Garden Gloves – So Important

Spend extra money for the best quality gloves you can afford. The higher cost is justified. The garden gloves fit better, last longer and will withstand a lot of gardening time. It's worth the extra dollars to get the right pair of garden gloves.

All About Dogwood

Red osier dogwood is just the best plant for this time of year – cut down some branches – you can find them in fields and ditches and then place them in garden pots or containers. Fill the over-season containers with soil to hold the stems. Attach some of those low voltage bulbs and you are all set for a fine looking decoration to brighten up those dull Winter days.

Wonderful Yellow Amaryllis

We have just come across the Yellow Goddess Amaryllis – wonderful trumpet shaped soft yellow flowers on 20 inch stems. They will be terrific for your indoor containers and will bloom six to eight weeks after planting. Look for them this season.

Easy & Attractive Indoor Planter

Just looking for something to add color to your indoor décor this winter, Kalanchoe is one of the most popular potted plants. It is easy to find in garden centers and nurseries, and provides brilliant color together with bright green leaves. It is fairly hardy and requires little water, regular watering however will ensure regular blooming.

Large Bloom Containers

Why did those large garden planters look so good this past season, one reason is the incorporation of Controlled Release Fertilizer or Time Release Fertilizer. It comes in pellets and is an improved version of Slow Release Fertilizer in that it is released based on soil temperature itself, more exact than Slow Release Fertilizer.

Well Wrapped Planter Protection

There are a few ways to protect your planters over the winter season if you are located in a moderately cool zone with little frost and heavy winds. You can also use mulch, leaves, blankets, bubble wrap and packing styrofoam peanuts. Almost any packing material will do the job.

Old Garden Planter Soil

If you are like to replace the soil in your garden planters and containers each year, just

dump the used soil in the garden. It will not harm your landscape garden, just break up the roots from the plants and it will eventually turn into soil over time.

Over wintering Those Planters

Most of your planters will do well outdoors or in an unheated space provided they are protected from the very severe cold – a good winter range without protection would be from 32 – 45 degrees. Do not allow the planters to get too cold – wrap your pots or place in a garage or outbuilding.

Indoor & Outdoor Container Plants

Some plants are wonderful both inside and outdoors – one of these is the Torenia or Wishbone Flower. It is great for those garden planters and can also be brought into the house for a great houseplant the rest of the year. The Catalina White Linen is so elegant – all white velvety blooms with color greenery.

Keep Planters Looking Good

One way to keep your planters looking good for a longer period is, of course, to prune and pinch back as required during the season. Protect them from the heavy Fall winds by moving them closer to walls and buildings for added protection. They will look better longer.

Containers for Cool Weather

There are many annuals that still look good and will last well past the first frost in your planters and containers. They change dimension with the first fall of snow. The best ones to try are Pansies, Violas, Dianthus and Oranmental Kale and Cabbage, each has it own form and height for a beautiful container.

Start Amaryllis Planter Now

Now is the time to get your Amaryllis started again for the season. Make sure that you leave about one third of the bulb above the surface of the soil and at least an inch on the sides of the container when planting. Water in well, and then keep soil on the drier side until you see the stalk emerging. Now you can water more regularly & keep in a warm, sunny location until the buds begin to open. Enjoy this beautiful plant.

Recycling Your Container Combinations

We are all into recycling today and one way to keep your garden planters and pots looking fresh is to add an autumn variety plant to your summer annuals. One of the popular showy plant is Ornamental Kale – looks great with shorter grasses, pansies and mums.

Taking a Break

I am taking a break for a few days to attend the Free the Children Me to We Conference in Vancouver. We will have an opportunity to be inspired by speakers like the Dalai Lama and see what a difference just one person can make in the world. There will be thousands of youth at the conference seeking how they too can make a difference in their community and world today.

"Create a world of change through your daily choices"

Container Garden Tools

We don’t talk much about tools, however, they are most important and now is the time of year to check to see that they are all in good condition, well cleaned and ready for the next season of container gardening.

Plant Sale Time

This is the time of year for local plant sales. Take some of those wonderful container plants and split them up for your donation, or replace one of the plants for something new for the Season. Everyone loves seeing what everyone else is growing and you are supporting a worthy cause along the way.

Garden Planter Trio

Use three garden pots or planters to create a beautiful display or just use one container for all – both suggestions work so well. If you don’t have any very large planters or urns three small pots will do. Plant Superbells (calibrachoa) in one pot, with Heuchera or coral bells in the second one and complete with Diascia.

