(ARA) – Now more than ever we are all looking for ways to find affordable, earth-friendly hobbies and leisure activities to bring us moments of pleasure in a stressful world. Investing in a planter or two (or more!) can provide you with colorful blooms or delicious vegetables to brighten each day throughout the growing season.

Start from scratch to save
Pre-planted containers at the garden center are beautiful, but you often pay a premium. Consider planting your containers from scratch instead. Spending time in your backyard or balcony amidst your own creations can be a wonderful respite from life’s daily stresses without the expense of leaving home for entertainment. You’ll feel good because you’ve saved money and helped the environment too.

Consider using some edibles in your containers. Vegetables, leafy greens and herbs grow well in smaller containers and can decorate your dinner table for many meals. If you have a furry friend in the house, reuse an old watering or food dish and plant cat nip or grass to offer some feline treats.

In order for plants to thrive, a high quality potting soil is recommended, but that can start to add up at the cash register. Save money by mixing your own. Purchase a more affordable generic brand and mix it 50/50 with finely ground bark mulch. Other potting soil recipes can include perlite, peat, vermiculate, sand or lime, but if you’re planting a seasonal container, simpler is cheaper and just as effective.

Help the environment
Composting kitchen waste is one of the easiest, fastest and most affordable ways that each person in America can help our environment. The valuable nutrients contained in kitchen scraps are wasted when put into a landfill. Since it is literally free, adding compost to your container’s soil is a great way to reduce or avoid store bought chemical fertilizers and still provide your plants with the nutrients they need.

Select your container
Pre-planted containers usually come in petroleum-based plastic pots that end up in the landfill after just one season. By planting your own containers, you are free to select interesting vessels to use for many years to come. Try old kitchen kettles or buckets you no longer use, salvaged old pots found in your garage, or colorful containers found at your local thrift store.

Planting your container
Be sure your planter selections have proper drainage. If they don’t have drain holes, you’ll need to drill them. To ensure proper drainage for your plants, add a material to the bottom of your container to create an air space. This allows oxygen to more easily reach the plant’s roots which helps the plant absorb the nutrients it needs with each watering. A great alternative to rocks or broken terra cotta pieces is Better Than Rocks. This planter drainage material is placed in the bottom of containers. It creates a pocket of air within the planter, so it helps provide the critical oxygen your plants need to thrive. Optimal drainage leads to superior plant health and an abundance of blooms. Your pots will be lighter and you’ll use up to 1/3 less soil in each container. The product is made in North America from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic. Since you can use it year after year, not only will your potting soil savings add up over time, but you’ll help keep some of those water and soda bottles out of landfills.

“I wanted my containers to be lighter and drain better,” says inventor Sarah Atkins. “The results were better than I imagined. My plants were noticeably healthier and my containers provided even greater personal rewards.”

Once your drainage system is in place, fill the container with potting soil until two-thirds full, leaving four to five inches for plants. Next, take the plant plugs and set them in the pot. Rearrange until you are satisfied, fill in with potting soil and water thoroughly.

Water every day
Tending your container garden is a daily reward in itself. It’s fun to spot new buds, nurture by removing spent blooms and take time to smell the flowers. Daily water is a must. You can save a great deal of water (and money if you pay for your water) by investing in a rain barrel to capture rain as it washes off your roof. Place your barrel at the bottom of your rain spout and use the water for your landscaping or containers.

For a special discount on your Better Than Rocks purchase, log on to www.betterthanrocks.com and use code “btrara09” or call (888) 994-7855. With this special code, you will receive 20 percent off your total order.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Related posts:

1. How to Create Easy Container Gardens with Better Drainage and Lighter Pots
2. Planning Container Gardens
3. Gardening Ideas for Container Gardens

What you need:

• Wire Wreath Form
• Sphagnum Moss
• Small Well Rooted Plants
• Floral U-pins
• Fishing Line
• Rubber Gloves
• Scissors
• Bucket

Before starting, a nice leisurely stroll through your local garden center is a wonderful way to find the right theme for your wreath.  Go in and absorb the sights, sounds and smells around you to gain inspiration for the wreath.  Plan your visit around the central idea of the wreath; a busy garden center might inspire a wreath that is colorful and filled with busy cheer.  A quiet early morning visit may inspire a wreth that exudes serenity.

