Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Container Crunch Time

Designing containers is one of my favorite garden activities.  Containers are the backbone of many of my garden areas and they are what carries the interest well into the fall.  Although it's not polite to count, I probably have about 80 containers of varying sizes located throughout the garden.  More would be nice but 80 seems to be a number I can comfortably maintain and still enjoy a life beyond gardening.  Well...sorta, kinda.


Plants in containers spruce up my side entryway in 2012


Containers definitely add a layer of complexity to the spring and fall workload.  One of the most time consuming tasks for me is sourcing and shopping for the plants.  Unfortunately there is no one stop shop in my area for annuals, tropicals and tender perennials.  For the past couple of weeks I have been bringing them home a tray here and there as I visit various nurseries.  By now "inventory" is piling up and the shopping season is still in full swing.


Part of my container plant staging area


Despite my shortcomings with house plants, I do manage to winter over a few things under lights, in a sunny window or dormant in the basement.  Success in this department always brings me great joy.  Not only do I save a bit of cash, I'm rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and two year old plants that make nice specimens.


A few of my overwintering successes-Brugmansia, Colocasia, Breynia, Geraniums, Abutilon (not the basil)





Before any planting can happen, the containers that don't get left outside all year need to be moved out of winter storage from my garage and shed.  Since many of them are too large for me to handle alone, I modified the strap on an appliance dolly.  No more crushed fingers and sore backs-at least not from moving containers.







Once the pots are in place, they need to be cleaned out.  Contrary to what you may have read, potting soil can be reused.  I remove all the prior year debris, loosen up what's left with a three pronged digger then sift through with my fingers.  Then I add new potting mix as necessary.

In over ten years of fairly extensive container gardening I've never experienced any problems with disease or pests when reusing soil in my containers.  As it is, I go though 10-15 cubic feet of potting soil every season.  Even though I fill the bottom quarter or third of all my large pots with crushed plastic water bottles, replacing all the soil every year would make what is already an expensive endeavor even more so.

Next comes the fun part-design.  After the pots are in place I look at the orientation.  My garden runs from south to north so for the most part, I have to site taller plants towards the north side of the pot unless I am trying to deliberately create some shade.  Sometimes decisions need to be made.  For instance, in this pot I plan to use Pennisetum 'Vertigo' as the focal point.  'Vertigo' will get quite tall and will shade out companion plants depending on how I orient it in the pot.




In a situation like this where the primary view can be from a number of locations, I have to decide which one to choose.  From this angle where I'm viewing from northeast to southwest the grass would need to be on the southwest side and companion plants will have to be of a variety that does well in part shade.




From this angle, the view would be from south to north so the grass would be fine where it's planted now.  But in order to effectively see the lower companions, I would have to make sure only low growers are planted in the garden around it.




By now even Nick is thinking I should just plant it already  Agonizing over where and what to plant- it's what I do.

When choosing plant combinations for my container designs, I more or less follow the "thrillers, fillers and spillers" design concept as outlined in the article by Steve Silk for Fine Gardening magazine a number of years ago.  Once the pots are in place and I've agonized sufficiently over orientation, it's time to choose the "thrillers".




For the most part I create all new combinations every year but in a few pots like this container in front of my breakfast room window, although the companion plants change, I always use a Colocasia 'Illustris' for a thriller.




By the time I realized I rotted my overwintered Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' last year I was unable to find another one.  Until recently I wasn't having any luck this year either.  Then on Sunday I took a ride to Walker Farm and scored this nice size plant.

Ensetes are relatively easy to overwinter dormant in a cool, dark corner of your basement.  Usually I can get away with it for at least one winter before the plant becomes too large for me to wrestle indoors.




Before actually planting anything, I stage the plants and continue to sub various choices in and out until I find combination that pleases me.  In general I use one third flowering plants to two thirds foliage.  Occasionally I leave the plants staged for a day or two before making the final decision so I don't miss any opportunities to agonize over anything.  Just for the record, I did end up planting this exactly as seen here.




Last year I was not happy at all with the way this pot turned out.  I planted it towards the end when I didn't have much left in the way of plants and it never came together.  Since it's the largest container on the patio, I'm not going to make that mistake again.  A large Acalpha I found at Howard's is the inspiration and makes a fine thriller.  Although it's still staged, I may permanently place the plants tonight.

