Today I’m are going to blog a bit about large planter plantings. Readers do you remember my earlier blog secondhand shopping trip where I purchased a huge, heavy planter?
I saw new planters this size and smaller for around $100 plus dollars. I paid $35 for this large secondhand crock.
This large planter is the perfect size and color for my patio.
Well, anyway stopped in the garden store yesterday to check out plants to plant in this planter. I’m tired of replanting annuals and wanted a permanent evergreen plant that could grow in a very large crock. I, also, needed a plant that could survive our winters in a crock.
Of course, I went to the my favorite nursey to browse a bit and to talk to one of the knowledgeable sales staff. He showed us a couple of plants that work well in large planter plantings and we selected an Andromeda Little Heath for our project. I also wanted a plant to be hardy up to Zone 5, which this plant is.
Andromeda Little Heath
The Andromeda Little Heath is a compact plant with gray/green and light yellow variegated leaves. In the spring, it has white small bell-shaped flowers. The plant thrives in gardens, edging and containers. It grows 2 x 2 feet, but will take some time to outgrow the large crock.
The color of this plant changes twice a year. It has pinkish new leaf growth and white bell shaped flowers in the spring. In the fall and winter months, the leaves turn a reddish rosy color.
This Andromeda likes sun to part shade and I paid $42.99 for this plant. I also picked up a yard of landscaping fabric for $2.99. I like the fact that you can buy just a yard of this in the garden store and not have to buy an entire roll which would be expensive.
Actual Planting
After brining my plant home, I gave it a drink, since it was sitting in the backseat of a hot SUV when I was doing my banking.
Then, I cut a piece of the landscaping fabric to place on the bottom of the large planter’s drainage holes. This keeps the dirt in the crock if you have to move it, plus keeps any bugs out from entering the crock from the bottom drainage holes. Use only one layer of the landscaping fabric for this project.
This photograph makes the landscaping fabric look gray but actually it is black in color. It almost looks and feel like felt.
Next, I filled the planter with some potting soil. To take the plant out of the plastic crock, I cut down one side and gently pulled it out. Following the planting directions on the plant’s tag, I placed it in the planter and covered it with potting soil.
Lastly, be sure to give your new potted plant a good drink of water. The water should be freely flowing from the bottom drainage holes.
Ending Notes on Large Planter Plantings
I think I picked the perfect plant for my large planter planting.
For now, I’ll keep watering the plant until the Andromeda Little Heath gets settled. I’m also looking forward to seeing the small white bell flowers in the spring. But, of course, there is always something going on in my garden.
Summer Notes: I might be able to place a few colorful yearly blooms near the rim of this planter. Oh boy, here we go again!
Happy Day to All Gardeners out There!
Resource Sites: Wikipedia, www.monrovia.com and houzz.com