| Author |
Message |
    
Lilybeetle
| | Posted on Sunday, April 24, 2005 - 08:03 am EST : |   
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Just wanted to share a tip as I am starting to get excited about container gardening to embellish our new deck. I have lots of containers that I place on the walkways or patio etc and it can be very expensive to fill them. One of the best fillers for the really large containers (provides excellent drainage too) is to ball up the clematis vines that you hard prune this spring. I fill almost half of the container with these and it really cuts down on expense. Also now is a great time to take divisions of daylilies to put in your containers. Here they bloom late July through August and they look awesome in containers. In late fall I pop the daylilies back in the garden or give them away. I've tried using the styrofoam peanuts as fillers for the bottom of the pot - but they are not fun to empty at the end of the season - in fact I found it to be a hideous task. The clematis vines can be emptied with the the contents and with the exception of the perennials can be thrown on the compost pile. I've even used empty coke cans for filler at the bottom of the pots. They separate easily from the soil in the container and then they just get chucked back in the recycle bin. They provided great drainage and the plants were lush and healthy during the growing season.
Lilybeetle
- Ontario,
Zone "4B"
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Lulubelle
My Weather
My Garden
| | Posted on Sunday, April 24, 2005 - 08:06 am EST : |
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Thanks for the great tips! Will definately try some! I have also put hosta in planters, and they grow very well, and come back each year. No emptying necessary!
Lulubelle, zone 5, Quebec, Canada |
Monique
My Favorite Photo
My Garden Journal
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Sunday, April 24, 2005 - 08:32 am EST : |
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I won't dare divide my lilies yet:)
Maybe next year..good tips Kim..
I am saving all our small individual yogurt containers now for seedlings..
I like them ..they work well..Anyone know Joe Green..
Tips and tricks..
Monique Quebec Zone 5 |
Moniquenac
| | Posted on Monday, March 10, 2008 - 02:48 pm EST : |
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Hi Lulubelle,
I wanted to ask you about the hosta growing in containers...I live about 3 hours from Ottawa and one hour away from Toronto (sorry not sure what zone, I am embarrassed to say).
I’ve always wanted to grow some hosta in containers, didn't know you could over winter them that way. Are you putting them in a garage or doing anything special? What kind of containers are they in? I’ll also give the daylilies a try this year.
Monique
Moniquenac
- Ontario,
Zone "?"
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Periwinkle
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Monday, March 10, 2008 - 06:38 pm EST : |
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Lulubelle, where are you?!!????
Denise--Northern Wisconsin, Z3b |
Plantindude
My Garden
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 10:01 am EST : |
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Great tips Lilybeetle ! As a filler for my pots I use mini-bark chipped mulch and have for years. I'll buy couple bags a year to start{I'll reuse last years from smaller pots} ,since it's a natural product,after a cuople of seasons it goes into the compost pile. In large pots I remove bout half last years mix add alittle compost ,mix and refill the rest of the container with new mix. This saves alot of money and alot of potting mix. Smaller pots I clean out in the fall I screen out{ I built alarge scree useing scrap lumber and some fine hardware cloth {a fine wire mesh} that lays over my wheel barrel clean out all the old mixes. Once dry it's a real fine mix that I use as filler in containers ,as a mix with compost that goes in my beds as a fall dressing. I've grown daylilies in half barrels for years{actually their way over due to be divided}. Their stella d'oros and hve been quite happy in these for years. in the fall I cut them back ,move barrels to a corner of the yard and then cover with mulched leaves for the winter. In the spring I pull them back out ,uncover them and get them back out in the sun,once they get some good growth I'll them a good dose of fertilizer and keep them well watered,maybe fertilize every 7 to 10 days.
Hope you don't mind if I jump in on this,Hostas make great container plants,their root system is fairly compact for these and they can live for years in containers. If your leary about trying ,say standard size hostas , there's a large selection of mini or dwarf hostas ,some no bigger then the palm of your hand at maturity, that may give you a start. You can over winter in garage,unheated basement ,just remember too keep a check on them so the soil dosen't completely dry out. You leave out doors if you use a container that withstand the extreme cold and the frost / thaw cycles that can crack and break cheap pots. My preference is either the newer fiberglass{can get pricey} or the thicker molded foam planters ,there lite too which makes them easier to move, I've found thats hold up quite well too our some times bitter winters in z-5 Ohio...hope this helps......Mike
Plantindude
- Ohio,
Zone "5"
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Moniquenac
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - 09:31 am EST : |
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Thanks Mike, I appreciate all of your great advice. I am certainly going to give it a try. I would not have guessed that I should water the hosta over winter...so thanks for that very important tip.
Monique
Moniquenac
- Ontario,
Zone "?"
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