Annual Flowers for Container Gardening

By the time spring rolls around, many of us are more than ready to jump full swing into the planting season. Just don't be overly anxious and not pay attention to the end frost dates for your zone. Though we have some beautifully warm days, it is the nighttime temperatures you have to worry about. Plants that get nipped by frost may be killed outright or be stunted. If you do want to get a jump start on your plants, at least pay attention to frost warnings and cover your plants at night with a sheet to protect them.

Here in zone 6 the general rule for gardening is to wait till April 15th and for those tender annuals to wait till around Mother's Day.

Yard sales, flea markets and estate sales start up again with warmer weather and offer the perfect opportunities to take advantage of searching out inexpensive "finds" for your planting containers.
You can get creative with the arrangement utilizing various containers for your plants. Keep an eye out at farm sales or flea markets for old galvanized pots and wash tubs. I save those flexible black nursery pots that young trees come in to use inside the larger tubs. You can just fill the tub itself with potting soil and plant directly in them but realize how heavy those tubs will be to move around. Also, come the end of the season it is so much easier to just lift the smaller pots out then to try to empty the tub to store for the winter. To leave the dirt in the tub encourages the bottom to rust and eventually break through. As the plants grow and fill in the plastic pots will be hidden from view.

Though tempting to just go to the nursery and buy a little of everything, it is best to have a plan. Below are photos and a little info about several great annuals for container gardening. When you research your container or window box plantings, keep in mind three things: thrillers, fillers, and spillers.

First shown here is the African Daisy, a tough plant that can tolerate drought and poor soil. It has a profusion of brightly colored flowers all season.  Pinching early in the season encourages a bushy plant and deadheading as the season progresses encourages new growth. Full sun to partial shade. Grows to about 1 foot.

Osteospermum or African Daisy

Ageratum or Floss Flower does well in sun to partial shade. They don't like to dry out so water regularly. Very pretty in mass plantings, these bushy flowers get anywhere from 6 to 24 inches tall, depending on their type. Pinching them back will encourage branching out and remove the spent flowers to keep them producing new flowers.

Ageratum or Floss Flower

Lantana can tolerate neglect. If put right into the ground this butterfly, bird and hummingbird attraction will grow into shrub like proportions. In a pot you'll have to pinch and prune to keep it shapely. Preferring slightly acidic soil, pine needles added to the pot will help.

Lantana

Heliotrope not only smells wonderful, but is loved by hummingbirds and beneficial insects. Deer leave it alone. Prefers sun to partial shade. Will follow the sun like does the sunflower. Heat brings out the fragrance so put where it'll get the hot afternoon sun. Pinch in the spring and deadhead as the season goes along. Gets 1 - 2 ft high and wide. Heliotropes can be brought indoors over the winter.

Heliotrope or Cherry Pie plant

Nicotiana, or Tobacco flower, are wonderful night bloomers to attract Sphinx moths. Shown here is the smaller type not known for its scent. If you want the type with the large white tubal flowers that emit a wonderful sweet fragrance in the evening, plant N. sylvestris directly in the soil, as these are much bigger plants. Tubular flowers attract hummingbirds. Prefers sun to shade and well drained soil. If ingested the plant is toxic. Reseeds easily.

Nicotiana or Tobacco flower

Salvia blooms it spiky flowers all season, attracts butterflies and pollinators, and the deer leave it alone. Grows 1 - 2 feet tall and likes sun to partial shade. If plant looks tired by midsummer prune it back by a third.

Salvia or Sage for some types

Nemesia prefers a cooler climate, so once the heat of summer kicks in, blooming will decrease. Chop them back by one-third and they will bounce back. Available in a wide array of colors, they are one of the fillers. Keep it well watered and cut back to keep the blooms coming.

Nemesia

Actually a tender perennial, Lobelia looks beautiful for a while then will peter out by midsummer. You can cut it back by half and it will rebound, or you can just let the neighboring plants fill in the gaps as they grow. Lobelia prefers more shade if grown in very hot and sunny climates such as the South. Color shades range from blue to purple to pink and white. Pictured here it is blue.

Lobelia

New Guinea Impatiens have beautiful foilage and flowers. They love the sun, unlike the impatiens we select for shady areas. Low maintenance flowers that reach about a foot tall and wide. Great for containers.

