My first container gardens were pots filled with cape daisies or ostiospermum. I bought them in early spring and they survived several frosts - winning my undying love.
These plants are cheerful, forgiving (they are hardy to 25 degrees)and come in a variety of and handsome colors from a deep pink to melon, purple and white. My favorite is “Orange Symphony.”
Though the tags say no deadheading is necessary, the plants certainly will look better if you do. Fertilize regularly, make sure they have good drainage and they will last well into fall. If they start getting leggy, cut way back.
Take your hens and chicks out of their nursery pot. Gently pull them apart - they should separate pretty easily. The hens are the large rosettes and the chicks can be connected to a hen by a ropey shoot called a stolon. If a chick is connected by a stolon, just cut off the stolen at the base of the chick.
Don’t include any flowering hens in your container garden because they die after flowering and will leave a hole.
Decorate, paint, and landscape your way to a more beautiful home.
Fall is a great time to experiment with texture and color in your container gardens. While mums and asters can be spectacular and classic in a fall container garden, there are lots of other choices that will last well beyond the first frost. Here are some ideas.
Think Perennials - While summer is a terrific time to go crazy with flowering annuals, fall is a wonderful season to try hardy perennials in your container gardens. Have fun experimenting with color combinations you didn’t use in the summer. Purples and oranges, mixed with bright greens and deep reds can look stunning.
For fall containers try some of these hardy perennials….
Cool Looking and Cold Loving Annuals - There are also lots of annuals that look great and will last well past the first frost. Some will even look fabulous and sculptural with a coating of snow. Try combining different heights and forms, or go simple and pot a single dramatic plant in a beautiful container.
Get Your Plants Ready - While you can’t buy your plants tiny down coats, there are things you can do to help them survive the winter. In the fall you’ll want to continue watering your container gardens. However, you should stop fertilizing containers with perennials about six to eight weeks before the first frost date is predicted for your area. You don’t want to encourage new growth, which is tender and won’t survive cold temperatures, and could even weaken or kill your plant.
Brrrrrr……. According to the “Farmers’ Almanac,” here’s what to expect… Light freeze (between 29°F to 32°F): tender plants are killed, other vegetation is not dramatically effected. Moderate freeze (between 25°F and 28°F): heavy damage to tender and semi-hardy plants. Severe Freeze (below 25°F): … only the hardy survive.
Winter Proof Your Containers - If you want to keep your containers outside for the winter, and you want your perennial plants to survive, use plants that are hardy two zones colder than your area.
Use Containers That Won’t Crack - Make sure that your containers are made of material that will stand up to freezing and thawing. Ceramics, terra cottas and thin plastics may not survive. Instead try containers made of ….
Fiberglass Metal Thick plastic Stone Concrete Hollow logs
Bring Delicate Containers Inside – If you have a delicate container with perennials, dig the plants out and put them into a garden bed before the soil freezes. Or, depending on the plant, you can turn it into a houseplant, or store it in a garage or shed. Just make sure not to let them completely dry out.
Be Ruthless - Even if a plant is a hardy perennial and it never looked great, or you just aren’t crazy about it - chuck it. Add it to your compost pile and at least it will become food for some other plant down the line.
Herb container gardens are the best. I love growing herbs in containers because they’re beautiful, they give you great bang for your buck and it’s easy and convenient. Even if you have miles of property and gardens galore, it is really great to be able to step out your door and pick a handful of fresh herbs from a beautiful container garden. Besides, when I’m cooking dinner it’s often dark, and rather than rooting around my garden wearing a headlamp, it is much easier to turn on my porch light and go out to my herb container gardens and snip some fresh herbs.
You can grow almost any herb in a container garden and most are very easy. However, herbs can have different water requirements, and some are more finicky than others, so be sure to put herbs that require similar care in the same pot.
Light
Most herbs need full sun – at least 6 hours a day. That said, containers can really bake on a hot day, so if you live somewhere where temperatures soar, your herb container gardens may need to be shaded during the hottest part of the day.
Soil
Use quality high quality potting soil because most herbs need good drainage. Also make sure that your container has drainage holes so you don’t drown your herb container gardens.
