I know you have been following along with my Gardening Contributor’s
fabulous series, Gardening from A-Z.
Well, Kelly at My Soulful Home is back…this time with the Letter C.
And it just so happens to be one of my favorite garden subjects.
Thanks for another great post! Enjoy everyone!
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Hey Everybody! Hope you really enjoyed the last few weeks of summer.
Our Berry Fabulous Give Away was such fun ~ thank you to all who
participated.
The winner was Mary Alice Patterson of Chateau Chic fame.
Congratulations Mary Alice!! I know you will enjoy your goodies.
Feels like I have been at this longer than 3 months, doesn’t it? In a good
way for me…a really good way! You all have been so welcoming and friendly
it seems we have been together for much longer. But alas, we have only
just begun to dig in to Your Garden A ~ Z.
This month is “C” for Container Gardens!
Container gardens are so versatile, pretty & easy to plant using a few
basic principles:
- provide good drainage;
- use rich soil;
- choose plants that have the same needs for sun & water;
- vary the plant heights & textures;
- position the container where it will get the requisite amount of sun;
- water regularly.
Good Drainage – If your container doesn’t have built in drainage, you
don’t need to drill holes. You can line the bottom 2 inches with gravel or
small rocks. Even mix them with packing peanuts so the container is not
too heavy.
Rich Soil – I have been tempted a few times to use garden soil when
planting a container. I have to say, the results are never as good as when
I use quality organic potting soil and amend with my three secrets.
A container garden is a little universe on to itself which does not reap
the benefits of actually being in the ground. It needs all the nutrients it
can get to thrive.
Same Needs – In a container each plant will get what the others get.
So choose carefully reading the labels for water & sun needs.
Vary – doing so will make your container interesting. As in life, as in the
container, it’s kinda boring if it all looks the same. Spice it up with some
variety!
Position – think about where you want your container to be before buying
the plants. Don’t buy sun loving plants if your container is to liven up a
shady corner. You are not going to want to be moving the container daily.
You have a busy life already!
Water – you may be thinking, “great tip Kelly…let me write that one down!”
But really, although it may seem abundantly obvious to water, this advice is
not so much that you water but how you water. Take the time to do a nice
deep water once or twice a week rather than a daily squirt. This is much
better for the root health of your plants.
What I like best about container gardens is that done well they add a big
bang for little money and not much effort. It is fun to change them up with
the seasons & to use unconventional containers.
My favorite type of container has something tall in the center, 3 medium
height & 3 low plants, with more 3 plants that will vine over the edge. I
use odd numbered plants & stick to 3 or 4 varieties depending on the size
of the container. That being said, a single boxwood in a traditional container
looks lovely every time. I just tend toward the wilder country look for myself.
How about you? Which container garden strikes your fancy the most?
Any ideas for “D” let me know here or at My Soulful Home…
Thanks for having me!
** Kelly **
If you missed any of the previous posts, here you go…
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Thanks Kelly! I look forward to next month!
And speaking of looking forward to something…I can’t wait
for tomorrow!
I will be taking you behind the scenes, so to speak, and looking at some
of the “details” of my kitchen, where I will show you two new
projects I’ve never shown you before.
Here is a look at who is sharing their kitchens today:
Thursday, August 22
And now for the fun part…a giveaway!!!!
Look what (2) Lucky Winners will receive…
Pfister generously donated a $300 faucet for this giveaway. A 2d winner will
receive a $250 Visa gift card!
To enter for your chance to win, just follow the steps below, and good luck!
Step 1: Follow the bloggers below on Pinterest
Step 2: Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below!
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