Thursday, November 23, 2017

Unique Containers for the Garden


An antique wash tub.


Rustic antiques in my shade garden.


What's a porch without a few containers of flowers, herbs, or even vegetables?  One of the features I love about my home is the wrap around porch.  I've collected  a variety of unique containers to bring flowers and herbs on the front porch. I also incorporate containers in the garden landscape.

  Antiques and recycled containers are perfect ideas for plantings on the porch or patio.  Antiques tubs and buckets that are rusted out on the bottom are often very inexpensive and already have the drainage for your plants.  Use your imagination.


An old crate and rusty shovel head.



A double wash tub and water bath canner.




Pineapple Sage is beautiful in pots.  The blooms are beautiful.


Soil for Containers or Hanging Baskets


Each year before  planting I dump the existing soil in the container into a bucket and break it up and add some additional potting mix  (without chemical time released fertilizers), a little compost and some dry organic fertilizer.  I don reuse potting mix but always refresh is with some new mix. I have all my flowers transplants ready.  I fill the container partially, set the transplants in the pot and fill in the gaps with additional potting mix.  I fertilizer once a month fish fish emulsion and kelp.



These are right by my kitchen window.




Herbs for Containers


Pinapple Sage
Marjoram
Lemon Verbena
Chocolate Mint
Thymes
Sages
French Tarragon
Cilantro
Parsley
Swiss Chard



Wash tub

Old chicken waterer.

Trailing Plants

Sweet Potato Vines
Wave Petunias
Majoram
Verbena
Lobelia
Nasturtium
Thymes
Water bath canner with potato vine and verbena.

Geranium, lobelia, and creeping Jenny

 

Flowers

Lobelia
Coleus
Geraniums
Pansies
Ornamental Kales and Cabbage
Ornamental Grasses
Impatiens
Nasturtium
Asters
Small Dahlias
Heuchera
Dead Nettle




The plants lists are by no means complete.  A trip to the garden center will inspire great combinations and new varieties.  Take pictures of hanging baskets and container combinations you like and save money by planting your own container gardens.  You'll begin to look at junk in a new way with new possibilities.  

What combinations are your favorites?


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