Learn How the Versatility and Ease of Container Plants Can Help Transform Your Space
Spring is here! And with spring comes container plant season! As soon as the last frost happens, it’s time to plant, hang or place our favorite containers.
Issaquah Highlands is a great area to have many different types of container plants. This technique provides a great opportunity to beautify a small yard or patio with a lush looking garden.
Container gardens allow us to grow plants and flowers on balconies, patios, courtyards, indoors on windowsills, or even hanging from the ceiling. One of the best things about containers is their mobility.
THE SECRET TO STUNNING DECORATIVE PATIO CONTAINERS
The simple rule of choosing a “thriller,” a “filler” and a “spiller” will give your planters that wow factor you’ve maybe been missing. A thriller provides dramatic, eye-catching height, a filler tucks in around to make the container look full and bountiful, and the spiller trails over the edges for lushness. Check out a few suggestions below to get you started, and be sure to choose plants requiring similar light and water needs for the same container.
THRILLER
Tropicanna Canna (sun)
Lemon Cypress (sun)
Gartenmeister fuschia (shade)
Fatsia (shade)
FILLER
Marigolds (sun)
Geranium (sun)
Coleus (shade)
Impatiens (shade)
SPILLER
Wave petunias (sun)
Sweet Potato Vine (sun)
Creeping Jenny (shade)
Vinca (shade)
If your area has too much sunlight, move the container to the shade. If you are getting too much rain or wind, move the container to a sheltered area. Being so mobile makes it possible to grow plants, or even trees, that typically would not survive in our zone.
For example: I currently have a silk floss tree growing in a planter, which I move to a warmer area during the winter. These trees typically are found in areas that do not reach temperatures below 50 degrees. For the past six years, I have grown and nurtured it from a seed that I found at Disney World, carefully tending to it in a container. During the warmer seasons, the tree reaches about 12 feet.
Container gardens make it easy to completely customize your gardening space. By using separate containers, you can have plants that require different types of soil and watering needs right next to each other.
Once your flowers have stopped blooming, you can swap them out for another flowering plant to keep your garden lively. If you already have a small in ground garden, consider placing a container filled with pollinator-friendly flowers nearby or directly in your garden.
Do you enjoy cooking? An herb garden in a container is an ideal way to ensure a steady supply of fresh herbs throughout the growing season. Plus, when the colder months approach, simply bring the container indoors to enjoy the freshness of your herbs year-round.
Another fantastic benefit to container gardens is the low maintenance. With the small surface area of your container, weeds will have a very difficult time of finding your pot and growing. Also, with containers being portable and a bit smaller, the only tools you may need are a trowel and garden shears.
One of my favorite advantages to container plants on patios is the lack of pests! Insects that may typically infest a garden are less likely to discover plants on a balcony. In the event that you do encounter pests, a container offers the benefit of isolation and containment, allowing you to treat the affected plants before the infestation can spread to other containers.
A good thing to remember about containers is the importance of watering and feeding. I like to keep to a schedule when my plants are in containers. To ensure optimal growth and hydration for your plants, water them in the morning and continue until it flows freely from the bottom of the container.
Keep an eye on the weather as well. If the weather gets abnormally hot, your soil may dry out faster than normal. Liquid fertilizers are easy to use when watering your container plants. Just follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Lastly, be sure to keep up with removing dead flowers, leaves and stems. Enjoy your containers and have a great spring!
Ben Armlin is a Garden Ambassador and Huckleberry Circle resident.
