Now Is a Great Time to Experiment With Container Gardening

Whether you have a garden big enough for only a few plants or a sprawling country garden full of varied plantings, you’ll want some outdoor planters. Flowers, veggies, fruits, and herbs thrive outdoors during the warmer months and indoors when the temperatures are less than ideal. Autumn is the perfect time to experiment with container gardening, as you can plant ornamentals and vegetables that can’t survive in the summer. However, plant at the very end of summer to give yourself enough time to enjoy your garden. The container garden can be as low or high maintenance as you want it to be.

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Experiment With Container Gardening

It won’t be necessary to wait for good weather to start gardening when you can establish the ideal growing conditions using containers. You don’t need a yard; you can start planting, growing, and harvesting with just a clear spot on your patio. Planters of all sizes are great, yet you need to pay attention to the plant’s size. Don’t forget that many different varieties of plants can be grown in the same vessel. 

Container Gardening: A Unique Gardening Style 

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Should you grow plants in the ground or planters? Plants grow better in the ground only if it contains rich, organic soil. Otherwise, it’s best to grow them in containers. When starting a container garden, you must use a special potting mix, and not soil you dig up from the ground because it’s too dense. For outdoor plants, choosing a good quality, all-purpose soil mix is essential. If possible, you should open the bag and check the soil’s consistency before buying. It should be light and fluffy, absorb moisture, and it be porous so that water and oxygen get to the roots. 

Plants in outdoor planters need much less water because water loss through evaporation is minimal. Still, you should be careful and check for soil dampness. If you have a lot of plants in one container, you may have to water them more than twice a week. When checking for moisture, you can insert your finger into the soil and feel if it’s dry, moist or wet. This technique doesn’t work for plants in deeper planters because you won’t be able to reach deep enough into the soil. Succulents prefer the ground to be a bit dry, while vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, and melons) like the soil to be consistently moist. Herbs do best when the soil dries between waterings.

What Plants Grow Well in Containers? 

Anything can grow in a container, literally. Planters offer fantastic versatility so that you can experiment with planting and design. When choosing planters, you should stick to one or two different materials. elho, for instance, makes containers from recycled plastic, available in various sizes and patterns. You can keep the green in your life by creating a container garden with plastic planters. Containers from recycled plastic save up to 60% of the energy used to make the same products from virgin materials. Plants that have shallow root systems are the ideal candidates for container gardening.

Some of the best plants for container gardening are:

• Euonymus

• Pittosporum tenuifolium

• Skimmia japonica

• Hosta

• Pennisetum setaceum

• Buddleia Buzz

• Hebe

• Agapanthus

• Cornus

• Heuchera

You can easily make changes in location if sunlight or temperatures don’t encourage growth. With new plant varieties that thrive in planters, the possibilities are endless.

Use the Right Kind of Planters

Outdoor containers should be no smaller than ten inches in diameter. If the planters are smaller, the plants will dry out quickly. Make sure the vessel is large enough to accommodate the root system. As a rule, placing too many plants in one container is not a good idea because the roots will become crowded. If you want to grow multiple plants in one vessel, select plants that are compatible in respect of growth requirements. Large planters can hold more soil and moisture, but with smaller ones, you need to be more zealous and monitor soil moisture levels. You don’t want them to dry out too quickly. 

All the very best shops carry a range of outdoor planters. An important fact to consider when choosing containers to plant in the garden is the light conditions in your backyard. Different plants require different amounts of light, so it’s paramount to choose plants that will thrive where you intend to place your containers. With too much or too little sun exposure, the plants won’t grow as expected. To assess the light conditions in your garden, you have to do a little bit of sun mapping. More precisely, pay close attention to the light conditions in the garden over a period of time to identify the sunniest and the shadiest spots. 

Ways To Liven Up Your Garden 

If you’re tired of walking into a drab garden and want to breathe life into it, these ideas will help transform your garden into the ultimate outdoor space. 

1. Add beauty with ornamental grass. Ornamental grass is easy to grow, the stems, foliage, and seedheads lasting well into winter. Use its height to your advantage to balance the proportions of a large vessel. Ornamental grass offers your garden colour, charm, and movement. Most grasses can be propagated by division, in early spring. 
2. Maximise impact with lots of plants. For a dramatic effect, combine plants with height – one with bright colours and one with texture. The container will be twice the height of the plants. Experiment with several flowering plants and add one attractive foliage plant. 
3. Contrast light and dark colours. Choose complementary colours, like red and green. However, an unexpected contrast will add interest to your autumn landscape. Different combinations of hues can evoke a certain mood or atmosphere. For example, you can combine plants with soft pink flowers and silver leaves. 

To conclude, container gardening isn’t just for apartment dwellers. You, too, can have a successful container garden provided you pick out good quality soil. From choosing the right plants and planters to setting up the perfect location, every detail matters. If your plants have decent light, your garden will thrive.