to retain moisture.

6. Luck and a prayer.  Just saying from experience our hot summers and vacations away can interfere with the success of your containers but I'm determined this year!

P.S. Do you like my garden statue?