Container Gardening

Containers and hanging baskets of all shapes and sizes can add wonderful colour and texture to your landscape.  They can dress up the front porch, spice up the patio or add drama to the poolside.  With a little know-how, you can have fabulous containers for months on end.  Here are a few tips on caring for your container garden.

PLANT SELECTION

The most important factor to consider when container gardening is choosing the right plants for your location.  Will your planter get sun all day, just in the morning, or not at all?  Plants have specific light preferences, so understanding how much sun your plants will get is essential to your gardening success.  Observe the light in the area and select plants accordingly.

SOIL

The best type of soil to use for containers is lighter and more porous than regular garden soil.  Select a potting mix that is specially formulated for use in containers, such as TERRA Container Soil.  This will provide your plants with the best growing conditions possible.

WATERING

Plants in containers can dry out very quickly due to the relatively small soil volume in which they’re planted.  The best way to determine if your container is dry is to feel the soil.  If the soil is dry up to the depth of your index finger, it’s time to water. Make sure you thoroughly wet the container.  Hanging baskets which have dried right out may need to be soaked a few times before they retain water again.  In summer months, you may need to water your container every day.

FERTILIZING

Fertilizing is a must for containers.  Frequent watering causes nutrients to rapidly leach out of the soil, and plants lacking nutrients become stressed and unattractive.  Fertilizer can be applied either as a slow-release or a liquid.  Slow-release fertilizers, such as Miracle Gro Shake n’ Feed, can be applied in the spring and will release over a set period, from two to four months.  Alternately, a liquid fertilizer can be applied easily with a watering can throughout the growing season.

DEADHEADING