Now that you have the mood, you need the plants.  There are hundreds of plants that can be used for living wreaths but it is important to use well-rooted plants.  When choosing the plants, take into consideration the soil composition, light requirements, and moisture needs of the plants since they should all be similar.  Succulents do very well in living wreaths and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.  If you are looking for some blooms in your living wreath, plants such as pansies, violets and many other flowering plants can do well.  Plants that have quick growing roots such as ivy also make an excellent choice for a living wreath.  Herbs such as mint, rosemary and lavender to name a few can be added to a wreath to create a desired ambiance.  Take time when choosing your plants and play around with placement before you commit to the purchase.

When you sit down to create your living wreath, make sure you do it in an area that can be cleaned easily.  Like many creative processes, this can be very messy.  I usually place a garbage bag down and work on top of it.  This makes clean up a breeze and saves time for the more important stuff, like admiring your work.

You will need a wire wreath form but it does not have to be a simple circular shape; hearts and other shapes also look nice.  You will also need fishing line, scissors, floral u-pins, a bucket and rubber gloves.  It is very important to wear rubber gloves since you will also be using Sphagnum Moss to line the wreath and hold the plants.  Sphagnum moss can cause a skin infection if it is handled without gloves. 

To begin, you will need to tie the end of the fishing line to a starting point on your wreath.  Place the Sphagnum Moss, which needs to be soaked for 30 minutes before hand, around the wreath form and make sure that it is generously layered.  Arrange the plants on top of the moss.  It is best if you lay them loosely so you can position the plants until you have created the mini garden that you desire.  After you are happy with the placement, take the first plant closest to the fishing line and place it in the Sphagnum Moss.  Secure the plant with more moss and loop the fishing line around both the moss and the plant.  Repeat these steps all the way around the wreath and keep a close eye on the shape to prevent the size from fluctuating around the wreath.  When the wreath is complete, tie off the fishing line and place the wreath where you want it.

Living wreaths do require a significant amount of care.  The plants need to be trimmed and controlled with floral pins and the living wreath will need to be watered every day.  The best way to accomplish this is to place the wreath in a garbage can lid and soak it for a few minutes in cool water.     

A finished living wreath can be a work of art and can be used in a multitude of ways.  Deep greens and seasonal flowers can create a welcoming wreath during the holidays.  Create a wreath with nothing but fresh herbs and place it in a kitchen.  Not only do you have a wonderfully scented kitchen but you can use the clippings to spice up any dish you desire.    

Romance can be achieved by adding candleholder spikes into the wreath and setting it on a table.  Be sure to securely fasten the spikes with fishing line.  Add a touch of mint or another favorite herb to give the romantic setting a seductive scent.      

A great way to bring the romance from indoors to out is to create several small wreaths and place them on candle spikes down a walkway.  The flickering light of the candles warm the colors of the wreaths at night and can provide a charming decoration during the day.      

One of my favourite ways to use a living wreath is to fill it with soothing greens, warm colors and a soft blend of lavender and chamomile. Add it as a table decoration or as a wall hanging in your bathroom spa.  The need for scented candles will be unnecessary with the relaxing smells that drift from a well-placed living wreath.    

The living wreath has become more than a way to bring the garden indoors during winter months.  It has become a way to create a decoration, a miniature garden, and a central object for relaxation and meditation and there is no end to their enjoyment throughout the whole process of creating and owning one.

Sirena Van Schaik

Related posts:

1. Creating a Living Wreath Part One
2. Types Of Gardening Gloves
3. Creating A Beautiful Bonsai Garden

For anyone that grows a well-tended garden, there is no limit to the amount of emotions felt when it has taken shape. Gardens can reflect so many things; a person’s moods, dreams, desires or they can be a guided path through peace and tranquility. They can incite feelings of sun kissed joy, whisper of deep green serenity and exotic romance. There is no limit to the structure, flow and accessories that can be added to a garden but sometimes when the focus is on the central space, the outer edges become blurred and forgotten. A living wreath is a wonderful way to take the central idea and move it towards the edges of a garden or even inside.

