Container Gardening Champions
Top Ornamental and Edible Container Plants: Explore Ten Convenient Options for Potted Cultivation
Crave a lush, vibrant space in your patio or balcony? Container gardening is the solution! With versatile pots, you can grow more in tiny spaces and nurture a variety of ornamental and edible plants. But which ones fit the bill? To flourish in limited conditions, keep these container-friendly plants in mind.
Container Picking Tips:
- Match your pot size with the plant's growth for optimal surroundings. A large container for a tall plant or a shallow one for smaller varieties.
- Think of your climate, as some plants may call for full sun, while others might prefer some afternoon shade.
- Consider the specific needs of each plant, be it its water, soil, or nutrient requirements.
Better Blooms: Ornamental Plants for Containers
Growing a diverse mix of annuals and perennials can prove challenging, but keep these vigorous options in mind:
- Coleus: Attractive leaf colors add zest to any container. Grow these annuals for colors like pink, red, yellow, and green. Keep soil rich and moist, and place them in shade or partial sun.
Pro tip: Mix coleus variants together for a burst of color and rapid growth.
- Hosta: These popular foliage plants tolerate shade and are great in pots with large containers. Varieties come in blue, gold, and variegated shades. Grow hostas as perennials in zones 3-8 and enjoy their elegant foliage.
- Lantana: Known for its bright flowers and compact growth, lantana is perfect for container gardening. This ornamental shrub thrives in full sun and a well-draining pot, making it suitable for hanging baskets too.
Handy Hint: Lantanas produce flowers non-stop in warm climates. Keep them in zone 10-11 or bring them indoors and let them go dormant in colder regions.
- Million Bells: These annuals thrive in containers and make a stunning sight in hanging pots. With plenty of color and abundant, small flowers, million bells bloom from spring till first frosts. Plant them in a slightly acidic soil with excellent drainage.
- Canna: Canna lilies are striking tropical plants that dance well in containers… as long as they get at least 6-8 hours of sunlight. Some species are hardy down to zone 7, although most areas will need to treat them as annuals. Provide a rich organic soil and keep it moist, without drowning the plant.
Munch on Mores: Edible Plants for Containers
Growing veggies, culinary herbs, and fruits in containers adds a touch of freshness to small spaces. Explore these edible options:
- Peppers: Wanna spice things up or desire sweet bell peppers? Peppers (Capiscum annum) make excellent container plants. Start your seedlings indoors 6 weeks before the last frost and grow them in full sun, a rich soil, and a well-draining container. Stake your pepper plants for support.
Keep it Hot Tip: Choose spicier breeds, such as Habanero or Jalapeno, to experience intense heat in your pots.
- Tomatoes: Sun-loving tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) prosper in containers with plenty of warmth, rich soil, and excellent drainage. Non-dwarf varieties need deep pots and staking or caging to grow well. Choose fast-growing, disease-resistant breeds like cherry tomatoes, like Early Girl or San Marzano, for quick harvests.
- Lettuce: Thanks to their high water content, lettuces grow best in containers with a soil that retains moisture. For best results, plant in large pots to give lettuce plenty of space. Mix and match flavors with a blend of green, purple, and red lettuces, then enjoy cut-and-come-again greens from spring till fall.
- Highbush Blueberry: Suitable for zones 5-8, these native berry plants grow well in pots, especially when provided with ericaceous soil. Choose large, sturdy pots and place them in a sunny location. Highbush blueberries produce the sweetest fruits when given plenty of sunshine and consistent watering.
- Herbs: Spice up your kitchen with shade-tolerant herbs, like chives, mint, basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary, in container gardens. Enjoy fresh flavors all year round by growing herbs indoors or in sunny spots. Some herbs grow tall (like dill), so use sturdy pots and stakes for proper support.
Incorporate drought-tolerant plants into your home-and-garden lifestyle, especially when practicing container gardening. Some suitable options include the home-grown chives and rosemary, which thrive in limited conditions and are perfect for container gardening, especially when grown indoors or in sunny spots for continuous fresh flavors.
