container gardening
I know absolutely nothing about growing plants. I would like to start a container garden in my backyard. Any suggestions on where to get started, kinds of plants that are easier to grow or containers to use will be greatly appreciated.
I know absolutely nothing about growing plants. I would like to start a container garden in my backyard. Any suggestions on where to get started, kinds of plants that are easier to grow or containers to use will be greatly appreciated.
Self-watering containers (from gardeners.com and others) are really worth the price. They have reservoirs in them that you fill less often, and you can get them large enough for small trees. The larger the container the better, in general. Very large containers can support a certain degree of soil life that small ones can’t, and dry out a lot slower. Add water-retaining crystals to the soil. Add lots of organic matter (compost). Container gardening is harder than in the ground, but it’s worth it. I love how they look, and grow all kinds of things in them, including a small fig tree, bay laurel, and blackcurrants.
There are a lot of good books on the subject, I recommend The Edible Container Garden by Michael Guerra. There’s nothing like eating dinner out of your petite Brooklyn yard.
Also–composting. Brooklyn Botanic Gardens have cheap bins for sale. Complete the cycle!
We went to Ikea recently and bought some beautiful and seemingly well-made glazed terracotta planters that are more modern in design than most.Quite inexpensive, as well. A friend who is a seasoned gardener suggested that instead of pebbles, we fill them halfway with styrofoam packing peanuts(!) to cut down on the excess weight.
We’ve had good luck growing Hostas and grasses and our Japanese Maple survived the winter and is looking better than ever.
mrs. brownstoenr- if you are looking to do window boxes, drive by bay ridge for ideas. i’ve seen some beautiful window box display there. it looks like some were custom made by the iron work shops to fit the windows. i would stick with the tried and true mix of plants for the window boxes: potato vines, impatients,cascading petunia (wave), geranium…any good nursey should have this.
i know everone is knocking home depot/lowes but you can get good plants at good prices there if you know what to look for and what days they get there delivery. if you look closely at the grower’s tag, they get them from the same growers as your garden centers… they just kill them faster there. the trick is to get them same day or day after delivery. and believe it or not, these growers don’t give the mass merchants poorer quality, actually sometimes the opposite… i know, i used to work for the largest container grower in the country picking these plants for delivery.
to add to david’s comments. you also want to buy containers with drainage holes… may want to add gravel/pebbles to bottom of pot. i saw some okay fiberglass decorative pots at home depot… they are much lighter to move. you may also want to check out the wholesale flower market on 28th street and 6th ave. they have a good selection esp. since many event planners get their supplies there. prices not so cheap. i would say on average, about $30-50 for 14″ diameter pot.
you might want to check out gardenweb.com. there’s a great container gardening forum there, with helpful folks who will give you some great advice.
containers (pots, etc.) are more expensive than you think. they’ll likely be nearly as expensive (or more so) than the plant that fills it. if the container is going to be outdoors all winter long, don’t buy the terra cotta. they trap water, which will expand when unfreezing, cracking the pot. get plastic, or foam or fiberglass containers for perrenials (plants that come back every year.)
annuals you pot up now, watch them grow this spring and summer, then kiss them goodbye in the fall.
we did our entire back patio in containers, focusing on perennials that we wouldn’t have to move indoors. favorites include golden bamboo, blue star junipers, hostas, cat mint, artemesia, mint, miscanthus grass, andromeda shrubs, japanese oak tree (dwarf).
good stuff to be found at shannons next to greenwood cemetary, or more basic stuff at lowe’s or home depot. for more exotic plants, check out gowanus nursery.
One thing to be aware of with window boxes is that many of the ones sold are too small and dry out quickly. If you can try to find them 8 or more inches wide and deep. I like containers out of lightweight “faux stone” because they look nice and are alot easier to move if you need to. As for placement, how you intend to use the backyard is the most important consideration. Do you just want a pretty view from the house? Sit on the patio? Take a stroll… Use the pots as accents, as boundaries to define areas, or just for beauty.
we’re also thinking of doing that in the part of our backyard closest to the house – any advice on what kinds of containers and price ranges?
on another topic, what about window boxes? what are some great nurseries in Brooklyn for some initial experiments by true novices?
Besides all the annual flowers typical of container gardens, I would suggest very hardy plants that are hard to kill. I had a lot of success with ornamental grasses in containers. Also, if you like herbs, mint is almost impossible to kill and great for cooking, it also works in shade and sun, though better in sun. If you have sun, morning glories are and amazingly aggressive vine, you could plant them from seed and have a jungle of vines climbing up a fence or trellis in a short amount of time. If you have a ton of shade, ferns are your answer. They create a gorgeous lush foliage and are very low maintenance. You can get winter hardy ones that can survive all winter outside or buy tropical ones and bring them inside…
Your first step is to notice how much direct sun or shade you get each day in the spots where you plan to place the containers. After that you can go to nurseries and get individual plants to create your own mix, or you can buy plastic pots with a pre-planted mix of plants that can be transplanted by you into your own containers. There are lots of books on the topic and lots of public buildings around town to inspire you. Have fun.