Successful Container Gardening
Garden tip from Mission Hills Garden Club
1525 Fort Stockton Dr., Mission Hills
619-923-3624
The nonprofit Mission Hills Garden Club organization is a group of neighbors and friends with an interest in gardening and community aesthetics. This month the club invites horticulturalists-at-heart to its 2012 Garden Walk, a fund-raiser for community projects and horticultural scholarships. Held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, the self-guided tour begins at Mission Hills Nursery. Tickets for the event are $25 in advance and $30 the day of, and can be bought at Mission Hills Nursery or Walter Andersen Nursery.
May is a great time of year to spruce up your old pots or get new containers for colorful combinations. The nurseries have the best selection of annuals and perennials during this month.
- Choose the area where you will place your containers and check the amount of sunlight this location gets. Select plants accordingly.
- Look for three styles of plants to make your container combo appealing:
Thriller: The centerpiece is the focus of the container. This should also be the tallest plant in the pot and normally is close to the same height as the container itself.
Filler: These plants fill out the open space in the containers and add color and dimension.
Spiller: These plants trail over the sides of the containers to soften edges and also create beauty.
- Purchase containers with drainage to ensure the roots of the plants do not rot or develop diseases.
- Cover drainage holes with pot screens to prevent bugs from getting into your containers.
- Start with a great potting soil. Low-quality potting blends make for poor-performing plants.
- Add a starter fertilizer when potting to make sure your plants survive the shock of transplanting.
- Keep the plants in their original containers when you position them in your pot. That way you can see what the combination looks like before you begin to plant.