Wreaths have been used for decades to provide decoration during holidays, to add a touch of color to a room or as a welcoming flourish to many front doors. Wreaths have moved from being decorations only seen around holidays to a potential yearlong celebration of both art and beauty. Living wreaths take a work of art and turn it into beauty that breathes life into a space. They can make an excellent accessory to any garden gate or home, welcoming people with deep greens, vibrant colors, and heavenly smells. They can be used for centerpieces during holidays and can be made year round, although the cost of a living wreath during off seasons can be fairly high. They can be simple to extravagant, a pool of deep cool greens or a bright splash of color. There really is no limit to the shape, colors, size or enjoyment that a living wreath can add to a space.

Making a living wreath can be as rewarding as tending a full size garden, in fact they can be thought of as small gardens that need to be shaped, tended and loved. Living wreaths do not have to be difficult to make and they can inspire the same feelings of accomplishment that gardens do.

Sirena Van Schaik

Related posts:

1. Creating a Living Wreath Part 2
2. Gardening Ideas for Container Gardens
3. What Are the Advantages of Creating Herb Gardens Outdoors?

If you are doing any type of home renovation, you may have some leftover items that you have torn out of your hose.  Usually, these items wind up in a trash heap but if you take some time, you can use many of those items in and around your garden.  One of these innovative items is the old kitchen sink (or bathroom sink for that matter) used as a planter.

These can make an excellent raised planter in a rock garden or an interesting focal point in any garden.

What you need:

• an old sink
• hypertufa
• PVC adhesive
• mesh netting
• course sand
• liquid fertilizer
• soil mix (gritty is best)
• rocks
• plants (usually a dozen works well but it depends on the size of your sink and what overall effect you are looking for)
• optional:  stone chips
  

Directions:

1. Clean out the sink thoroughly.  Make sure there is no grease or left over residue in it.
2. After the sink has dried, cover it with hypertufa.  You do this by coating the outside of the sink in adhesive and then applying the hypertufa.  Repeat with  rim and the inside to about a third of the way down.  The hypertufa should be seamless but not smooth.
3. Allow it to dry.
4. Brush the hypertufa with the liquid fertilizer.  This encourages the growth of algae on the outside of your newest container.
5. Place the sink where you would like it to go before you begin adding soil and plants.
6. Cover the drain with the mesh wire and fill it with roughly 4 inches of course sand.
7. Fill halfway with the soil.  If you are using rocks, place them in the sink and then fill the remainder of the soil in.
8. Place the flowers and plants where you want them.
9. Cover the soil with the sand or you can use the same ground cover that you use in your rock garden such as stone chips.

And just like that you have a unique container and more importantly, not only did you recycle but it gave you a reason to renovate that kitchen.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit

Related posts:

1. Interested In Rock Gardens?
2. Building a Rock Garden Pebble by Pebble
3. Building a Basic Herb Garden: The Basics of a Typical Herb Garden

It wasn’t that the planter was particularly beautiful with a black plastic that looked like several small tires stacked on top of each other but it was the original idea behind it.  I had actually gone on the sole purpose of finally buying the impatients in the hanging bag, something that I had wanted for several years but kept forgetting to buy, and it ended up that for another year I was missing out on the impatients.  The newest container was done in a similar style to those of the impatients except it was a hard plastic tube like container that had holes cut out of it and a white pipe running down the center of it.  Shooting out of the holes in black plastic was streptocarpella, also known as Lady Slippers, in a deep blue.  It was a beautiful contrast of blue, green and black and made an excellent addition to my patio.

The white tube was perforated and you watered the container by pouring the water down the tube; the water then dispersed throughout the soil for complete saturation.

My garden center offers new plantings each year as long as I drop off the planter in the fall and pick it up in the spring.  Unfortunately, fall is a busy time of year for me and I missed the deadline for the drop off.  I also forgot to plant my own seeds in the spring (I know I was on the ball this year) so when I realized that I had this unique planter to play with, I was at the garden center picking out some annuals for the new season.

