Living
in Western Colorado
CONTAINER GARDENS
CONTAINER
GARDENING—nothing could be simpler. In fact, as simple as
plants in pots. Container gardening is the ultimate in gardening with
ease. This is good news for people living in the mountainous west who
often face capricious combinations of extreme weather
conditions—altitude, wildly fluctuating temperatures, poor soil,
wind, deer, and any other adverse condition you can think of! Container
gardening offers some relief, and with a few tips and helpful hints
lovely gardens and fresh tomatoes are yours.
Pots
Any container will
do as long as it holds soil and water, and provides
good drainage. The important thing to remember here is fit the plants
to the pot size: large plants with large pots; small plants with small
pots.Soil
A good bag of soil
contains a mix of soil, compost, sand, and peat
moss. These combinations help promote healthful plant growth, water
retention, and drainage. When using large pots, put an empty smaller
plastic pot upside down in the big pot then fill with soil. This helps
to keep the container from becoming too heavy to move easily.
Fertilizer
Plants
in pots tend to dry out quicker than those in the ground, which
means more watering. More watering leaches out the nutrients in the
soil quicker, thus nutrients need to be replaced more frequently. Add
time-release fertilizer when planting, and for truly luscious plants
add a weekly water soluble
fertilizer at low strength. If in doubt, check with knowledgeable
staff at any reputable garden center.
Flowering
Plants
What can be grown in
a container? You’d be surprised, but almost
anything—ferns five feet across, palms and banana trees, orange
and lemon trees bearing fruit. For an end-of-the-day relaxing spot, you
might want to grow fragrant plants such as roses and sweet peas. Single
colors or shades of one color all clustered in one area can be quite
dramatic. As in the regular garden, vary the plant heights in the
containers. Use tall willowy grasses, vines climbing a small trellis or
simply hanging over the edge. Pair perennials with annuals. Use small
trees and shrubs for texture and foliage color.
Plant
collections are no longer just for the African violet lovers.
Geraniums, orchids, cacti, succulents, bromeliads, and herbs all make
stunning container gardens as plant collections. Keep plants with
similar needs together in the same container. For a shady area you
might try plants with variegated foliage as a focal point and use ferns
and mosses as filler.Container gardening
offers many
advantages. The main one is portability. You can follow the sun or
shade as the season changes, give mid-summer shade relief to plants
that become wilted, and move hanging baskets that become wind-whipped
to a more protected area.
Photography
by Kathryn
Retzler and Roger Young
Photographs
taken at Delta
Garden Center, Delta, and Camelot Gardens,
Montrose.