Over the next week or so I hope to be able to get most of the containers designed and planted.  I've yet to haunt two of my favorite nurseries for unusual annuals, The Farmer's Daughter in South Kingstown, RI and Oliver's Nursery in Fairfield, CT.  Farmer's Daughter is on the calendar for this coming weekend.  Since that also means lunch at Matunuck Oyster Bar I am beyond ecstatic.

So tell me, do you use containers in your garden?  What are some of your favorite plants to grow in them?

Sue~



29 comments:

  1. I love watching the process Sue! I'm a reluctant container gardener, but my friendly (crazy?) Idyllers on the web have pushed me more in this direction over the years. I do enjoy single plant displays and then grouping them. Lately I have grown Sedum angelina as a solo. There is usually a dark purplish plant (changes yearly) that is surrounded by 'dripping' silver plants. And then, there's ALWAYS a huge pot of pineapple lilies that I carry over from year to year. These are from a spectacularly beautiful memorial bouquet for my infant grandson back in 2008. Every spring I fear I have lost them, but just yesterday I found 16 little shoots popping up once more. Hurray!!!

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    1. Container design keeps me engaged in the garden. Probably for the same reason I tinker with my garden beds so much. I enjoy creating plant combinations. Maybe it's a left brain/right brain thing.

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  2. Let the games begin!!!! Your patio looks a lot like the front of my garage. I start getting agida when the stokpile gets too big and this year it is huge. I've been on a planting spree the last few days.

    Love that vertigo. such a great plant.

    And hmmm, yes, I do used a few containers in my garden.... hahahahahahahahaha.... Love abutilons, coleus, fuchsias, colocasias, brugmansias, begonias, succulents....

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    1. LOL Deanne. Just a few....and then you and Sue convince the rest of the world to try as well!

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    2. After the pile I expect to bring home tomorrow I'm really going to be frenzied-especially with rain in the forecast for much of the long weekend. We really need rain but why the weekend?

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  3. This is a first rate post Sue ! Love the journey through your decision making.I have significantly reduced my containers this year , mainly because travel schedules make it impractical..no summer rain leaves the garden at the mercy of the gardener, and my DS housemate is very booked this summer .

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    1. Fortunately I have a good friend who comes over and waters all the containers for me when I'm away. Both she and her husband find it relaxing and occasionally bring their dinner over to eat on my patio. If I didn't have her, I would either have to give up the pots of give up IU and my week at the beach. Tough choices for sure.

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  4. I take my hat off to you. You look well organised and enjoying your gardening and taking photos too. Well done! An inspiration!!

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    1. Thank you! Despite my frenzied approach I really do enjoy the process.

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  5. You should enter the Fine Gardening container contest. I'm impressed with your planning and your design skill, not to mention your superhuman strength. I do love containers but I stink at design so it's usually one plant at a time.

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    1. If you follow Steve Silk's thriller, filler, spiller design process you may find it's not a difficult as you think. Focus on foliage texture, form and color and you can't go wrong.

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  6. "Agonizing over what and where to plant" - you are a kindred spirit! Except that I have a measly 15 or so containers. You have got some SERIOUS container gardening going on. Great post!

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    1. Oh I agonize over the placement of every plant in the garden. When it goes on too long I try to reason with myself that if I don't like something I can just change it next year. Or if I really feel a plant would be perfect in three different locations I should buy three of them. Sometimes it works and sometimes not-it's a curse :).

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  7. Oh my! Your container plant staging area is better stocked than some nurseries!

    Someone once told me that the problem they had with my garden and home was that everything was so "considered." That's stuck with me (obviously)...I'm glad to know I've got a kindred spirit on the other side of the country. I spend a considerable amount of time arranging my containers too, only it's not the plants within the containers but the containers themselves. You obviously enjoy it and the end result is so worth it!

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    1. Loree, although I can't grow many of the same plants, your garden appeals to me on so many levels. Obviously you spend alot of time agonizing over plant choices and placement which has paid off big time. Being OCD really isn't such a bad thing :).

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  8. Last year I had the local Florida garden center make up two big pots for the front entry. He gave me the thriller, filler and spiller paradigm, and we walked through his garden center to pick out the plants. So this concept has reached southwest Florida.

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    1. Because it makes sense and it works. Obviously it still requires some sence of design and knowledge of plants though. Were you happy with the containers, Jack?

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    2. The containers came out very well. I used a small palm (cat palm) for the thrillers, a variety of red and yellow plants for the fillers, and lime yellow potato vines for the spillers.

