A Midwesterner's guide to container gardening and landscape design.
Every garden-maker should be an artist along his own lines. That is the only possible way to create a garden, irrespective of size or wealth. (Vita Sackville-West)
It doesn't take much blooming to excite this Minnesota gardener in January. Especially when we've already had 45 inches of snow fall making for 5, 6, 7, 8 foot snow piles everywhere you go. We've gone from winter wonderland to arctic tundra. Ah, well. So you can see where this little beauty is a pleasant surprise. This is a crassula and I'm fairly certain this is called 'Springtime'. Misnamed apparently, or at least hopefully named because it's normal bloom time is in the winter. I planted it in a terracotta strawberry pot last spring to replace one my cat over-frolicked so this is it's first year and voila! Blooms! And the cat isn't the slightest bit interested in it. Success! After adorning my kitchen window for the winter, I'll put this container back outside for the summer. I hope I get many more blooms next season.
Most people are familiar with the curly parsley many restaurants use as decorative garnish on dishes. Perhaps for this reason, it has become one of the most under-appreciated herbs. I know for myself, until I started actually cooking with fresh parsley, I didn't really see the value of it. While the curly variety is pretty and has a fresh, crisp flavor that complements many salads and sauces, Italian flat leaf parsley is more fragrant and less bitter. It also holds up to cooking better and is therefore well-suited to hot dishes.
Parsley is the perfect complement to many dishes. It's mild flavor also blends well with other herbs such as chives, tarragon, rosemary, thyme and coriander. In addition, parsley is rich in vitamins A and C and is known to reduce inflammation, inhibit histamines and lower blood pressure among other nutritional and health benefits.
Growing and Harvesting Parsley
Parsley can be grown in either full sun or partial shade. Soil should be well drained and have average to rich fertility. Parsley grows readily from seed yet prefers not to be transplanted. Plant seeds where you intend to grow them or if you plan to plant seeds earlier indoors, use peat pots that can be planted directly into soil to prevent transplant shock.
As with most herbs, parsley grows well in containers and can be kept handy by the kitchen for easy use throughout the summer season. In the fall, the container can be brought in (parsley, while a biennial, is better treated as an annual due to bolting the second year. Also, it's not wholly hardy in our zone) for use through the winter months. With its compact foliage, parsley is an attractive addition to container combos and mixes easily and beautifully with flowering plants. Parsley is a good companion plant to many plants including tomatoes and roses. Parsley is most flavorful when used fresh. Cut stems as needed throughout the growing season. Most often the leaves of the plant are used but the stems can be used as well in the same way. Stems are most useful in soups and sauces.
Parsley can dried although it does not have nearly the flavor of fresh. Dried parsley should be used within a few months of drying while the leaves are still green. It can also be finely chopped, mixed with water and frozen in ice cube trays for use in cooking throughout the winter. Parsley can be frozen simply by storing clean, chopped parsley in zip top freezer bags.
Uses for Parsley
Parsley is the perfect herb for egg dishes and also complements potatoes, salads, soups, vegetables, pasta, chicken and fish. Pesto is easy to make by blending 2 cups of Italian flat leaf parsley, 2/3 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of pine nuts, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and 2 cloves of garlic in a blender. Pesto can be frozen and is delicious on pasta and breads.
One of my favorite parsley recipes is asparagus gremolata. This simple dish bursts with flavor without over powering the asparagus. It's quickly become very popular in my family. See allrecipes.com for the their collection of parsley recipes for more ideas.
Next week: Sage, beautiful, fragrant and delicious!
Herbs are incredibly easy to grow which makes them ideal for container gardens. They can be grown in individual pots or used in combo with other herbs or even flowers. They are especially nice when used in combination with flowers because of the great fragrance they bring to container gardens. In addition to their great fragrance and flavors, many herbs have insecticidal properties which make them ideal for companion planting either in containers or in the garden.
Regardless of how gardeners choose to grow herbs, either in containers or in the ground, either outside or in, the question I get asked the most is: What do I do with them?
It's possible that our short growing season in the Midwest has something to do with it. I also think the readily available dried herbs in the grocery store plays a part as well. Either way, we've lost touch with how to use and cook with fresh herbs. And fresh herbs are nothing like the dried stuff you buy in the store! Fresh herbs can take a dish from so-so to fantastic in a way that all the sauces and dried herbs in the world can't do. Many people think that cooking with fresh herbs is complicated but nothing could be further from the truth. Once you try a few recipes with fresh herbs you'll know how to add them to the dishes you already make.