New Guinea Impatiens

Calibrachea, trailing 1 inch petunias that bloom profusely until they slowly peter out by late summer. They come in a choice of colors ranging from yellow, peach, pink and purple. Keep them well watered. Like the ever popular annual petunias of which we are so familiar, these beautiful flowers prefer full sun and offer a fabulous array of color.

Calibrachoa

Bidens is a trailing yellow flowered plant that is both heat and drought resistant. Looks great with many container plantings. Loves the sun. Deadheading will encourage continuous bloom. In mild climates Bidens easily reseeds itself.

Bidens

Diamond Frost Euphorbia is a light airy plant with little white flowers great to use to fill in the gaps. Tiny, delicate leaves and flowers adorn this 12 to 18 in. plant which looks a bit like Baby's Breath.

Euphorbia

Trailing Verbena, a trailing perennial often planted as an annual can grow to 12 inches tall and 2 feet wide. The leaves are medium to dark green, ovate in shape with coarse toothed margins and grow to one inch long and half as wide. Beautiful plant as it spills over the edges of its pot, basket or over rocks. Colors options are in the red, pink and purple range.

Trailing Verbena

Bacopa is one of the spillers. It is low growing, reaching no more than 6 - 12 inches. Great for trailing over baskets or rock walls and filling in gaps under larger plants. Likes sun to partial shade.

Bacopa

Sweet Potato Vine is grown for its trailing green or magenta foilage, both of which blend beautifully with other plants for container planting. Does well in sun or some shade. These ornamental types will not produce actual sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Vine

Thumbergia or Black-Eyed Susan Vine is such a colorful and well-behaved trailing vine. The yellow to orange flowers with their dark brown tubular centers are interesting to look at. This plant is great when a vine is desired but not one that is overly aggressive. Does best in full sun.

Thumbergia or Black - Eyed Susan Vine

Last we have the accent plants, such as Fountain Grass, Bloodgrass or Dracaena Spikes. Planting either of these in the center of a pot can really add the height and focal point to the arrangement.
Utilizing height, filling in the gaps, and the spilling effect brings it all together.

Bloodgrass

Dracaena Spike

Thumbergia
Bacopa
Calibrachoa
Ageratum
Osteospermum
Nemesia
Heliotrope
Sweet Potato Vine
Fountain Grass
Blodgrass
Dracaena spikes
New Guinea Impatiens
Verbena
Salvia
Petunias
Euphorbia
Bidens
Lantana
Lobelia
Nicotiana

 

Old Tires, Concrete blocks, Pallets...Reuse, Reinvent for the Garden

With a little imagination and the wonderful ideas found on Pinterest, one can discover all kinds of ways to garden with limited funds and available space. Being able to reuse something for a purpose other than what it originally intended is very gratifying. No one feels great about adding to landfills so every little bit that can be reused for something else is a good thing.

Old pallets can have a new life in the garden as a tidy place to grow lettuces, greens and even strawberries.



Carefully add soil between the slats and let it settle down as it may. In this photo one pallet has leaf lettuces and the other is a blend of various greens. Just sprinkle the seeds lightly and lightly pat down. Such small seeds don't need to actually be buried in the soil, they need light to germinate. Once the lettuce fills in, take a scissors to thin it out. Snip to create about four inches between the plants. Don't pull them out or you may disturb the roots of the lettuces you want to keep. Use the cuttings for your salads. Pallets keep the plants nicely off the ground, therefore the need to rinse off dirt is greatly reduced.




Concrete blocks can be used to grow strawberries The plants are kept off the ground so dealing with weeds is just about eliminated. Since each plant has limited soil around it, you will have to water frequently. This is the first time I'm trying this idea so I'l find out soon enough how well the strawberries produce. Come autumn, lay straw up and around the blocks to proved insulation from cold temperatures. Remove in the spring. Strawberry plants should be replaced every three to five years.



The way you arrange your blocks is up to you. You can surround an existing bedding box or as here, the blocks were set around a pallet.

