Organic Gardening Tips and Methods Container Gardening (Pot Gardening) Part Three Section Three Trees; Many evergreens and deciduous trees can adapt to life in containers and if well cared for, will flourish for many years, although they seldom reach the size they would attain in the open garden, Those that feature foliage, flowers, and fruits among their ornamental virtues include small rowans, such as Sorbus cashmiriana, and flowering crab apples, for example; Malus Red Jade, both have spring flowers and long-lasting fruits, borne amid a blaze of autumn foliage colour. The height and architectural presence of container-grown trees, such as hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) or coloured barked birches, such as Betula albosinensis var septentrionalis, lend a strong structural element to a design. They are particularly useful for screening and help create privacy and areas of cool shade. When choosing trees for patios, courtyards, and roof gardens, scale is important. Compact conifers, like conical Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Ellwoodii, are among the most useful. Deciduous small trees include the Kilmarnock willow (Salix caprea Kilmarnock) with pendulous branches loaded with white then yellow catkins in spring. Trees that respond well to clipping are of particular value where space is limited. One of the most useful evergreens for container gardening is the sweet bay (Laurus nobilis), which can be trimmed in a variety of shapes. Shrubs; Shrubs, which are much more widely used in container/pot gardening than trees, span a range from large spreading specimens, which require heavy broad-based containers, to dwarf bushes, for example; Hebe cupressoides Boughton Dome, which are suitable for windowboxes. When choosing a shrub, consider its scale within the setting, the plants shape, and qualities of foliage, flowers, and fruits that will keep the plants interesting over a long period. Compact evergreens with good foliage and pleasing shape include a large number of dwarf conifers. Some broad-leaved evergreens, such as box (Buxus sempervirens) or Osmanthus x burkwoodii, that tolerate clipping, can be trimmed to formal or more whimsical shapes. In some cases, it is foliage colour that gives a plant a special value, such as Euonymus fortunei Emerald Gaiety. Many low-growing cultivars of heather (Calluna vulgaris) provide coloured winter foliage as well as flowers. With camellias, dark, glossy foliage is matched by single to fully double flowers of great beauty. Some rhododendrons also combine highly ornamental foliage and exquisite flowers; Rhododendron yakushimanum hybrids have pleasingly dense habit and denesly furry undersides to the new leaves that follow the flowers. For delicate summer foliage textures and brilliant autumn colours, the Japanese maples (Acer palmatum cultivars)are hard to beat. Other deciduous shrubs grown mainly for their flowers include; Hydrangea macrophylla cultivars, with flower-heads that last for months, often with pleasing colour changes as they age. Fuchsias produce new flowers without interruption throughout the summer until checked by frosts. The trailing kinds are useful for spilling over the rim of hanging baskets and tall containers, while some of the erect ones, such as; Fuchsia Lady Thumb, make compact bushes that are ideal centre pieces in any containers or pots. Roses; The most suitable roses for container/pot gardening are miniature roses, patio roses, and some ground-cover roses. Miniatures, such as; Pour Toi (Para Ti) and Little Bo-peep (Poullen), are small twiggy bushes, to 30cm (1ft) high, with a myriad of tiny leaflets, they are perfect for windowboxes, needing only 20-25cm (8-10in) depth of soil. Patio roses are slightly larger bushes covered with clustered flowers from summer to autumn, reliable performers include the brilliant orange Top MARKS (Fryminister), the soft apricot-peach Sweet Dream (Fryminicot), and the pale pink Pretty Polly (Meitonje). They look especially good in a stone trough or an unglazed terracotta pot. Ground-cover roses are more lax in growth and are ideal for hanging baskets and tall pots, where the sinuous stems can trail over pot rim or baskets edge. Try; PINK BELLS (Poulbells) with its bright pink, pompom blooms, or MAGIC CARPET (Jaclover) with its semi-double magenta flowers. Climbers; The versatility of climbers in containers/pots can hardly be overstated. They can be as effective trained upwards on obelisks or other frames as they can be when used in less conventional ways. Some can simply be allowed to trail. A small-flowered clematis, such as; Clematis Frances Rivis, looks particularly elegant when spilling from tall pots or jars. Some of the more compact, large-flowered clematis, like the white-flowered Clematis Miss Bateman, are also successful if grown this way. Other more unusual, trailing plants include the tender perennial Rhodochiton atrosanguineus with its pendent, red-purple, tubular flowers. Cultivars of common ivy (Hedera helix) can look just as good as trailers or climbers. The small-leaved kinds are among the best trailing evergreens for hanging baskets and softening the hard edges of windowboxes and other containers or pots. These adaptable plants also lend themselves to more elaborate training. Try growing them on wire frames, they make a very effective imitation of topiary. Strict training is usually the best way to manage wisterias and vines (Vitis). With rigorous summer and winter pruning, they can be grown as standards. But among the easiest are annuals, such as the sweetly scented sweet-peas (Lathyrus odoratus) or those like Ipomoea tricolor, that are treated like annuals. Grow them on wigwams of bamboo canes laced together with string, on rustic pyramids made of brushwood branches, or on custom-made trellis panels. Note; All information given coincides and complies with the guidelines of The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)...
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 12:07:45 +0000
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