Gardens Galore by Karen Brewka

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 Spring Lists bring Summer Bliss, Part 1
 
Around here, the easiest way to get great summer colour from flowers is by growing them in containers. Now is the time to start planning our container gardens. I always make plans and lists and then, once I start shopping for my plants, I get sidetracked by something new or something on sale. But the planning is fun anyway.

Summer flower containers are great on decks, stairs, by doorways, along driveways and even tucked into shrub and perennial beds. Larger containers can take larger plants and won't need as much watering, but they can be heavy. Smaller containers need more watering but can be very versatile when grouped in floral displays.

Most flowers are going to need 10 – 12 inches of growing medium to last the season. Width is more important than depth as many roots are going to grow sideways as well as down. Large containers can be partly filled with woodchips or other material before adding the growing medium. This helps to reduce the weight. I use a soilless mix (3 parts peat moss, I part perlite, and 1 part vermiculite) for most of my containers. I add a bit of garden compost to the larger containers. Or you can purchase ready mixed container medium. A note about peat moss: it is hydrophobic. Once dried, it is very hard to re-wet. Dry peat moss is flammable. In the fall and winter, you can use your containers for seasonal displays but they should be moved away from doorways and stairs and, if not used, they should be emptied or covered to prevent them being used as an ashtray.

Anything can be used as a container but the flowers need drainage. An undrained decorative container can be used by putting some gravel or small rocks in the bottom and then putting a drained container inside the decorative container, perched on the gravel. Hanging baskets need to be anchored with enough hardware to support the weight, even in the wind.

Next article, we'll talk about placement, size and colour, and choosing plants. Some questions to ask yourself about the locations you might want to use for containers:
    How much sun exposure each day?
    How much wind exposure?
    Does my hose reach this location?

There are lots of books and magazines in the library to provide inspiration. Plant catalogs and internet sites on container gardens can be helpful.

The Valley Neighbors Garden Club meets every third Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm. For information call Susan at 403 – 933 – 7675.

The Horticultural Club meets every second Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm. For information call Sheila at 403 – 931 – 3989.