This is when I had a stroke of genius.  The garden center didn’t have any Lady Slippers so I decided to buy some Lobelia and some miniature pansies.  I filled the planter myself with the Lobelia coming out of the holes and the pansies finishing off the top.  I was very happy with what I had finished with that I wanted to share.

If you would like to make one yourself, find a tube like container, or make one yourself and cut wholes around the width and up the length of it.  Fill it potting soil until the lowest hole, put in a young plant of your choice,  and secure it with more potting soil. When you get about 2 or 3 inches of soil, plant a white tube with holes drilled into it, in the center of the planter.  Make sure you duct tape the bottom so it doesn’t fill up with soil.  Continue to do fill in with soil and plants until all the holes are filled.  Top it off with the same plant or another one.

After a while, the plant should spread out to cover the entire planter.  The pictures that I took of mine are after only two weeks and they are starting to cover very nicely.  Next year I will try to get it in in time or at the very least try for the Lady Slippers again since the effect was wonderful.

Happy Gardening

Sirena Van Schaik

Related posts:

1. ‘Cooking’ with Containers: Container-friendly Plant Combination Recipes
2. A different type of rock garden
3. Container Gardening: Pick a Pot, Plant and Enjoy

“Container gardening gives homeowners the opportunity to create striking results for their outdoor living areas without a great deal of time commitment or difficulty,” says Dan Heims, co-owner of Terra Nova Nurseries in Canby, Ore. “Whether a novice or seasoned gardener, incorporating the appropriate mix or combination of plants to containers is the most effective way to experience lasting results.”

Designed by Heims and his team of horticulturists at Terra Nova Nurseries, these four container recipes will enliven even the shabbiest of winter-hardened locales this spring and summer:

“Twist of Lime”

Ingredients:
Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’
Xanthosoma ‘Lime Zinger’
Heuchera ‘Mahogany’
Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’

The stunning, chartreuse, elephant’s ear leaves of Xanthosoma ‘Lime Zinger’ stand out, adding height and a tropical flare to containers; its leaves reach 3 to 4 feet across. The gorgeous form of golden Japanese Forest Grass that is Hakonechola ‘All Gold’ has arching, graceful, upright, and spiky foliage, adding texture and bright color to this container combination. “The glossy, mahogany-red, ruffled foliage of Heuchera ‘Mahogany’ produces wonderful, dense, shiny tones year-round,” says Heims. Heuchera ‘Lime Ricky’ has chartreuse spring leaves, which turn to lime-green, showy, ruffled leaves for the remainder of the year. This recipe can brighten even the shadiest of spaces.

“Dawn to Dusk”

Ingredients:
Heuchera ‘Marmalade’
Begonia ‘River Nile’
Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’
Athyrium ‘Dre’s Dagger’

Stunning, rich, shiny, undulating foliage adorn Terra Nova Nurseries’ Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ in ranges of color from umber to deep-sienna with hot-pink undersides. Begonia ‘River Nile’ produces distinguishing chartreuse leaves with heavily edged black or red-brown. Its leaf edges are ruffled while the leaf bases swirl inward to the leaf center. The compact plant of Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’ has burnished black leaves, which are thickly spotted, hot-pink in spring. Its summer leaves lighten with creamy-pink dots that adorn the foliage. The narrow, deep-green fronds of Athyrium ‘Dre’s Dagger’ are crossed, coming to a narrow point with a terminal crest. Its statuesque form creates a dramatic quality in any container setting.

“Fun in the Shade”

Ingredients:
Heucherella ‘Stoplight’
Heuchera ‘Cinnabar Silver’
Polemonium ‘Stairway to Heaven’
Eucomis ‘Oakhurst’
Corydalis ‘Berry Exciting’

Bright-yellow leaves and a large, stoplight-like red blotch embellish Heucherella ‘Stoplight’ in spring. The remarkable, purple-metallic leaves of Heuchera ‘Cinnabar Silver’ transform to silver, giving rise to striking cinnabar-red flowers. Because it is a compact plant with flowers that bloom just above the leaves, it is an excellent choice in container gardens. A favorite of Heim’s, Polemonium ‘Stairway to Heaven’ has broad, bold, cream, variegated foliage with 12-inch stems bearing light-blue flowers; it is an exceptionally hardy, large-leafed, showy selection of Polemonium. The thick, fleshy, broadly linear leaves of Eucomis ‘Oakhurts’ form in a spear-like rosette with a pineapple-like array of purple flowers in late summer. ‘Oakhurst’ is a strong, red-purple form that creates an impact in containers. A vigorous, spreading Corydalis with succulent stems and gold, ferny leaves on a wide-spreading plant, ‘Berry Exciting’ produces fragrant, purple flowers.