The terms concrete blocks, cement blocks, and cinder blocks are often used to mean the same thing. Cinder blocks are the term used in the manufacture of blocks using smelters. Back in the 1930's there were makers of cinder blocks in the eastern U.S. who used fly ash, from coal burning, also called clinker, to produce blocks. Agregate was sometimes slag or other industrial waste. These blocks are softer and not like today's concrete blocks. Dust from those blocks burns the eyes and lungs so is very toxic. Here in PA the terms cinder blocks and cement blocks are used for the same idea but they're not the same thing. Blocks used for construction as we know today are concrete and not at all toxic.

Unless you use a garage to take care of tire removal for your car when you replace your tires, you may have to pay to get rid of them. Here is a creative way to put those eyesores in your garage to use.

Optional is to first spray paint the tires different colors to get away from the ordinary black. To save space and add further eye appeal these are stacked, but they can be arranged however you want. The tires that are off the ground needed a piece of tarp or plastic to line their bottoms so the soil doesn't just fall through. Poke holes in the tarp for drainage. Add enough soil to fill the holes and plant what you wish. Here we used herbs but last season I had planted impatiens. These herbs were just planted in the month of May so how they do as they grow has yet to be seen. The picture below was taken in August so the plants had nicely filled in by then.
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Something Lost, Something Gained! Reinvent, Repurpose, Reuse

Nothing lasts forever and this past spring we had to say good-bye to our above ground swimming pool. After fifteen years the pool served its purpose entertaining our kids during the hot summer months but we were getting tired of the cost of its upkeep. With everything being made of either tin or plastic it was inevitable that the effects of the elements would be a constant battle between cracked hoses and the formation of rust. The water intake area formed a rust spot on the side of the pool a few years ago and it slowly spread downward. One nasty winter storm too many and that weak spot burst, causing the collapse of the pool frame.



Wanting to keep as much as possible out of the landfill we found a use for everything but the plastic support columns. The liner we cut up and stored to use later for something, perhaps as walkways in the garden. The plastic rim that went around the top we used to line around my herb garden which was planted using an old winter pool cover to initially cover the ground and kill the grass so the size was the same. The tin sides were cut up and picked up by a local scrap dealer. What a job all that was!

The remaining sand pit remained and we decided to turn the area into a great spot for garden bedding boxes. Already leveled flat and with great southern sun exposure it was the perfect spot for plants needing at least eight hours of direct sun a day. Being the boxes were on sand we wanted a deeper depth so used 12" wide lumber. These boxes are 8' long by 4' wide which is perfect for my needs. You don't want your boxes too wide or it becomes difficult to reach towards the center. We needed almost four yards of garden soil to fill them so to save money we ordered it to be delivered as a truck load rather than individual bags. It was a mixture of top soil and mushroom soil. What a delight to work with great quality soil right from the start!

With limited space, try to make the most of going up. Pole beans rather than bush beans, cucumbers and my birdhouse gourds all climb so the use of vertical supports really increases your possibilities. I even made use of an old wooden ladder for the gourds.

Think succession planting. If you plant onions in the early spring and pull them as scallions, that area can be later used for something else. By August when the summer squash and green beans may be dwindling you can plant turnips, spinach, lettuce, beets, kale, radishes, chard and winter onions. By October you will have room for planting some garlic bulbs and enjoy fresh garlic next July. When the garlic gets dug up there will be space for something else, perhaps a second planting of green beans.

Bedding boxes don't have to be used for vegetable gardens. You can have a beautiful herb garden. Get creative and have a themed garden. Perhaps one box can be for your cooking herbs, another box can be used for medicinal herbs, another can be for herbs used in crafts such as the Artemisias which are great for making wreaths. You can create a garden aimed to attract beneficial pollinators or for butterflies and hummingbirds. One box can be your night bloomers to attract moths. So even with limited space you can create your own, unique, individualized spot to call your own.

June

July
Sprawling all over the ground is just one pumpkin plant!

Living Air Purification Systems - Houseplants

Spider Plant and Boston Fern do well in the humidity of a bathroom

 It may seem no matter which direction we choose for housing there are some drawbacks. Modern, energy efficient homes which are tightly sealed and insulated, are much more economical to heat and cool than the drafty old farmhouse we may remember as children. But then again, the more modern homes often lack good indoor air quality, resulting in the need for purifying and air-cleaning devices to help remove toxic pollutants. Do we have to sacrifice the quality of the air we breathe in order to have fuel efficient homes? Author Ellen Sandbeck, "Green Housekeeping", offers excellent advice on how to live in a clean, healthy, economical, yet earth-friendly way.

