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© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

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Container gardening UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MASTER GARDENER

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Containers for

plants can be

anything!

As long as it

has:

Drainage!!

Drainage!!

Drainage!!

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Plant containers

can be anything

that holds soil!

Remember:

Drainage

Drainage

Drainage

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Moisture-loving plants can stand in water:

bacopa, peace lily, cannas. Plastic pots are

good for these plants.

Most plants cannot stand in water and need

oxygen as much as moisture. Double pot these

or use containers with several drainage holes.

Dry loving plants require drainage and pots

that dry out: terra cotta, or clay. Plastic is

worse for these plants.

KNOW YOUR PLANT’S MOISTURE REQUIREMENTS!

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CONTAINER OPTIONS: TERRA COTTA OR CLAY

Classic choice

because it is great for

plant root growth:

provides good air or

oxygen exchange.

Heavy

Dries out quickly

Develops mold, salts

etching

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CONTAINER OPTIONS: PLASTIC & FIBERGLASS

Lightweight, maybe too lightweight

Hold moisture longer, maybe too long

No staining

Colorful, can be decorative and attractive

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CONTAINER OPTIONS: WOOD

Minimum

temperature

fluctuation: good

insulators

Needs replacing

eventually, can last

many years

Informal, natural

appearance

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CONTAINER OPTIONS: GLAZED CERAMIC

Beautiful

Non-porous and can

be too airtight for

root growth

May clash with

plants flowers and

foliage

Phormium, New Zealand flax

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CONTAINER OPTIONS: METAL

Little insulation: can

be very hot or very

cold, less of a

problem in large

containers

Can be very

attractive

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CONTAINER OPTIONS: STONE, HYPERTUFA TROUGHS

Heavy in weight and

cost

Harder to find

Moss grows on

containers

Drainage may be a

problem.

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Traditional Container Soil Mix:

• 1 part garden soil

• 1 part peatmoss (wet first: soak in a bucket)

• 1 part sand

Use new soil each year.

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Most people

use synthetic soil.

Lightweight; holds water and

air; ideal for plant growth.

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Cocc

Coconut fiber or coir is

in the ingredients.

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Slow release fertilizer

is in this potting soil,

but in a very small

amount.

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Container plants need fertilizer. You can use a slow release

fertilizer in the soil mix and weekly liquid fertilizer applications

for actively growing flowering annuals in containers.

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WATERING: VERY IMPORTANT Daily in summer

Small and hanging

containers need

extra care

Type of container

type makes a big

difference

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Pouches require lots of water. Use a piece of

hose in the back of the pouch.

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What plants should you use? It depends on:

• Site

• Personal preference

• Color scheme

• Purpose: food, color, hide/cover, frame, soften,

attract attention

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Hot sites call for

careful plant selection.

Purple or pink

fountaingrass loves sun

and warm or hot

locations

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Shade is easier: Begonia ‘Dragon Wings,’ great container plant.

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Hidcote, England

Fuchsia: likes cool weather

and lots of moisture.

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Osteospermum ‘Orange Symphony’

likes cool weather; opens with sun

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PERSONAL PREFERENCE

formal informal

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COLOR SCHEME: RED AND PINK

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White color theme:

featherreed grass ‘Overdam’

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’,

caladium and

Zinnia angustifolia ‘Crystal White’

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Purpose: define a patio: Sissinghurst white garden

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Define a bench: Plectranthus,sweet potato vine ‘Margarita’,

coleus, supertunia

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Fuschia,Carex buchananii, licorice plant, nasturtium, fan flower

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Decorate: Denver Botanic Garden: Up on the Roof

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Define or make a new garden with just containers

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Place plants where there is no soil access.

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Cover a bare wall: use tough plants

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Containers allow you to grow plants where

there is no access to the soil.

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Highlight a special plant collection: carnivorous plants; herbs

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Denver Botanic Garden: a trough for every

county, showing their native plants.

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Mini-landscape: Trough Gardens; Rice Creek Gardens.

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Use containers to feature an area: entryway, walkway, door, bench.

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Sissinghurst entryway

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Containers can highlight a flower border

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COMBINATIONS FOR CONTAINERS

Resources, fun websites:

http://www.plantbynumber.com/

Ball Horticultural, Inc.

http://www.provenwinners.com

click on: Combinations

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Proven Winners:

A. Lysimachia ‘Goldilocks’ 2 plants

B. Lobelia ‘Laguna Sky Blue’ 3plants

C. Petunia ‘Supertunia Double Purple’

2plants

“Pennies from Heaven”

Proven Winners

A A

B

B

C

C

B

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New forms of old favorites

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Nasella or (Stipa) tenuissima, pony tails, Mexican Feather Grass;

Osteospermum, Angelonia’Angelface Blue’, Argyanthemum ‘Butterfly’

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Scirpus cernus,fiber optic grass; vinca,dusty miller,viola

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Tibouchina

grandiflora, large

leafed gloryflower is

a South American

flowering tree,

tropical plant.

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Tropical look: Olbrich Gardens, Madison, WI

Use coarse and fine textured plants.

A banana

shredded from

hail at the

Arboretum.

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Nicotiana sylvestris, flowering tobacco and Hibiscus

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Containers for food and horticultural therapy

Use raised beds for elders, children,

or where soil is very poor.

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Container vegetables require:

1. Full sun

2. Lots of water

3. Fertilizer

4. Rule of thumb for container size:

3 gal of soil for every 1’ of plant

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William Baffin hardy shrub rose, probably some roots in

the ground, roots cannot survive above ground winters in

Minnesota.

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CONTAINERS FOR ALL SEASONS

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Containers can provide

beauty and interest

in winter.

In our zone 4, nothing

survives the winter

in a container, without

significant protection.

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FURTHER REFERENCES:

Best Annuals for Minnesota: http://www.florifacts.umn.edu/

St. Paul (USDA Winter Hardiness Z4; Heat Z5; 169 growing days)

Books:

Contain Yourself by Kerstin P. Ouellet, 2003.

Ball Publishing.

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© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

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Discover more at extension.umn.edu Created by Mary Meyer, Extension horticulturist