“Purple Passion”

Ingredients:
Colocasia ‘Black Magic’
Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’
Begonia ‘Benitochiba’
Heuchera ‘Black Beauty’

“One of the few ‘true blacks’ of the plant world,” says Heims, “the exotic form of Colocasia ‘Black Magic’ is tropical in appearance and loves moisture, making it superb for container gardens located around ponds or other water sources. ‘Jack Frost’ is a lovely Brunnera with silvered foliage on heart-shaped leaves with green veining and edged with a green border. The large, palmate leaves of Begonia ‘Benitochiba’ are a metallic, rose-red color; it is shrubby and self-branching with pint flowers and an upright cane-stem. The dark, glossy, ruffled leaves of Heuchera ‘Black Beauty’ are somewhat upright, catching sun from any direction. Attractive year-round and easy to grow, Terra Nova Nurseries’ horticulturists recommend it as a striking accent in the Purple Passion container recipe.

“Creating beautiful container gardens using various plant selections, colors, and textures is a therapeutic and enjoyable leisure activity for the whole family,” says Heims.

To learn about more plant container recipes, log onto www.terranovanurseries.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Related posts:

1. Unusual Containers
2. Gardening Ideas for Container Gardens
3. Container Gardening: Pick a Pot, Plant and Enjoy

Use Containers

If you don’t have a lot of place to plant then containers are an ideal place to start. If you think flower pots are boring then think again. There are a lot of gardening ideas that you can utilise flower pots in a way that is interesting and colorful. First of all, your pots don’t have to be the same color. They can be several different complementary colors. Paint plain pots different shades that match if you want, or pots of the same color in different shapes and heights. Hanging baskets are also a great option if you have limited space, this way you are using all the available space you have.

The Right Container

Gardening ideas abound for container gardens, there are many different types of flowers and plants you can plant even with these little gardens. First make sure that your container has a good drainage system. Without good drainage your plants will turn soggy and the roots of your container will rot away. When selecting a terra-cotta or ceramic container make sure that it has at least four or five good drainage holes. When you buy plastic or steel containers that don’t have drainage holes you can easily make your own with a drill.

You can even turn ordinary objects into containers for your garden. Whether it’s an old trough, watering can, wellington boots or tin cans spruced up with paint. Your gardening ideas are limited only by your imagination. Line the bottom of baskets that you want to turn into containers with sphagnum moss or coco fiber, this will allow water to drain and keep the soil in your container.

Choosing Color

The best way to utilize container gardening is to use color as much as possible. Limit color to one shade per container to avoid overwhelming your container. Choose a few plants with the same shade, for example two plants with different shades of red. A vibrant container filled with red flowers will make a bold statement. Or you could have a rich container filled with green foliage. Some plants have beautiful leaves and can be just as pretty as flowers.

Related posts:

1. Planning Container Gardens
2. Container Gardening: Getting Up A Garden In A Small Space
3. Guide To Basic Container Gardening

Getting Into Container Gardening

Contrary to what you might be thinking, container gardening is not really a difficult thing to do. In fact, container gardening is just like outdoor gardening only that you place your plants in containers and pots instead of putting them directly into the ground. Of course there are limitations to container gardening but the thing is, if you know how to choose your plants well and you know how to arrange your room so that it will not look crowded with all the plants other things in it, you can actually create a very relaxing and refreshing atmosphere in your apartment. Wouldn’t it be great to come home to a green and fresh environment after a stressful day at work? Yes, you will need to invest time and money into your container garden but once your garden is in place and everything is running well, you will find that your investment is well worth it.