Fertilizer
Be careful not to over-fertilize herbs. Most don’t like it and some herbs will flat out croak if they are fussed with and overfed. Some herbs, like thyme and oregano thrive on neglect and won’t be as tasty if they are given too much attention, water or food.
Choosing a Container for Your Herbs
You can use almost anything for an herb container, though make sure whatever you choose has good drainage. Most herbs don’t have large root systems so you can get away with smaller containers. This is especially true of the herbs that don’t mind drying out between watering. That said, the smaller the container, the less soil there is, so you have a smaller margin of error when it comes to watering.
Self-Watering Containers
Some herbs thrive in self-watering containers because they like a constant level of moisture. Plants like chives, parsley, marjoram and mint would be good candidates for growing in self-watering pots. Other herbs, like oregano, thyme, rosemary, and basil prefer to dry out between watering so wouldn’t be good candidates for self-watering containers.
Planning Your Herb Container
You can grow as many types of herbs in one container as you want, as long as you make sure that all the herbs in a single pot share the same sun, water and soil preferences. For example, rosemary likes it hot and dry while parsley needs steady moisture. They wouldn’t be perfect in the same pot (though to be honest, I have pushed this envelope and put unmatched bedfellows together, fairly successfully). I also like to grow pots with one type of herb and then group the pots.
Plants Per Container
I’m a big fan of crowded, bountiful container gardens. I pack in plants and most do fine. Particularly since herbs thrive if you keep pinching them back and harvesting them, you can usually keep them from strangling each other. One caveat to this is basil, which needs good air circulation so really doesn’t like crowding. Also, if you’re trying to save money, and are patient, buy small plants and let them grow to fill your container.
Herbs in Container Garden Design
Don’t be shy about using herbs as decorative elements in any container garden. They can look fantastic and provide a great texture and scent mixed with annuals or perennials. Again, just be sure to pair them with plants that have the same requirements for light and water.
Choosing Herbs
Grow what you eat or what you think is beautiful. I grow a lot of sage because I love the way it smells and looks. I don’t often use it to cook, but it still is one of my favorite plants. I use lots basil for cooking and like to grow enough so that I can make enough pesto to freeze and use throughout the winter. I also use huge handfuls of parsley so I grow lots of that too. Rosemary is expensive to buy and I love how it looks, so I grow a lot of that too.
Harvesting Herbs
The rule of thumb is the more you pick, the more you’ll get. Also, you want to pinch most herbs back to make them bushier and well formed.
Herbs Indoors
At the end of the season, if you have lots of sun, you can bring many of your herbs indoors. All herbs are worth a try, though some are easier than others to keep alive inside through the winter.
Herb Container Gifts
Herb container gardens make great gifts. You can do themed herb container gardens, like a “pizza” garden or an herbes de Provence container garden. Or combine herbs and edible plants in a pretty basket.
I love growing lettuce. It’s fast, easy and is the perfect container gardening vegetable. An advantage of growing lettuce in container gardens is that it easier to protect container gardens from pests. I’ve had too many lettuce plants devoured before I get a chance to. Now put my lettuce container gardens up on tables or chairs to protect them from the woodchucks, squirrels and bunnies that love to feast on lettuce.
You can grow lettuce in almost any container, as long as it has good drainage. Your container can be fairly shallow, because lettuce doesn’t have long roots. I love growing lettuce in colanders. You can get a giant one at a restaurant supply company. Smaller sizes are easily found at discount stores, yard sales or second hand stores - this one cost 50 cents at a yard sale.
You do have to be careful with any metal container, in the blistering hot sun because they can get hot and cook your plants root system. Lettuce generally doesn’t like blistering hot sun anyway, so keep your lettuce container gardens shaded in the heat of the day.
Here’s what you need to make a lettuce container garden in a colander:
SunColanderPotting soilPlastic window screeningFertilizerLettuce seed or seedlings
1. Cut a piece of window screening to fit your colander. This will keep your soil in and let water out.
2. Fill colander almost to the top with potting soil.
3. If your potting soil doesn’t already have fertilizer in it, mix fertilizer into your potting soil, following the directions on the package for quantity. I use an organic slow release fertilizer.
