Container Plant Impact

Dr. Gary Bachman: Container gardening is no longer a simple red geranium on either side of the front door. Today on Southern Gardening.

Announcer: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Dr. Gary Bachman: Container gardening allows you to grow plants where there is no access to soil, such as a driveway, balcony or front doorstep. You can place the plants exactly where you want them. Designing a container garden is as easy as following the thriller filler and spiller formula. Once you have decided on the container, you start adding plants. The thriller plant adds height and interest. The filler plants add color before, during, and after flowering. The spiller plants add a sense of grace with the cascading foliage from the edge of the container. A nice combination recipe for a container garden in the shade would be the upright blades of Dracaena poking through a mound of Impatiens and Dusty Miller, and Asparagus Fern draping over the edge of the container.

Always use a good quality peat based potting mix that drains well. Never use soil, as the drainage will suffer, and use slow release fertilizers. These will keep a steady supply of nutrients available throughout the growing season. Water on a daily basis if needed. The quickest way to tell if the container needs water is to push your index finger into the media. If it feels dry at the first knuckle, go ahead and water. You are only limited by your imagination when container gardening. I'm Horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.

Announcer: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.