A potted fern at chairside or a basket of Swedish ivy may be enough to satisfy apartment gardeners through the dim of winter.
But when spring’s sunshine breaks through, they’re just like homeowners.
Who can tell them to find comfort in an aloe, stick with that schefflera, restrain the urge to haul home carloads of colorful plants? Not me.
Still, too many apartment gardeners are digging deep into their souls and coming up with–guess what?–one lonely red geranium.
No offense meant to geraniums, mind you. But you could do more with your stoop, step, deck or patio than a single pot of geraniums (or impatiens or petunias or begonias), which by July might get a tad boring.
Think about an artful combination, small scale, of course. A variety of herbs or flowers, just like the big gardens have. All in one large pot you’ll enjoy looking at every day.
Successful combinations result from:
– Choosing plants that grow well together because they have similar needs for water and sunlight. Put the sun lovers (petunias, pentas, marigolds) together. The shade lovers (impatiens, begonias, coleus) make good companions in a pot.
– Arranging them to best advantage, mixing plants of different heights. The taller choices, such as pentas or rosemary, grow to a majestic 18 inches or so; the mid-sized ones, like marigolds, huddle around the middle. The low sprawlers drape gracefully over the pot’s edges. Plant labels often tell you the plant’s mature size.
– Mixing colors and textures boldly. A mixed bouquet of colors is one of the prettiest sights of summer. Don’t be a wimp about this. Choose flower colors you like and amaze yourself at how well they go together.
Herb combinations produce fascinating arrays of curled, ridged and scalloped textures–and wonderful scents, too. Some will even surprise you with their blooms.
– Paying attention to the everyday details of watering and grooming. A garden in a pot is like your pet. Feed and water it carefully. Keep it trimmed. But you won’t have to take it to the vet.
Keep these things in mind for your gardens in pots:
– Bigger pots, 12 inches in diameter and up, allow you to choose more kinds of herbs or flowers.
– Use packaged potting soil because it is lightweight and will allow the roots to spread best, even in tight quarters.
– Pots, especially the classic terra-cotta ones, dry out fast. In warm weather, they’ll require watering daily, even more often when it’s blistering hot and dry. Even plants in plastic pots, which hold moisture longer, demand close attention in hot weather.
– Plants whose roots are packed into the tight quarters of a flower pot especially need the boost of liquid fertilizer. Use it all summer in the watering can.
– Because you’ll look at your potted garden close up, keep it neat and tidy by picking off spent flowers or yellowing leaves.
– Choose flowers that bloom for a long time. But when something’s done, take it out of the pot and replace with a fresh plant.
