With the planting season being soooo late this year, you really do still have time to plant your pots . Lots of annuals are now for sale in bigger sizes , which helps to create a ‘finished’ product with less waiting. Instant beauty !
I think the most important rule in container planting is too avoid the ordinary.
The second most important rule is to limit your colour pallet.
So, when you go plant shopping, remember these two rules. You will have a better looking end result for sure. Otherwise, you will end up with what I call ‘the gas station look’ , or ’a pizza’ . Two of the worst examples are right across the street from my Kerrisdale gift store on West 41st Ave in Vancouver. I am amazed every time the owner replants the wooden boxes in front of their business. Surely this is some game the Great Puppeteer is playing with me ? Gas station X Pizza = Sign of the Apocolypse ?
This lightweight ‘Fibreclay’ planter features the new black petunia ’Black Magic’ , purple-flowering Cerinthe major, a
metallic silvery- toned Alocasia, and a few silver aluminum wire balls.
It is important that all containers have drain hole(s) . There are no exceptions. Well, maybe for water plants. Rain and watering will otherwise build up and cause roots to rot (and stink). I still like to put a lot of styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of pots. The weight is decreased as you use less soil. Roots do investigate these peanuts and seem to cling to them. Roots need air, too. Make sure that your styrofoam peanuts are ‘the bad kind’ that don’t decompose. Lots of packing peanuts are now made from starch instead of plastic. Starch melts away when wet. So, lick a peanut and see if it melts. If it does, don’t use them as they will clog your pots’ drain hole and the whole drainage of your pot will be blocked.
Use a bagged soil of your choice….. not garden soil. Bagged soil is free of bugs and weed seeds etc. At Southlands, we have our own potting soil made for us. It includes slow release fertilizer and plants love it. A 40 L bag is$12.99 , 20L bags are $8.99 .
Arrange your plants artistically, usually with taller plants toward the back and ‘spillers’ up front. If your pot is to be viewed from all sides, avoid a central cliche like a dracaena (‘Spikes’ or Cordyline) right in the middle. Instead, put three other plants in a cluster in the centre and build around them. It could be a groovy dark leaved dahlia with a small Phormium (New Zealand Flax) and a grass ( I love Carex elata ‘Bowle’s Golden’). The same fountain effect , but more visual interest.
Remember to water. Often. Pots become coffins if they dry out even once. Fertilize with 20-20-20 ( a powder that you mix with water) every two weeks. Annuals are heavy feeders as they know their time is limited….. and so is our summer, so hope to see you soon !
This lightweight fibreclay container contains Fuchsia ‘Gartmeister Bonstedt’, Heuchera ‘Sweet Tea’ , mini petunia (calibrachoa) ’Apricot Punch’, Begonia ‘Bonfire’, Oxalis volcanicoa, (yellow) Carex flagellifera (brown ‘grass’) and Iresine (striped leaf).
Our French garden furniture in ‘Paprika’ orange is in stock .
Chairs are $149.00 each, 4 or more @ $125.00 , 6 or more @ $100.00 ea.
Tables come in three sizes :
24″ round or square are $249.00
30″ round or square are $299.00 .
The quality is superb. Each is powder coated and folds up flat. We have nine colours to choose from including black, white, dark green, lime green, turquoise, navy, tan, purple, teal, army green, and brown.
