Geranium // Verbena // Bacopa // Goldilocks
Container gardens are one of the easiest ways to add flowers and beauty to your outdoor living spaces and landscape. To make a beautiful container garden you will need the following items: A pot in your choice of size with drain holes, container potting mix, and plants for either sun or shade. To determine if the area you wish to put your container is sun or shade, observe it throughout the day. If gets less than 6 hours of sun a day plants shade loving plants. If the area gets more than 6 hours of sun a day plant sun loving plants. When you pick your plants out, they will state sun or shade on the tag.
After you determine if you need sun or shade plants, you will want to consider the type of plants. The most attractive containers include a thriller, filler and spiller. The thriller is a tall plant placed in the middle or the back. The filler, fills in the middle space and is usually full of color. The spiller, cascades down the side and adds fullness.
Once you select your plants, it is time for the fun part planting! First decide if you want your thriller in the center, in the back, off to the side etc. Then add your fillers and finally spillers. How close you plant your plants together will depend on if you are planting sun or shade plants. Shade plants don’t like to touch as much, so space them out slightly more, such as 4-5 inches apart. Due to shade plants not liking to touch and mix together, containers with only one or two types of plants look beautiful! Sun plants like to touch and mix together, so they can be planted 2-3 inches apart.
The final step is fertilizing to keep your plants fed and blooming all season long. Decide on if you would like to use a slow release or a water based fertilizer. A slow release fertilizer is added to the soil when you plant and typically feeds for around 3 months. A water based fertilizer is typically mixed in water and watered in around every two weeks. When picking a fertilizer look for a bloom enhancer fertilizer to encourage more flowering. Bloom enhancer fertilizers have a higher amount of phosphorus which is the second (middle) out of the three numbers on a fertilizer label.
Agatha reminding everyone to stop and smell the flowers 🙂
My favorite thrillers: Indian Summer Rudbeckia, Dahlias, Asparagus Fern, Angelonia, Dragon Wing Begonia, Tall Coleus, Geranium, Juncus Big Twister Grass, Purple Fountain Grass, Canna Lily, Papyrus Dwarf Egyptian Grass, Alocasia and trellis with a flowering vine.
My favorite fillers: Impatiens, Petunia, Coleus, Rieger Begonia, Tuberous Nonstop Begonia, Biden, Calibrachoa, Geranium, Gerbera Daisy, Heliotrope, Euphorbia Diamond Snow, Fushsia, Lantana, Lemon Ball Sedum, Sanvitalia and Verbena.
My favorite spillers: Wave Petunia, Candlestick Ivy, Dorotheanthus Mezoo Red, Lysimachia Goldilocks, Blackie Sweet Potato Vine, Chartreuse Sweet Potato Vine, Torenia, Wandering Jew, Wire Vine and Yellow Thunbergia.
Happy Planting!
