I recently attended a workshop on Spring container gardening, and it changed the way I think about a container garden. While I always enjoyed putting together an outdoor container of summer annuals, I never really gave too much thought to ‘all season’ container gardening or to container gardening indoors. In this post, I will share examples of using spring flowers to build container gardens for both inside and outside the home. As the seasons’ progress, I will transform the container gardens to adjust with the seasons.
The magic and joy of container gardening is that it allows each of us to experience the charm of a garden up close and personal. You can observe your plants on a daily basis and this visual observation will help you become a better gardener. Think of a container garden as an easier to manage, smaller version of a garden. You can use just about any container and I will share a few different types in my examples. Another great thing about containers is that they are mobile. They can be moved around if conditions warrant or if you want to bring some cheer to a new place either inside or outside your home. In addition, container gardens are also a great place to experiment and try different groupings of plants based upon color or texture.
“Where flowers bloom so does hope.”
Lady Bird Johnson
REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTAINER GARADENS
First, let’s review some important items that you need to consider.
CONTAINERS
- Type – There are many different types of containers for outdoors that include terra-cotta, composite, plastic, ceramic, wood barrels and concrete (to name a few). However, porous containers, such as terra-cotta and wood, cannot withstand freezing temperatures and need to be moved into the garage or basement for the winter.
- Drainage – Regardless of the type of container, drainage is the most important aspect. Plants don’t do well if they are continually sitting in wet soil. Different types of containers deal with drainage differently. For example, terra-cotta and wood containers tend to dry more quickly because of their porous nature. I tend to use several terra-cotta containers and am always surprised by how quickly the soil dries out. While containers such as ceramic or plastic are non-porous and tend to hold water longer and restrict air flow. With plastic and composite containers, it is possible to drill holes in the bottom of the container if none exist. If a ceramic or concrete container does not have holes, you should consider placing an insert into the container and elevate the insert being sure not to block the holes of the insert.
- Weight – It’s important to consider container weight. After soil and water have been added to a container, the container can become quite heavy. The weight can render a container less mobile as it may become difficult to lift.
- Size – The container should be big enough to support the full size that the plants will become. Sometimes, pre-planted containers purchased at a nursery can have too many plants for the size of the container. While the container looks great when purchased, the plants can outgrow the container. Size also impacts water frequency. Smaller containers will dry out more quickly and thus require more maintenance.
SOIL
Look for soil that has been specifically formulated for container gardens. It’s important to read the label of soil sold at home goods stores and nurseries. The label should indicate that the soil is intended for container gardens and should contain some combination of the following ingredients: peat moss to hold water, vermiculite for water retention and perlite for air movement. Do not use soil from your yard or existing garden as it is generally too compacted/dense to allow air movement for the roots.
LIGHT
Based upon the requirements of the plants in the container, it’s important to supply the right amount of light. Plants with similar light requirements should be grouped together. Lighting requirements (e.g sun/shade) can be found on the plant label.
MAINTENANCE
- Watering: Morning is usually the best time for watering. Containers require more frequent watering than in-ground gardens because water evaporates quicker in a container. In addition, containers should be checked each day and watered if the soil looks and feels dry. In hot weather, it may be necessary to water twice per day. Plants should be thoroughly watered until water flows out from the bottom of the container. If the soil dries out between watering, consider adding a wetting agent to the soil.
- Fertilizing: Containers require a consistent application of fertilizer because the larger number of plants place an increased demand on fertilization. Fertilizers can be in the form of water-soluble or controlled release granules. You can mix the granules into the soil when preparing the container. These granules are not likely to last the full season and will need to be supplemented with water-soluble fertilizer added at the time of watering. It is important to follow directions regarding concentration and frequency.
- Pruning: Remove dead flowers and cut back plants that are outgrowing the container. If a plant dies, remove it from the container.
CREATING AN OUTDOOR CONTAINER WITH SPRING FLOWERS
I was so excited to see this container come together. I feel a sense of accomplishment, pride and joy each time I pass this container. Here are the steps to assemble a beautiful spring container garden.
