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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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