Starting tomorrow, I'll be running a weekly series on growing your own herbs, how to harvest them and how to preserve them. I'll even throw in a few recipes. Just in time for Thanksgiving! I'll also talk about some flowering plants that you may already grow in your garden that you can add to salads and other dishes for both presentation and flavor.
Check back tomorrow to learn all about my favorite herb: Basil!
While it's exciting that container gardening has taken off and that retailers are taking notice of this interest in container gardening, it's important to note that not all containers do what they claim to do. Two of particular interest as of late are the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter and the EarthBox. Neither of these products is new to the market yet interest is continuing to rise. Are these products worth it? Do they do what they say they will?
The Topsy Turvy and other upside down tomato planters make the following claims: grows delicious & juicy tomatoes all season long, perfect for patio or deck, good for small spaces, no weeding, eliminates caging or staking, no soil-born disease, no blemishes from fruit touching the ground and you can harvest without bending down.
While I've not personally had one of these planters, we have had one at the greenhouse for the last two years. The greenhouse. With near ideal conditions in regard to sun, water and fertilizer. The yield? None. No tomatoes. So much for that all season long claim. And it's probably a good thing, too. Because that claim that there was no bending to harvest? Totally false. This tomato plant was actually lower than than plants in traditional containers growing up to meet us!
I personally think hanging it from a deck or patio is less than ideal for sun exposure. It has to be hung from something right? Like an overhang? Which will actually shade the plant to some extent which is also shaded by the planter itself. The sun is up there yet the plant is down here. Jorge Garcia (Hurley from Lost fame--love Hurley, although that's totally irrelevant here) wrote about his experiences with the Topsy Turvy on his blog. The tomatoes, as would be expected, grew to the light. This completely negates the whole concept of upside down. Why plant them upside down when the plants try to grow right side up? It seems rather mean, not to mention ridiculous! Meanwhile, his tomatoes in regular old pots did outstanding.
On another blog post at Garden Desk, the author bought one of these planters and contemplated its use. The comments to this post were enlightening. Most people who tried them did not get any fruit. Many had plants that fried. Many had plants that grew to the light. Several had more disease than traditional planting. Several who had success, modified the planter in some way which to me, defeats the whole purpose. And most importantly, watering was a nightmare, even with a reservoir.
Much of this is consistent with what we found at the greenhouse. The planter dries out quickly, the plant grows up anyway and the yield is nonexistent. I have to admit that when I first saw these I thought they could be a good idea. Now, I don't know why. Why do the roots to the sky make sense? They are open to sunlight and wind thus drying out faster. Strike one. When watering the plants the water drains to the leaves causing more disease. Tomatoes don't like wet foliage. Strike two. No tomatoes! Strike three and we're outta here!
Save your money. Simply planting a tomato plant in a larger container will be much more cost effective and you will have tomatoes all season long.
I do own an EarthBox. It's a fairly good product although I don't know that it's worth the money. For all it's claims, the same thing could be achieved for much less money. I believe when I purchased my EarthBox several years ago it retailed for $79. I see on Amazon it now sells for $50 so that's a plus. And it comes with wheels now! Nice!
Basically the EarthBox is a self-watering container garden. The kit comes with all the pieces parts to the box, fertilizer and a fitted plastic cover. Staking systems are available to purchase extra. The EarthBox claims double the yields of traditional gardens with less water. Okay, sounds good. And it is good. Yet, any container can be made into a self watering container. Plastic mulch can be cut to fit and secured in a container with garden staples. Time-release fertilizer can be purchased anywhere garden supplies are sold.
Upon perusing the EarthBox site, the main thing seems to be keeping the reservoir full at all times. Well, duh. So basically, water your plants on a regular basis. There is no gauge, window or indicator to alert a gardener to when the reservoir is low so you have to check it daily anyway. I don't see where this is really an upside since with traditional pots I can tell by looking at the soil that plants need water. This is a no-no with the EarthBox. Keep the reservoir full!
In reality, what EarthBox is selling is convenience. Nothing more. Does it work? Sure. Is is worth it? That will be a personal decision by each individual gardener. For some, the convenience of a kit will be worth the expense. For others, they will achieve the same thing with their existing containers, a rigged self-watering system, some fertilizer, plastic mulch and garden staples.
For me, I will continue to use my EarthBox. I have long given up it's prepackaged planting kits and simply planted it using potting soil and time release fertilizer. It works just fine. Will I buy another one? Nope. Don't think it's worth the money. What I will do is rig up several existing containers to be self-watering using some version of this method. And if I don't get around to that (often my garden plans exceed my time and energy limits), I'll continue to plant veggies in regular containers. No matter what, I'll have plenty of fresh vegetables!