During the 1980's, scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had to find a solution to the problem of toxic contamination in tightly sealed chambers in order for long-distance space travel to be possible. Their studies have shown that houseplants placed in sealed test chambers were capable of removing large concentrations of chemical contaminants from the air. It was found that plants' leaves absorbed air impurities which were then transported to the roots and the soil surrounding them. The roots and microorganisms actually digested and inactivated organic pollutants. Experiments also have shown that houseplants can reduce by 50 percent indoor concentrations of molds and bacteria. Even radon was absorbed by plant tissues. 

Dr. B. C. Wolverton, author of "How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants that Purify Your Home or Office", recommends the following houseplants:

Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa)

Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) 

Jade plant or Chinese Rubber plant (Crassula ovata)

Boston Fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata)

Houseplants are a prime example of how low technology can be the way to go. Plants produce oxygen and water, whereas electrostatic air cleaners produce ozone. Plants absorb dust while electric air cleaners stick it to the wall. And while plants absorb and digest toxic gases, electric air cleaners do not.

So, the next time you reach for the hydrofluorocarbon propellants in aerosol air sprays to freshen stale indoor air, think about the eco-friendly, human and pet safe alternatives. Plants wick away air pollutants and in return produce life giving oxygen. Volatile chemicals emitted by the synthetic materials in the building materials, furniture, flooring and carpets, all contribute to the constant battle of oxygen fighting for space. According to Renee Loux in "Easy Green Living", the most effective plants for purifying indoor air include: 

Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)

Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema Crispum)

Corn plant (Dracaena massangeana)

Dragon tree (Dracaena marginata)

Chrysanthemum

English ivy (Hedera helix)

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum)

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Philodendron

Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

The three that are of major concern are benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde. Exposure could lead to health problems such as asthma, allergies and potential for cancer.

Formaldahyde is a suspected carcinogen used in disinfectants and found in many preservatives. It is toxic when inhaled or swallowed.

Benzene is a petrochemical used as a solvent. Its vapors can be absorbed through the skin and cause irritation.

Trichloroethylene is a hydrocarbon also used as a solvent.  

Looking at the pictures, you may recognize many of these plants as familiar plants in office settings. These plants are easy maintenance plants, often surviving in less than ideal lighting.

Areca Palm

Bamboo palm

Boston fern

Chinese evergreen

Chrysanthemem

Corn plant

Dragon plant

English ivy

Lady palm

Peace lily

Philodendron

Pothos

Jade plant

Snake plant

A Canvas of Color with Container Planting

There is just something about wandering around a nursery this time of year when it is finally safe to plant shop till you drop!

Resist the temptation to just grab whatever catches your fancy. Have in mind what you want or make a list before you make the trip. Have an idea where you'll be putting these plants. Will they be in full sun or partial shade? Will they be in containers, bedding plants, window boxes?

Pictured here are ideas for container plantings. When you plan container or window box plantings, keep in mind three things: thrillers, fillers, and spillers.

 You can get creative with the arrangement utilizing various containers for your plants. Keep an eye out at farm sales or flea markets for old galvanized pots and wash tubs. I save those flexible black nursery pots that young trees come in to use inside the larger tubs. You can just fill the tub itself with potting soil and plant directly in them but realize how heavy those tubs will be to move around. Also, come the end of the season it is so much easier to just lift the smaller pots out then to try to empty the tub to store for the winter. To leave the dirt in the tub encourages the bottom to rust and eventually break through. As the plants grow and fill in the plastic pots will be hidden from view.



The plants shown in these two pictures like sun to partial shade.

This old wash tub contains four types of heat tolerant annuals requiring full sun. I used one spike and two each of the other three types.

In the center is the accent plant, Dracaena spike, a tall, upright growing, grassy annual.

Around them are Calibrachea, trailing 1 inch petunias that bloom profusely until they slowly peter out by late summer. They come in a choice of colors ranging from yellow, peach, pink and purple.

Trailing Verbena, a trailing perennial often planted as an annual can grow to 12 inches tall and 2 feet wide. The leaves are medium to dark green, ovate in shape with coarse toothed margins and grow to one inch long and half as wide. Beautiful plant as it spills over the edges of its pot, basket or over rocks. Colors options are in the red, pink and purple range.

