Container Garden Tips for a Beginner

Right this moment I’m sharing all the main points on a interest I’ve actually began to dive into this summer time: container gardening.

One of many issues I really like about container gardening is that it permits extra room for play. You’ll be able to usually go completely out of the field along with your picks and might change issues up extra simply than with an in-ground backyard. For somebody who likes to experiment with regards to inventive endeavors, this side is a particular bonus. 

I took Arthur Parkinson’s course on container gardening through Create Academy and it was so informative to me as I deliberate my very own container gardens this yr. You’ll see me reference a few of Arthur’s tips beneath. Should you’re all for taking his course your self, you should use code WIT&DELIGHT15 for 15% off your buy.

4 Suggestions for Making a Lovely Container Backyard

1. Choose your planters, with a deal with selection.

As you’re contemplating the form of container backyard you need to create, the very first thing to remember is selection. To get the look I wished, I knew I wanted to have planters in a wide range of heights, sizes, and shapes. Should you don’t have a mixture of tall and quick planters, it’s also possible to use tiered risers, plant stands, or perhaps a chair or bench you have already got to prop up among the planters. When doable, I prefer to pair odd numbers of planters collectively (three or 5 tends to be the candy spot in my expertise).

When it comes to supplies, you possibly can go together with an eclectic look full with plenty of completely different supplies, or you can begin with one materials like terra-cotta. Should you stay in a colder local weather, I’d recommend ensuring the planters can be okay outdoors within the chilly, in case you plan to retailer them outdoors all winter. I’d additionally suggest selecting planters with a drainage gap if doable.

Planters I Used

2. Design your format.

That is one thing I took away from Arthur’s course: If you wish to create a extremely intentional container backyard, resolve on the format/temper board you want first. Arthur suggests making a format for each spring and summer time. You are able to do this digitally or on paper, however the concept is to get a way of how the crops will work collectively of their designated planters and which colour schemes you need to spotlight. I believe the container gardens I like most look finest with contrasting shapes in a complementary colour scheme, whereas additionally retaining in thoughts which crops work finest for a given planting zone.

Admittedly, I didn’t have an opportunity to do that step this yr, however subsequent yr I plan to! Ideally, I’d like to begin reducing out clippings of crops I like from catalogs as quickly as August. I can then use these clippings to create a temper board for 2023 and get a greater sense of what the container gardens will seem like earlier than I store. My plan is to purchase a couple of extra planters once they’re on sale on the finish of the summer time season, create a spring backyard format, plant bulbs within the fall so that they’re able to bloom within the spring, after which flip over the gardens subsequent summer time.

3. Resolve in your crops.

Now comes the enjoyable half: deciding on the precise crops you’ll use! This yr, I picked out crops based mostly on what I used to be drawn to on the nursery whereas additionally retaining some basic inspiration I’d browsed on Pinterest in thoughts. 

I attempted to deal with crops that present peak to fill in any damaging house, flowering mid-height crops, and shorter varietals that can spill over the facet of every planter. For the container gardens and the broader front patio space, I went with a wide range of crops this yr, together with ferns, hydrangeas, gardenias, Dipladenia, geraniums, and begonias.

4. Plant your container backyard.

Whereas I’m not a professional with regards to planting fairly but, I did hold a few basic tips in thoughts all through the planting course of.

• Fill the planter about two-thirds full with potting combine. 
• Gently squeeze the edges of every plant’s nursery container to loosen and take away it.
• Prepare your crops within the planter on high of the potting soil, ensuring the tops of their root balls are a few inches beneath the highest of the pot. 
• Add potting soil, ensuring you cowl the roots absolutely. 
• Water your freshly-planted backyard instantly.

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