Container Trellis Full Sun 1 Marguerite sweet potato vine 2 lavender trailing verbena 1 white bacopa*
*The picture shows two bacopa but on subsequent plantings I used just one to give all plants maximum growth space for the season.
I love the colors in this combination! And it is a combination that looks great from planting through fall. Each of the plants is a vigorous grower so does very well together. It’s also a good example of how to use an accessory in a container.
As you can see, I had a rock wall to contend with. I didn’t want the wall covered but any container I put in that area seemed too short for the space. I needed height for a good proportion. Small trellises seemed like a good solution.
But what to grow up the trellis? I tried morning glory and moon flower originally and found they didn’t do well because of the heat and sun exposure in this location. It’s on the west side on a concrete sidewalk against a rock wall, a less than ideal growing condition. I couldn’t keep those plants watered well enough to get them established. Ipomoea vines generally don’t like to be transplanted. Other vigorous vines were the just the wrong color and I am picky about color.
My original design started with the lavender verbena and the Marguerite sweet potato vine. I love chartreuse and purple shades together. I couldn’t find a vine to fit in with my scheme when someone suggested growing the sweet potato vine up the trellis rather than using it as my trailing element. Perfect solution. Marguerite is the most vigorous of the sweet potato vines and while it’s not a traditional trellis plant, it will grow upwards easily enough with just a few garden ties.
Choosing a replacement trailing plant proved much easier than finding a vine for the focal point. White bacopa is another vigorous grower that holds its own with both the verbena and the sweet potato vine. The color scheme is fairly simple with just lavender and white flowers and chartreuse foliage but I think the effect is quite stunning.
Because these three plants are such vigorous growers, they will need a larger container in order to grow well. I recommend 18" or larger. This combination also held up quite well in the extreme heat and sun conditions. In case of drought (common in my gardening style), all of these plants rebounded very well. The verbena will bloom profusely throughout the summer if deadheaded occasionally. I always took the opportunity to pinch off a few spent blooms while watering and was rewarded handsomely for this minimal effort.
Container gardens don’t need to be limited to being just a pot with flowers in it. You can use the same accessories in containers that you use in a traditional garden. These include trellises, tuteurs or obelisks, stakes and art. Use these sort of accessories to add height, interest, texture or color to your container garden.
Trellises, tuteurs and obelisks all serve the same function in supporting vining plants. The difference in these structures is in the shape and in what circumstances you would use each of them.
Trellises are flat, vertical structures for vining plants to grow on. The can be as simple as wood lattice or more elaborate decorative designs made from a variety of metals. Trellises are best used in containers that are along a wall or fence. The trellis provides a vertical element as well as adds more interest to a container combination.
Tuteurs and obelisks are essentially a 3-D trellis. They can be round, square or pyramidal and made from wood, bamboo or more decorative metal pieces. Many have finials or other decorative embellishments at the top which adds another element of interest to a container. The advantage to tuteurs and obelisks is that plants can either grow on the outside of the structure or grow from the inside. Whether to grow from the outside or inside will depend on the plant you are using and the look you are going for.
The most important thing when using accessories in container gardens is proportion. The container and the accessory need to be of corresponding size. Obviously, large trellises aren’t going to fit in small containers but neither should you put too small a trellis in a large container.
Also consider the weight of the structure you are using with the container. Using a heavy metal tuteur in a plastic container is not going to hold up to wind. Generally speaking, metal structures will do better in metal, concrete or ceramic containers. They have enough weight to counterbalance the structure. Wood or bamboo structures can go in lighter weight containers such as plastic or fiber mache.
Using these structures will enable you to use plants such as sweet pea, morning glory, cypress vine and black-eyed Susan vine in your container garden designs. In using tuteurs and obelisks you can get plants that traditionally grow down such as sweet potato vine to grow up with very little effort.
You can also use decorative stakes or smaller pieces of art to add whimsy and interest to your container flower gardens. Don’t limit yourself by your garden’s size. If it works in a traditional garden, you can make it work in a container garden as well.
Pots are largely a matter of personal preference although there are some practical things to consider when choosing containers such as size, weight and durability as well as style and color.
One thing all planting containers must have is good drainage. This cannot be emphasized enough. Good drainage typically means there is a least one good sized hole in the bottom of the pot so excess water can drain away from the roots. Without this the plants can drown. Yes, plants can drown. The roots of plants need oxygen and if they are waterlogged they will drown. The exception, of course, is water or marsh plants but that is another matter entirely. For container gardening, the plants need good drainage.