4. Plant your lettuce seeds or seedlings. Lettuce grows quickly so if you are planting seedlings, give them room to grow. If you are planting seeds, make sure not to plant them too deeply. I often use special seed starting medium to cover the seeds as it makes it easier for them to break through, as they grow.
5. Water generously. Lettuce needs lots of water. It is considered a cool season crop, but certain kinds tolerate heat better than others.
6. I like growing looseleaf lettuces and lettuce green mixes, because you can continue to pick the outside leaves over long periods. With head lettuces, you generally wait until the head if formed and pick the whole thing.
Some of the benefits of vegetable container gardening are:
1. Cost-Effectiveness. Since you can use almost anything from hanging pots and planters to re-used cans and plastic containers, this is a frugal gardening method. You can re-use old containers, thus contributing less to pollution. You can also grow your own herbs and vegetables instead of buying them from the grocery store or supermarket where they cost almost double the price.
2. Sustainability. By using fresh produce that you have grown, you eliminate the need of third-party agents to get your food to you, such as delivery trucks and grocery stores. You also avoid the use of plastic or paper bags that you would normally use to take your groceries home from the store. Overall, planting your own vegetables in containers will have a positive impact on the environment because you lessen overall effects of transportation.
3. Convenience. Because you have a fresh head of lettuce or a bunch of cherry tomatoes on hand, you no longer need to walk or commute to the store to get your salad ingredients. With vegetable container gardening, you eliminate the need to go out of the house and spend extra money on your food. This ultimately saves you time on your other tasks!
4. Healthier-Quality Vegetables. When you switch to container gardening, you immediately reduce the risk of your vegetables falling prey to soil-borne diseases and poor soil conditions. Managing pests is also easier since you can readily access your growing vegetables, so the option of growing organically becomes even more feasible - another advantage for you. You can enjoy a wide variety of vegetables and legumes such as cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach and broccoli, to name a few.
5. Versatility. Adults and kids alike will enjoy container gardening. Using colorful containers or stylized ones can be creative accents to your porch, balcony or kitchen. You can experiment with different looks and colors, vary the placement of in-season and off-season vegetables when needed. There are a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, even small fruit trees that you can grow in a container, making this method suitable for any type of fruiting or flowering plant. You can even choose to cultivate quick-growing varieties so that you will always have something on hand, ready to be prepared.
There is no reason to not try having a small garden of your own, even if you live in a minimal amount of space. With organic vegetable container gardening, you have the double opportunity of growing your own food and cultivating a creative garden as you please.
You can spend a ridiculous amount of money container gardening. Trust me, I have. This year I’m determined not to. Yes, I will spend, but I’m going to try to spend less and smarter. Here are some tips on how to save money on your container gardens.
Start From Seed: If you buy your plants as seedlings they will cost several dollars. If you start from seed, they will just cost pennies. Of course, that is after an initial outlay for setting up a seed starting station, but you really can save a bundle.
Buy Small Plants: It requires some patience, but starting with small plants is usually cheaper. Make sure your seedlings are healthy and robust, and put your smaller seedlings in container gardens that are out of the way, so you won’t have to look at them until they have grown to fill their pots. However, if you put them in an out of the way place, don’t forget to water and feed them (which, of course I have done, more than a few times).
Make Fewer Pots: When planning your container gardens, really think about getting the most visual bang for your buck. Spend your time and budget on fewer pots, but make them more spectacular. If you have fewer pots, you’ll have to buy fewer plants and spend less on potting soil.
Grow Vegetable Container Gardens: Vegetables can be beautiful and growing your own can be economical. You can even mix vegetables and flowers in your containers. Baby lettuce, which costs a fortune at the store, costs very little if you grow your own, and can look pretty too.
Consider Pots of Herbs and Edible Flowers: I think there is really nothing better than a pot of nasturtiums. They are lovely to look at and delicious to eat. This is true of many herbs too – almost all are pretty enough to be decorative as well as edible.
Buy Containers and Supplies on Sale: At the end of the growing season you can find great sales. Starting at the end of August, I buy as many of next year’s supplies as I can. You can often find containers at half price and decorative elements, like Spanish moss, marked way down. It’s also a good time to buy something that was previously out of your price range.