Diamond Frost Euphorbia is a light airy plant with little white flowers great to use to fill in the gaps. Tiny, delicate leaves and flowers adorn this 12 to 18 in. plant which looks a bit like Baby's Breath.


 In addition to the Calibrachea, Verbena and Euphorbia, this arrangement includes Sweet Potato Vine, Nemesia, Lantana, Lobelia, Bidens and Nicotiana.

Lantana can tolerate neglect. If put right into the ground this butterfly, bird and hummingbird attraction will grow into shrub like proportions. In a pot you'll have to pinch and prune to keep it shapely.

Nemesia prefers a cooler climate, so once the heat of summer kicks in, blooming will decrease. Chop them back by one-third and they will bounce back. Available in a wide array of colors, they are red in the picture.

Actually a tender perennial, Lobelia looks beautiful for a while then will peter out by midsummer. You can cut it back by half and it will rebound, or you can just let the neighboring plants fill in the gaps as they grow. Lobelia prefers more shade if grown in very hot and sunny climates such as the South. Color shades range from blue to purple to pink and white. Pictured here it is blue.

Bidens is a trailing yellow flowered plant that is both heat and drought resistant. Looks great with many container plantings. Deadheading will encourage continuous bloom. In mild climates Bidens easily reseeds itself.

Sweet Potato Vine is grown for its trailing green or magenta foilage, both of which blend beautifully with other plants for container planting. These ornamental types will not produce actual sweet potatoes.

Nicotiana, or Tobacco flower, are wonderful night bloomers to attract Sphinx moths. Shown here is the smaller type not known for its scent. If you want the type with the large white tubal flowers that emit a wonderful sweet fragrance in the evening, plant N. sylvestris directly in the soil, as these are much bigger plants.


















This assortment consists of aromatic cooking herbs. Great combination to have near the kitchen door. Herbs are heat and drought tolerant, requiring sun and well drained soil.

Garden oregano does best in the ground due to its size so for this arrangement I used Greek Oregano. A much smaller plant, this oregano smells as you'd expect and is perfect for snipping as needed.

There are several choices of basil. Typical Garden Basil also does best in the ground. Here we have Thai Basil which has smaller leaves, with purple stems and flowers.

Purple Sage looks great with the Thai Basil as it has a purple tinge to the leaves.

There is a difference between Marjoram and Oregano. Though similar, marjoram is actually a member of the mint family. It is considered a meat herb, complimenting many types of dishes. Marjoram is a bit sweeter than oregano.

Lemon Thyme is a favorite for those who love to add these sprigs to fish or just enjoy the citrus aroma of the leaves. There a many types of Thymes in which to choose.


Lemon Verbena is a wonderful plant for snipping the leaves to add to teas, cooking and making toiletries. For those who love lemon this plant is a favorite to just have around. It will grow into a 2 - 3 foot shrub unless pruned throughout the season.

Rosemary is a favorite woody perennial that can overwinter in cold climates if the potted plant is brought indoors. Known as the plant of remembrance these aromatic needles are loved in cooking, soapmaking as well as medicinal and cosmetic herbal treatments.

Last there is Parsley which is always handy to have nearby for cooking as well as a quick breath freshener.


Potted herbs need to be trimmed regularly or the plants get leggy and woody. Trimming helps them get bushier which is more attractive as a grouping.

For shady spots needing a splash of color, think Colelus. These attractive plants are grown for their beautiful foliage. Coleus or Painted Nettle, offer a variety of leaf shapes from smooth to deeply cut, and color from green to purple to red to white, from solid to splotched Coleus will survive in the sun but the color of the leaves is most enhanced in the shade. Small flower spikes appear in late summer. Pinch off these blooms and growing shoots of young plants to encourage bushier plants.

The center spike plants add a bit of height and are available in green or magenta. The magenta type is called Cordyline Australis and it blends very well with the other plants, though doesn't get as tall as the green type.

The trailer for this pot is known as Ipomoea or Sweet Potato Vine. Deeply veined dark magenta leaves drape over the edge.


Finally we have the old standby for easy color, Impatiens. These plants will let you know when they need water, but then quickly bounce right back. Impatiens bloom the entire season right up to frost, which turns them to mush, requiring little effort in fall clean-up.