Creating Container Gardens

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/monarch-butterflies-get-endangered-species-status/

 

Container Gardening, How to Put Together a Container

By Mona Miller on Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at 4:07pm

What is a container garden?

Containers of all shapes and sizes are used to plant plants, instead of planting them into the ground.  A container garden can consist of one container or several containers. Container gardens are a way to offer hosts (plants that caterpillars eat) and nectar plants (plants that adult butterflies eat) to butterflies, if no other space is available.  Or they can be used to compliment the entry way to your home, school or business.  They can also be grown on decks, porches, steps, and balconies, too.

What type of container do I need?

The type of container and size of the container depends on how many plants that are being planted.  Plants should be planted at least 6-8 inches apart.  A plastic container is recommended over pottery because pottery containers do not withstand cold weather.  When planting perennials, the container should be at least 12 to 15 inches deep. The width of the container should be at least 12 inches wide for a small container and 20 inches or more for a large container.

How do I set up the container?

Select a plastic container (round, square, rectangular).  Place drain holes in the bottom of the container, if the container does not have any.  Put one half an inch of broken pottery or gravel in the bottom of container to help with drainage.  If the container is over 12 inches tall, then add some pine bark mulch on top of the pottery or gravel to fill the container up at least one third full.  Using pinebark mulch helps to save on potting soil and makes the container lighter.  The pine bark will compost in the bottom of the container. 

Fill the rest of container with potting soil to about 3-4 inches below the top.  Do not use Miracle Grow potting soil, it may contain pesticides.  Sta-Green potting soil with soil moist is recommended for container gardens.  The soil moist captures water and will release it to plants.  If you cannot find Sta-Green potting soil, buy some soil moist (follow the directions on the package to incorporate it into your potting soil).  Water your plants before you plant them.  A 12 inch container can accommodate 3 perennials.  After the perennials are planted, add a 2 inch layer of pine bark mulch in the top of the container to help keep the plants moist. Then, water slowly until the water runs out of the drain holes.  

If planting seeds, plant the seeds according to the recommended spacing on the seed packet.  Pat them down to give them soil contact and then sprinkle some more soil on the top (follow directions on the seed packet for covering seeds with soil).  Do not mulch pots that you have seeded.  Water lightly.  Keep the seeds watered and do not let them dry out too much.

Small *annuals may be added to the pot of perennials so that your container will bloom all summer.  Most perennials have a 3-4 week blooming period.  The Monarch butterflies will still use the milkweed leaves as a host plant after it has stopped blooming.  Plants should be arranged with taller plants to the back and shorter ones to the front to avoid shading the shorter plants.  The plants can also be arranged with the tall ones in the middle with smaller plants planted around the edges of the containers. 

How do I care for my container of plants?

Water plants thoroughly if they are dry or if it doesn't rain and temperatures are above 90 degrees.  Make sure that water is running out of the drain holes.  **For further watering instructions, see “Container Gardening with Native Plants”.  If you can find one large enough, put a plant saucer under the container.  This will help keep the plants watered.  Add one fourth of a Mosquito Dunk (Bt Dunk) to the saucer to help prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the water.  Bt Dunks can be purchased in the pesticide section of most hardware stores.  Bt Dunks only kill mosquitoes and do not harm other wildlife. 

*Single blooming annuals:  Marigolds, shorter varieties of Cosmos (Bright Lights), Zinnias, and Verbena.

  Perennials that will winter over in the container:  Swamp Milkweed, Goldenrods, and Asters.

**https://www.facebook.com/notes/raising-butterflies-and-moths-for-conservation/container-gardening-how-to-put-together-a-container/899080860106567http://www.wildflower.org/howto/show.php?id=14&frontpage=true

       Container Gardening with Native Plants