Step 1: Choose your plants
For this container, I chose three plants: daffodils, tulips, and pansies. When choosing plants, chose plants where most of the buds are still closed. I find this increases the life span of the container and it’s lovely to see new flowers slowly open. If you are making your container for an event within the next day or two, then you may want to start with flowers were the buds have opened. Be aware that buds will open much quicker indoors than outdoors. Pansies add the needed color until the daffodils and tulips bloom.
Step 2: Moisten the soil
Moisten the soil prior to filling the container to create a more welcoming environment for the plant roots.
Step 3: Add soil to container
Place about an inch of soil in the container and compact down slightly. Next, fill the container about half full.
Step 4: Separate the bulbs
Separate the bulbs of tulips and daffodils and place in the container. From a design perspective, it is important to match the size and placement of the plants to the container. It’s also important to know where your container will be placed. If your container is on a table, then chose plants that are not too tall to see over. In addition, you will want the container to look proportional from all angles (e.g. 360-degree view).
For this container, I am not concerned about a full 360-degree view and am thus placing the taller plants towards the back of the container. These containers will be on a pedestal outside our front door. I am using two daffodils and two tulips in this 10-inch container.
Step 5: Add soil
Add more soil to the container, covering the bulbs and raising the height of the soil to just below the rim.
Step 6: Get Pansies Ready
Remove the pansies from their containers. Squeeze the bottom of the container to force the plant up and out. If the pansy is root bound, then gently loosen the roots from the bottom of the plant as shown in the picture at the right.
Step 7: Add pansies to container
Place the pansies around the front of the container, filling up the space. For this 10-inch container, I used 4 pansies.
Step 8: Added effect
For added effect, I added dried Astilbe from my garden. Astilbe is a summer perennial that dries naturally over the winter in my outdoor garden.
The spring flowers look so beautiful! I expect these containers to last 4-6 weeks.
CREATING AN INDOOR CONTAINER WITH SPRING FLOWERS
Because I was pleased with the result of the outdoor containers, I decided to also create an indoor container of spring flowers. With the indoor container, I experimented with a broader variety of plants including bulbs, flowers, ferns and ivy. Let’s take a look.
Primrose and Corsican mint
English Ivy, Fern, Crocus
Tulips, Hyacinth, Daffodils
Step 1: Choose your plants
Choose your plants. If you include flowers in your container be aware that not all spring flowers will do well indoors. Choose flowering plants that like the indoors such as African violets, cyclamen, begonias, primrose, or kalanchoe. I chose the following plants for my container: daffodils, hyacinth, crocus, primrose (Primula vulgaris), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Corsican mint (Mentha requienii) and a fern (Polypodiopsida)
Step 2: Choose your container
I chose a beautiful antique soup tureen that is 11-inches across. This soup tureen was handed down to me from my grandmother in Germany. It is a beautiful piece of Bavarian china.
Step 3: Consider drainage
Since the soup tureen does not have drainage, I placed a layer of river rocks in the bottom.
Step 4: Moisten the Soil
Moisten the soil prior to filling the container to create a more welcoming environment for the plant roots.
Step 5: Add soil
Place about an inch of soil in the container and compact down slightly. Then fill the container about half full.
Step 6: Separate plants
Separate the bulbs and take each plant out of their container.
Bulbs and fern
Ivy
Primrose, mint, crocous
Step 7: Add Plants
Place the daffodils and hyacinth in the center of the container (one daffodil on either side of the hyacinth). Add more soil to the container, covering the bulbs and raising the height of the soil to just below the rim. Evenly distribute the rest of the plants around the daffodils and hyacinth.
Step 8: Finish off with moss
Cover the soil with a moss, just place pieces in-between all the plants.
REFERENCES
Cornell University Fact Sheet: http://chemung.cce.cornell.edu/resources/container-gardening
University of Massachusetts Fact Sheet: http://ag.umass.edu/home-lawn-garden/fact-sheets/colorful-container-gardens
Rutgers University Fact Sheet: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1215/
Lady Bird Johnson. (n.d.). AZQuotes.com. Retrieved April 04, 2019, from AZQuotes.com Web site: https://www.azquotes.com/author/7507-Lady_Bird_Johnson
Please check your email to confirm subscription.