Shop Yard Sales, Flea Markets and Thrift Stores: I have found some of my favorite containers this way and many for less than one dollar. I bought a gorgeous strawberry jar that is chipped in the back, and has a hole in the bottom. I think it just makes the drainage better. I place it against a wall so that no one would ever see the chip or hole. I also buy many of my baskets at yard sales. They are ridiculously cheap, because they are often less than pristine. Lined with moss, and stuffed with plants, they can look spectacular.
Make Your Own Compost: I love my compost. Making my own not only saves me money, I have cut the garbage I send to the landfill almost in half. If you have the space, you can make your own compost easily and cheaply. But even if you have a tiny backyard, you can set up your own compost bin and reap the rewards.
Setting up a worm bin is also a popular way to make your own compost. To be honest, inviting worms into my kitchen or basement is not in my joy spectrum, but it is a great way to save money, because you (or more accurately your worms) are turning garbage into great fertilizer.
Make Compost Tea: Once you’ve made your compost, you can make it into great plant food and save on fertilizer, by brewing compost tea. It’s easy, economical and can really help your container gardens to thrive.
Propagate Your Own: There are lots of plants that are incredibly easy to propagate. For many, you just need to take a small cutting and stick it in water. After a couple of weeks, when you see roots, you can plant your new seedling in a small pot or directly into your container garden. Propagation of these container garden staples works particularly well. Coleus Geraniums Sweet potato vine Begonias Impatiens
Share or Trade Seeds or Seedlings: Every year I start several different types of tomato seeds. However, each seed packet contains more seeds than I may want. In fact, if I planted them all, I would be over run by tomatoes (though, honestly, an excess of tomatoes, for me, is a dream come true). On the other hand, if I trade some of my seeds or seedlings with someone who is starting pumpkins, we both save money.
Plant Perennials in Your Container Gardens: If you plant annuals, they are well, annual - you have to buy new ones every year. However, there are lots of perennials that look fabulous in container gardens, and if you protect them through the winter, you can pot them up again, free.
Some of my favorite perennials for container gardens are:
Look Around Your House for Unconventional Containers: Finally, almost anything can be a container. Take an old laundry basket or that rusty bucket you almost threw out and plant them with imagination and style: they’ll look great. Think outside the container: make a canvas bag into a plant bag or a child’s outgrown wagon into an herb garden. As far as I’m concerned, almost anything in my house is fair game. My family is starting to hide their shoes.
These relaxed fall planters feature two of my favorite pots. They are called Re:Treads. Re:Treads are made in Pakistan from re-used tires. Crafted using ancient leather working techniques, these pots look great any time of year, but work particularly well with the textures and colors of fall.
Plants in these pots are:
Lower planter contains: calibrachoa hybrid, Superbells ‘Dreamsicle,’ and ‘ponytails’ grass (Stipa tenuissima), also called, Mexican Feather Grass.Larger pot contains: purple fountain grass, golden leaf sage ‘Icterina’ (Salvia officinalis), and stonecrop (Sedum tetractinum)
If you?re anything like the average herb gardener, it can be mind-boggling looking through seed catalogs and trying to choose just a few varieties to plant. There are so many types of herbs to plant - you?re probably tempted to plant almost all of them! But most of us don?t have the space to plant that many, or the time or energy to care for them all.
There are three basic types of herbs ? herbaceous, evergreen, and annual. The type of herb will depend on how it grows, what type of plant it is, and its habits. Herbaceous herbs are perennial. They die back during the winter, but some back again in the spring.
Some common herbs of this type include oregano, tarragon, bee balm, mint, chives, sweet fennel, and winter savory. They don?t need to be pruned; you just clip them off at ground level at the end of the season.
They can even be mowed down with a mower. Always be careful with mint. It spreads quickly, and can take over an entire garden if you let it. Evergreen herbs are perennial herbs that require pruning if you don?t harvest them regularly.
They should be pruned every fall or early in the spring. Evergreen herbs include sage, rosemary, and thyme. When you prune, you should only clip those branches that are old and don?t show any signs of new growth. Any that are broken or lying on other branches should also be pruned.
