Container Gardening Planters

Growing plants in containers is a practice that has been used for centuries. In urban environments where land is scarce, container gardens may be the only gardens people can have. But even in suburban and rural landscapes, placing plants in containers offers decorative enhancement to the landscape and a longer growing season for plants.

Container gardens expand a gardener’s creativity because almost any object with a large opening can be used as a planter including items one finds at garage sales or dumped by the roadside.

Selecting Containers for Gardening

Although almost any container can be used to grow plants, there are a few basic requirements for the container to work successfully. First, the container should have a drain hole so that water does not sit around the plant’s roots. If the container will be used for plants that are not cold hardy, the weight of the container is a consideration since the gardener will need to move it into shelter during cold weather.

Containers may be made of terra cotta, wood, metal, stone, ceramic, or wires. Although plastic can be used—and has the advantage of light weight—it does not breathe well and that is less desirable for plants. When matching plants to containers, be sure the size is large enough for plant roots to spread out.

A gardener is not limited to containers designed for plants, either. Many people have created interesting and attractive garden containers from reused barrels, children’s wagons, baskets, buckets, wheelbarrows; even old lawn furniture can add charm with some clever plant placement.

Caring for a Container Garden

Plants in containers will dry out more quickly than those in the ground and should be watered almost daily in hot, dry weather. A watering can with a gentle spray is better for plants than the full pressure of a garden hose. The soil in a container should be fertilized several times during the growing season and replaced annually.

Plants for a Container Garden

Herbs grow well in containers and the tender ones can be moved near or into the house in cold weather. Good container grown herbs include: basil, thyme, lemon balm, mint, lemon verbena, variegated sage, and marjoram. It is wise to grow mint and Texas tarragon in containers because they spread rapidly if left to their own devices. A delightful container tree is the Meyer Lemon that looks lovely especially in an Asian style landscape and produces an abundance of lemon-like fruit (the plant is actually thought to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange).

Other fruits and vegetables that can be grown in containers include strawberries, patio tomatoes, ornamental and hot peppers. Container Gardening Tips and Texas A&M Horticulture offer many more suggestions for container grown plants.

If there are plants that one would like to grow but that are not recommended for one’s region or are challenging to grow in an open garden, using containers may be the best option. With container plants, the gardener has more control over growing conditions and can protect the plant from the environment more easily. Container grown plants also add visual interest to a landscape that is formal, natural or whimsical.