Include
garden planters in the decorating scheme of your home
and yard to provide a feast for all the senses - sight,
smell, touch, taste, and even sound! Planters filled with
cleverly chosen flowers and vegetation and organic products
can entice song birds and butterflies to your yard, will
add dramatic focal points at various heights, and can
produce tasty herbs, fruits, and vegetables for the table.
Garden planters filled with fragrant blooms and trailing
vines can mark entrances or define and unite areas; can
provide shade with vines, shrubs, or small trees; and
you can easily transform one into a fountain. Container
gardening makes it possible to enjoy the mild exercise
and pleasure of gardening even if your "yard" is only
a patio or a balcony.
The
Best Planters
1. Use - If you are going to lift or move your planters
(e.g., hanging planters), factor-in the additional weight
of water-drenched soil and fully-grown plants when deciding
how heavy it can be. Patio
planters or pots can be ceramic planters or made
of cast stone or a heavy metal, like wrought iron, and
wooden planters are a popular choice for window boxes.
For hanging gardens, choose light plastic or fiberglass
planters, or use lined cages or baskets, or stick
to small planters only.
2. Style - Coordinate the style and design of your garden
planters with the architecture or style of your home.
Elegant urns of cast cement and wrought iron complement
a formal home, or you can choose from beautiful ceramic
or a fiberglass, such as polyethylene, which can be poured
into molds to create every imaginable style and shape.
Lighter metals ( e.g., copper) and streamlined shapes
are great for a modern home, and natural-looking materials
(e.g., terracotta, wicker, wood, copper) enhance country
homes.
3. Color and Size - Garden planters can be any size if
resting safely on the ground, but if raised, make sure
the full planter won't be too large and heavy to move.
Choose colors and designs that will coordinate with the
surroundings: natural woods, wicker, terracotta, and metals
provide subtle tones, but if you want contrast and drama,
select colorful ceramic, fiberglass, or plastic.
4. Match the Plant - Cactus and desert plants look great
in terracotta or ceramic, and so do herb and vegetable
gardens. Strawberries and tomatoes can be grown in planters
designed especially for them, and choose heavy planters
for top-heavy plants ( e.g., shrubs) so that the fully
grown plant won't topple over.
When
Liners Are Needed 1. If you are choosing garden planters that don't
retain moisture well ( e.g ., terracotta) be sure and
add a plastic liner or you will be watering all day long
in hot weather.
2. To turn your planter into a fountain, choose either
a water-tight material (e.g., ceramic), or use a plastic
liner.
3. Unless they are moisture-proof, hanging baskets need
liners to retain water and soil and these can be of fiber
or moss.
Soil
and Fertilizer Choices Select rich potting soil and don't fill the planter
so full that it won't hold your plants and the water you
will be adding every few days. Use organic fertilizers
and insecticides, following package instructions, and
feel good about your protection of the environment (and
your own protection if you are planning to eat some of
the produce!). Birds and butterflies know the difference,
too, and you will attract more of both if you stick to
organic products.
Select
Appropriate Plants and Seeds Planters look best if you put the highest plants
in the center of your container, bushy plants next, and
hanging plants or vines around the edges. Whether you
choose bedding plants or decide to grow plants from seed,
select those that grow best in your climate and confine
yourself to one to three varieties per container. Have
fun with color choices! Colorful blooms with a high nectar
content attract birds and butterflies.
The
only maintenance required for container gardens is to
water often, fertilize frequently, and remove deadheads
to encourage new blooms. You can handle that, right? Create
a beautiful garden and begin enjoying all the pleasures
that await you.
About
the Author: Scott Gray is currently a garden enthusiast and
freelance writer who enjoys providing tips to consumers
who are in the market for all types of garden
planters.
Sutherlands Lumber provides these tips as a service to our visitors. Due to possible variance in conditions, equipment, materials and individual skill levels, Sutherlands assumes no responsibility for losses or injuries incurred during maintenance or repair of your property. Sutherlands assumes no liability
for errors or omissions in the How-To Library section of this website. Please read and follow any safety precautions provided by tool and equipment manufacturers, and consult a building professional in your area if you have any questions about a repair project. Always check your local codes before building, and obtain the required building permits.
