Why Your Garden Should Be “Going To Pot”
When I say “going to pot,” I don’t mean going down the tubes, I mean planting your garden in garden pots – also referred to as container gardening. And I’m not talking about digging up all of your existing plants and sticking them haphazardly into a bunch of pots for no reason. Pots can enhance your garden in so many ways. For instance, you can extend the area of your garden from the ground up onto a deck or porch. This can also help to bridge the two together and bring your garden up into this area. Garden pots also work great on concrete such as on either side of the driveway or along a walkway.
A carefully placed garden pot can also bring your garden up off the ground and splits it into multiple levels making your garden more interesting to the eye. Even more, some pots can be hung from a patio ceiling or a tree branch to give a greater impression of height. All this adds interest to your garden. And with the many different options of shapes that pots come in, your garden will really come to life visually. Try to pick out plant colors that will complement the colors you chose for your pots. Larger bright colored pots placed farther back can really add a boldness to your garden. And neutral colored pots will accept almost any colored plant.
Large single pots make perfect focal points.
Be careful not to overstuff the pots with too many kinds of plants. Try to limit each to three to five different kinds depending on the size of the pot.
Every garden pot should have a hole in the bottom for drainage. If not, the roots of your plants can become waterlogged. For unglazed clay pots, you should brush the insides of the pot with a waterproofing sealant. This will help to keep the pot from absorbing all the moisture out of the soil and will also protect the pot from too much water.
Another advantage of using garden pots is portability. Pots can be easily rearranged or even brought inside if the pot is small enough. Make sure to bring ceramic pots indoors during the cold of winter as they will crack. So with a few garden pots, you can easily bring a tired garden back to life.