Spring Bulb Planters

Now is the time to pot up some spring flowering bulbs in your planters for indoor color during the Winter season. Place the containers in a cool, dark place, until you can see new growth emerging from the soil, and then move them to a bright window to enjoy.

Container Foliage Combination

It is always fun to try a couple of new container combinations in the Fall – here is one that is very attractive and adds interest to any setting. In your 14” pot, plant a Black Scallop Ajuga together with Helen’s Blush Euphorbia and Key Lime Pie Heuchera. Simple and unique.

Outdoor Containers For Fall

Now is the time to enjoy all those brilliant colors that only the Fall season can inspire. Start with Black Eyed Susan, Flowering Kale and then complete your Planter with an ornamental grass. Simple and so attractive.

Late Fall Container Gardens

Replant your garden pots and containers for every season – now going into Fall, consider celebrating with orange – start with celosia for height and then add your ornamental cabbage, golden Hypericum and end of with bring orange-yellow mums. Quite spectacular for Fall!

Over Wintering Mandevilla

Yes, we are now talking about over wintering – time to think about getting the containers and planters ready for a cooler (cold) season. For the Mandevilla, just cut off the vines to a manageable length. Keep the plant in its pot and water sparingly for the winter, don’t fertilize until ready to place outdoors in the Spring again.

Soil Key to Good Container Gardening

Soil is the key to successful gardening in containers. The plants are at the mercy of what you put in the flower pots, they are isolated and cannot get nourishment from the soil around them if needed. The roots penetrate deep so make sure that you have a nice large planter to allow your plants to grow healthy and strong.

Garden Planters with Gaura

Now that summer is fading, the Gaura in our garden planters is going strong. The slender stems float over the garden container and extend out like wands in the breeze. It thrives in full sun and adds movement and grace to those garden pots, urns and window boxes.

Fresh Fall Container Additions

To keep garden planters and containers fresh looking into the Fall season, just add a branch of bittersweet to the pot, or perhaps a cluster of red maple leaves or even a tall corn stock . You are now up to date and in keeping with the changing seasons.

Herb Cubes the Answer

What to do with all those herbs that we have grown so successfully over the summer – you can only make so much bruchetta and mint tea! Just take a few minutes and chop up the herbs, place in cube containers and fill with water with touch of oil. Then freeze, place the cubes in storage bags. They will be ready and easily accessible when needed.

Fall Container Plant Ideas

Fall color schemes usually include vibrant oranges, deep golds and rich reds. Mums are always the usual standby, however carex grasses, pansies, ornamental kales, snapdragons, heuchera (Coral Bells) and veggies such as beets and Swiss chard make great Fall containers

Bold Bergenia in Your Planters

One of the favorite plants for containers in the Bergenia – it is hardy to zone 3 and a strong grower providing a very bold element in the design of your garden planters and flower pots. They seem to thrive in containers and in some areas can survive over winter.

Harvesting Your Container Bounty

For the greatest amount of enjoyment from a container garden, harvest the vegetables at their peak of maturity when a vegetable’s full flavor has developed. This will yield the most pleasure for all that hard work – excellent taste of vine-ripened tomatoes, tender green beans and of course wonderful zucchini.

New Idea – Growing Peas in a Container

Peas are a great crop to grow in containers but not usually recommended because of the amount of space they take up. Now anyone can grow a delectable crop of garden peas, no matter where you live or how much space you have. Burpee’s Petite Pea plants are only 10"" tall, produce as many full-sized 3"" pods as a larger plant and can be grown in a space as small as an 8"" diameter pot with no support. Here is a great idea for next year’s vegetable garden.

Herb Rooftop Gardening

Start your own herb garden in pots on the balcony or on the roof – coriander and other herbs just thrive in pots within the limited space. Try coriander to make your own curry, chutney or other great dishes. Now is the time to harvest all that basil for wonderful tomato sauce to store for the winter.

Mid-Summer Garden Planter Pick Up

By this time of the year the garden pots and planters start to look at little bedraggled – all they really need is a shot of water soluble fertilizer the next time you water. Be sure to clip off or dead head any finished blooms and your containers will look good well into the Fall.

Mid Summer Planter Maintenance

It is now time to take a look at those garden planters and pots and give them a trim to keep them good looking into the Fall. Start by taking a pair of sharp scissors and trim off the entire basket – you may wish to trim off some of the gangling trailing pieces too. This will increase the branching and keep your planters looks good for a long time.

Container Gardening Challenges

Every region has its specific challenges in gardening. Where it gets very very hot in the summer, choose plants that can tolerate dry soil, don’t need deadheading and are heat tolerant. There are lots of succulents that look terrific in your garden planters.