What You Need

If you do decide to try your hands at container gardening, it would be best for you assess how much available space you have in your apartment before you start planning for your garden. Once you have a good idea of how much space you can afford to allocate for your garden, you may start buying your containers. When container gardening, you will need containers with big openings. Forget about those stylish looking pots with narrow opening. Instead of buying those cheap plastic pots, you might want to invest in more presentable types of containers. Note that plastic pots will deteriorate fast especially when exposed to UV lights so if you can afford it, ditch the plastic pots and buy something that will last longer like those lovely glazed ceramic pots.

Aside from the containers, you will need to buy seeds and planting materials for your garden. Choose plants that do not really grow big. You may choose a mixture of plants for your garden to make it look more appealing and colorful.

Related posts:

1. Gardening Ideas for Container Gardens
2. How to Make a Beautiful Garden With Limited Space
3. Organic Container Garden: Growing Your Own Food At Home

Choosing A Container For You Garden

One thing that you should consider when choosing a container is the kind of plant you wish to put in the container. Some vegetables require deeper pots for their roots to burrow into while others do not require as much space. Container gardening mediums vary from containers such as plastic pots, terracotta containers and wooden boxes.

Plastic containers for container gardening tend to discolor in time and may also eventually be susceptible to cracks and deterioration. Unglazed terracotta containers will dry up eventually and may be prone to breakage as well as being heavy to cart around. Glazed terracotta containers are ideal since the glaze seals them and protect them from drying up. Wooden containers are prone to rot although choosing wood that is not susceptible to rotting is an option. 

One advantage of wooden containers for container gardening is that these can be made to fit the specifications of the area you wish to put your plants in. You must bear in mind that treated wood that you will use for container gardening can affect your plants so ask what chemicals were used to treat the lumber before you buy.

Containers used for container gardening must also have a wide opening for better plant growth. The containers must also have appropriate drainage to prevent root rot and other root damage.  For containers with big drainage holes, you can line the bottom inside part of the container with news paper to prevent soil loss.

Most container gardening are for indoors plants so it is best to consider the areas where they are placed. Sunlight is one thing to consider as well as the temperature in the area. Some plants need more sunlight than others so make it a point to ask or find out what kind of care your plants need.

Container gardening can be especially satisfying when you plant herbs or vegetables that you place in your kitchen for fresh use when you are cooking. Live plants can also bring color to any area of your home.

Related posts:

1. Container Gardening: Getting Up A Garden In A Small Space
2. Gardening Ideas for Container Gardens
3. Planning Container Gardens

Gardening In Pots:  Making A Water Feature

Pond and water features are an extremely popular choice for consumers.  If your space is limited, or maybe you don’t even have a yard, there is a way to create your own water garden. 

It is important when gardening in pots, to make sure that there is a place that will be able to hold the weight of the pot.  This is especially true about water garden in pots.  Make sure that wherever this will be situated, that it will be well supported.

The first step in creating this water feature is to purchase a watertight pot.  These can be found at a variety of home improvement stores and garden shops.  A good height for this is probably around 18 inches high and 24 inches in diameter.  When gardening in pots, and making this water feature it may be a good idea to get a small pump to be placed in the bottom of the pot.  The electric cord attached to the pump can be pulled through the hole in the bottom of the pot and out the back.  A small tube can be connected to the pump to make a small fountain if desired.

By doing this, the water will not stagnate and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.  Water is added and then plants can be selected.  Plants can either be floating type that don’t’ need to be planted, or planters can be purchased and set at the bottom of the large pot.  Again, purchasing water plants can be done on the Internet or by going to local stores for more information.

When gardening in pots, be sure to check for any pressure points in the pot that may suddenly occur and start leaking.  No one wants water running out of the pot.  If there are structural problems empty the pot immediately.

Gardening in pots and creating a unique water feature can make an area feel warm and inviting.  Gardening in pots is very simple, and doesn’t take a great amount of time.  Besides water features, pots can be used to house flowers and plants to create a lush environment on a patio or roof top.  Gardening in pots lets the gardener take a small space and spruce it up to be a tranquil get away.

Related posts:

1. Choices In Hand Gardening Tools
2. How to Make a Beautiful Garden With Limited Space
3. How to Create Easy Container Gardens with Better Drainage and Lighter Pots