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  9. Wow, Sue, no one can say you're a lazy gardener! The very thought of hauling around 80 containers is daunting to me and the task of keeping them watered would make my eyes cross. Do you have any kind of drip system to help with watering or does Mother Nature help out on a sufficient basis? I did a rough count of my own containers after reading your post and I estimate I have between 25 and 30 but I've gradually shifted more and more of these to succulents in a somewhat vain attempt to manage the watering challenge...

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    1. No irrigation. In the height of summer when the plants have filled in, I have to water the containers in the sun every day. It usually takes 30-45 minutes and gets old by August. Once a week or so they need to be fed. If it wasn't for the the watering time, I would have more. Yes, I'm out of my mind.

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  10. I am bowled over -- 80 containers, and each one of them a complex, layered planting! You have this down to a real art, and your garden benefits from the constant diversity and interest. I love how you integrate all of them in the design of the overall outdoor space. I am the saddest container gardener ever. All my pots are brown or gray and I only ever plant one thing in each one, I cannot master the fillers / spiller / thrillers thing. I only have a dozen, and half of those are basil and lettuce in pots. I do need to come to your blog for inspiration!

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    1. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have never actually counted my containers. My friend's husband does when he comes to water-usually because I've assured them that I've cut back on the numbers. At some point during my first vacation I'll likely get a text telling me how many I have :). Not all my containers are complex, layered plantings. Some, just have one plant-my Agaves for instance. But most are designed with somewhere between three and seven plants.

      If you can design garden spaces, you can design containers. Go to a nursery that has a good greenhouse selection and just start playing with the plants. I'll be planting containers for the next couple of weeks. If you'd like to stop by and take a peek, send me a message and we can arrange a time.

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  11. This will be my first year with any container gardens, besides my usual window boxes. Of course, I have to thank YOU for that, as I've been inspired by your garden in the year I've been following you.

    When you say 'staging' do you mean that you leave the planting in their original container until you decide to go ahead. Great idea...and since this is my first year, I think I'll try that too!

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  12. I have about 60 pots, too, and am a certified pot addict. :o) But I have a very different approach. Most of my containers are full of perennials and I use them as points in a larger design - as in a Surat painting- rather than as an individual mini-garden. This allows me to stuff in more perennials than my current borders can handle and helps me grow plants that are picky about drainage, etc. I'm more interested in the effect of the plant on the whole design and view my container garden as an extension of a perennial bed.

    BTW - I love that you analyze where everything goes and love your designs. :o)

    But I also use a few favorite annuals every year and keep a few pots open for them. I also grow all my veggies in containers. This year my peppers and carrots are growing next to flowers because I ran out of space in the NanoFarm. Most of my pots only contain one plant or a grouping of the same plant but pots that are toward the edges of a grouping have trailing plants spilling over the edges.

    I also reuse potting soil to save $ and top the pots off with worm compost in the spring/fall to create a worm population in each pot. Then the worms regenerate healthy soil for me! :o)

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  13. You're modest, Sue. And talented. Your container gardening impresses in size – and beauty.

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  14. As always, I stand in awe of the complexity behind your spectacular summer garden. You'd have made a fine military strategist! Great post, Sue.

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  15. Nick looks very, very serious!

    You've got a lot to get done, Sue!

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  16. Oh my goodness, that's a huge inventory of plants waiting to be potted up! Can't wait to see a post later this summer highlighting all of this work!

    I too use quite a few containers--they are a great way for me to plant deer and woodchuck "candy," since I can put them up on the porches out of harm's way. My house came with three different porches, so there's plenty of room. I do not have 80 (wow!) however!

    My favorite spillers are sweet potato vine and purslane. Petunias are nice for the big splash of color they provide, but the dead-heading can become tedious, so I limit my use of them. I also love lantana and angelonia for sunny spots.
    I've scored some nice pots at great clearance prices, by the way, in the late fall at our various local garden centers. Much nicer to pay $5 rather than $25!

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  17. Oh, a kindred container gardening spirit, I see!!! Love it! It is an addiction, isn't it :-) Last count I had 92 containers. Before that, the last time I counted, I had 80. I had a flagstone area of steps that needed softening, so I added 12 more pots. Instead of 12 pots for my steps, I think I need a 12-step program for my pot addiction!! Ha! So look out, next year you might have 92!! It happens :-)

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