Most pots will have drainage holes in them and are ready to go as soon as you purchase them. However, sometimes they will not. This seems to happen to me when the container is really cool and I have to have it. Sure enough, no drainage holes. Fortunately, this is simple to remedy. Use a power drill and one of the larger bits in a basic drill set (1/4” to maybe 1/2”). Drill 2 to 3 holes in the bottom depending on the size of the pot and the size of the drill bit you are using. Very small pots (6” and under) will only need one. I have drilled metal, plastic and some kind of lightweight composite stuff, all with ease and great success. I have not drilled any kind of pottery, however, and suspect that may lead to a broken pot. I don’t know that I would risk that.
After determining that a pot has adequate drainage, the next things to consider are what you’re going to put in the pot and where you’re going to put it. Again, this can be completely subjective so I’ll go through some of the different materials pots are made of and the pros and cons of each.
Terra Cotta Terra Cotta is the traditional orange clay pot that is practically synonymous with container gardening. I admit there is a certain charm to this type of pot but I choose not to work with them for a couple of reasons. Aside from the fact that they are breakable and I am clumsy, these pots MUST be soaked in a tub of water prior to planting or you will be a watering fool all summer long just trying to keep up with the watering. Terra Cotta is porous and will steal water from your plants if not initially waterlogged. Also, with the high salt content in the water we have here the pot gets what I consider to be an unsightly look. The pot will have a white crust on the outside as the salt in the water leaches out. Again, this is just my opinion. Some people like this rustic look—so this can be a pro or a con depending on the look you are going for. These containers tend to be on the heavy side so are better suited for windy areas and for containers you don’t intend on moving very often.
Plastic Plastic pots are inexpensive for the most part and fairly durable. They will get brittle and tend to crack after a few seasons but for the most part can handle some rough handling and a few drops in their prime. One drawback is they will fade in the sun so any color other that white, light gray or tan isn’t going to look so hot after a few years either. However, they come in a vast variety of sizes and colors and are lightweight. Even if you are dealing with a large pot, it can still be portable if necessary (depending on your soil, of course, more on that later). Plastic containers now also come in many attractive finishes that look like stone or terra cotta without the expense or weight. Also, they pots hold water better than terra cotta thusly making watering slightly easier. I prefer plastic for all these reasons and generally choose either plain terra cotta colored ones or grey toned pots. Simple pots let the flowers shine and don’t detract from their beauty.
Metal The metal pots I’ve gotten never seem to have drainage so I end up having to drill my own holes. Like plastic, metals come in a variety of finishes including some that mimic stone or slate without the weight of those materials. These containers tend to more expensive than either terra cotta or plastic but also tend to be more durable. I have several powder coated metal pots that I leave outside year round. Even with the harsh Minnesota elements, they hold up well. My metal containers are larger ones so not easily moved. It’s nice to be able to leave them outside and not have to worry they will get destroyed. If you’re looking for something highly durable but lightweight, metal is the way to go.
Other Materials This year I’ve seen many pots made from bamboo—again the ones I saw had no drainage so you’d have to drill your own holes. Bamboo is very durable and lightweight, not to mention a sustainable resource. I haven’t had a chance to use these containers myself but I think they would make a good choice.
There are also peat pots, foam product pots and peat lined baskets. None of these is very durable and with the exception of the foam product containers, don’t hold water well. These can be a good choice for temporary plantings or shady areas. None of these will stand up to wind well either.
Painted clay pots have pretty much the same advantages as terra cotta without the disadvantage of the watering issue. The paint seals the container so water won’t leach out. Disadvantages with these types of containers will be cost, weight and durability.
Other considerations when choosing a container are size, color and design. You want the pots to be in scale to the area you plan to put them. That is, not so large and overpowering that it crowds the space nor so small that it gets lost in the space. Several smaller pots grouped together can work well in lieu of one big pot. I do recommend varying the sizes and heights of pots in a grouping.
What you plan to put in the container will also influence the pot you choose. If you are doing a more complex design with more than two types of plants, I suggest using a plain pot of neutral color. This is not to say that more ornate or colorful pots don’t have a place in the garden. They certainly do and can add great dimension and interest. In this case, just make sure that the pot is the statement and the flowers complement the container. In this instance one or two different plants at most is the way to go.
Whatever container you choose is really the right container for you. Just make sure it has good drainage and fits well in the space you plan to use. It’s really as simple as that!
