Getting Started with your Containers

Two Types of Container Gardens Grow Together Put Together Advantages Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages Doubt in final product Confidence in final product Possible plug death Better plant survival Natural gathered look Neat, methodical look Plants intertwine together Plants retain individuality Ease of planting Labor of transplanting Good for large scale growers Good for grower/retailer

Tips for Making Container Gardens

Mix plants with at least three textures of foliage to make a container garden interesting. Use plenty of plants that are foliage plants (with no flowers) in your designs. In most cases, foliage color, leaf shape, and texture are just as important as the flowers themselves. Some good foliage contrasts would include: downy with glossy; dark with gray; small with large; yellow with violet. Use colorful foliage (like Coleus) to “echo” the color of flowers in the container. Vary the shape of the flowers in the container garden to add interest. Bicolor flowers are becoming more available and are great for color echoing. Sometimes you just have to do some “snipping and tucking” of faster growing plants when they are mixed in with slower growing ones. Otherwise, you will lose the slower ones and your design gets destroyed. Vegetative annuals mix well with other annuals, perennials, tropicals, and bulbs. Everything and anything goes as long as it is pleasing to the eye of your customer. Nothing lasts forever! Container gardens need to be gardened. Plants in container gardens need to be trimmed, dead-headed and replaced.

Grow together combinations

Grow-Together Combinations
Good to Use	Do Not Work Well
One vigorous foliage plant in the center	Growth retardants
Upright verbenas, double impatiens, geraniums	Rampant growers
Foliage plants for neutral color & texture	Tall plants
Summer bloomers for summer market	Slow growers
Plants with long necks	Creeping and very compact plants
Various textures and forms	Too many fine textures
Analogous color harmonies	Salmon with violet or fuchsia with bright red
Slight succession of bloom for earlier market	Extremes in bloom times
Odd numbers of plants	Only two plants of one species

refrence: Container Gardens

Plant some sun shine.

What you Need:

• A few Sunflower Seeds
• Peat pot or container that drains
• A saucer that is bigger than the pot base
• Potting soil or seed starter mix

Instructions:

• Fill a container, or peat pot, with potting soil or seed starter mix. 
• Gently push one or two sunflower seeds into center of container. 
• Water lightly or mist. Keep in warm, sunny window.
• Each day check your container. 
• Water lightly every day if needed. Do not over water.
• In about 7-10 days your sunflower should sprout. Once sprouted make sure it gets lots of sun.
• When the weather warms and all chance of frost is gone plant your sunflower outside in a full sun location.

Window sill it

Attaching a small wooden or plastic container under a wind sill  means that there are small flowers or fresh just within reach.

It also means that some climbing insects may live there as well.

Watering the soil is necessary especially during the really hot days.

Planting plants that have differing seasonal growth times make an interesting and continuous view from the inside of the rooms.