When you harvest evergreen herbs, you should be careful to cut only one section of leaves at a time, and only cut it back to where new growth is still showing. You don?t want to cut too much, or you could discourage new growth.
Annual herbs include basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, and chervil. They must be planted again every year, because they won?t come back after they die. If you want a continual harvest of annual herbs, you have to keep planting them every four to six weeks during the season.
You should try to snip off any flower buds you see on annual herb plants, because after a plant flowers, it usually won?t continue to produce leaves. After they flower, they go to seed, at which point they?re not really useful for producing leaves for your kitchen anymore.
When planning which types of herbs you wish to plant, you should choose only those varieties which you believe you?ll actually use in cooking. It will probably be very tempting to plant at least one of every type of herb you see, but it?s not practical.
Plant those herbs which you know you?ll really use. And keep in mind that some herbs are considered better when dried. Sage, for example, is an herb that many people prefer the flavor of when dried.
It?s probably better to just purchase those herbs which you already know you like to use fresh, as well as perhaps one or two you?ve never tried before just to test out. Be careful not to plant too many types that you can?t take care of them all.
Although herbs don?t generally require a lot of care and maintenance, they will need a bit of work. Don?t plant twenty different varieties if you realistically only have time to care for five or ten!
Finally, be sure to check the zones that various herbs do well in. If your favorite herb doesn?t do well in your zone, you should probably skip it, or at least grow it indoors in a container. There isn?t much use planting an herb if it will likely die before it?s harvested.
Growing your own herbs has many benefits. You?ll quickly learn just how great it is to grow your own herbs once you start reaping the rewards of your harvest. Most people who grow a few herbs never want to stop, and their herb gardens only seem to expand every year!
One major benefit of growing your own herbs is saving money. Fresh herbs can be ridiculously expensive, with a single small container of fresh herbs sometimes costing $3 to $5 in many supermarkets!
For just a dollar or so, you can buy a big packet of seeds that can grow many plants, and can keep producing for quite a while. Even when you factor in costs such as tools, fertilizer, and other garden expenses, you should still save a great deal of money if you use fresh herbs often.
Herb gardening is also very relaxing. Many people find that it really helps them reduce stress and unwind. All types of gardening can relieve stress, but herb gardening combines the stress-relieving effects of gardening with the natural stress-relief of aromatherapy!
Many herbs are very easy to grow. A lot of herbs will grow almost anywhere, and require very little maintenance. Herbs can be grown in almost any garden location, and even in containers where they can be moved around at will. The fact that herbs can easily be located almost anywhere makes them a very good subject for most gardeners.
Herbs can be used as part of your landscape design, as well. Because of the fact that they are generally very attractive, they look perfectly at home in their own garden, tucked among flowers, or even used as ornamental plants along walkways, by porches or steps, or anywhere you need a bit of an accent.
They?re great at jazzing up bland dinners. If your family has been complaining that your cooking is becoming boring, try adding some fresh herbs to your food! Once your family has tried spaghetti made with fresh basil, they may never want the stuff in a jar again!
Fresh herbs are also a very good source of additional nutritional value. Sure, they taste great and can make a wonderful garnish for all sorts of dishes, but they?re also good for you! Some herbs contain decent levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Fresh herbs are very good for adding that extra bit of nutrition to your meals.
An attractive herb garden can also increase the value of your home if you decide to sell it. A lot of people have always wanted to have their own garden, and having a lovely herb garden waiting for them could be a big selling point.
Growing your own herbs will also mean you can get varieties that you can?t find locally. Most people are able to find fresh chives and standard basil locally, but can you find garlic chives, purple basil, or fresh chervil in your local grocery store? Most people can?t, and the only way they can experience these exotic herbs is to grow them.
Plus, growing herbs can also make you more popular. A lot of people really love fresh herbs, and if you neighbors hear you?re growing them, they might stop by and ask for some! Your friends and family will be delighted to be given fresh herbs as a gift, and they?ll be wanting to hang around you for more handouts as often as they can!
Five Container Plants For Sun 
