CREATE A CONTAINER
Follow these ideas from Jennifer Kleeschulte, a horticulturist at the Missouri Botanical Garden, for great summer containers. 1. SUCCULENT SUCCESS Succulents are currently the rage and an excellent waterwise container plant for the gardener on the go. When time is an issue, this container will be the most forgiving when it comes to watering. Try the following combination in a large hypertufa trough. Choose a well-drained medium (1/3 soil, 1/3 sand and 1/3 rock) or try a cacti-and-succulent growing mix from your local garden center. Many of these plants are hardy in USDA Zones 8 through 11. In colder zones, bring your plants indoors when temperatures drop below 40˚F. A: Aeonium ‘Kiwi’ B: Senecio mandraliscae C: Aloe Carmine D: Sempervivum ‘Black’ E: Sempervivum ‘Oddity’ F: Sedum ×rubrotinctum ‘Aurora’ G: Delosperma cooperi
2. JUST ADD CHICKEN No garden is too small to grow your own food. Save space by growing herbs and vegetables in wall units like Woolly Pockets, or by grouping pots together. Try growing edible containers with a theme. Fill them with plants from your favorite cuisine—Thai, Indian, Mexican, Chinese—the possibilities are endless. I call this design “Just Add Chicken.” The herbs chosen can be used in combinations or individually to flavor all kinds of chicken dishes. Pair this container with a lemon tree and voila!, dinner! A: Basil B: Rosemary C: Fern-leaved dill D: Parsley E: Thyme
3. JAWS—A CARNIVOROUS CONTAINER This container is for the plant enthusiast and collector in us all. It will require more care than most, but these bug-eating plants earn their keep as they catch the unsuspecting victims that gather around your patio light. Choose a nonporous container, preferably glazed clay. Line the container with a pond liner and fill with a soilless mixture of half peat and half builder’s sand. Carnivorous plants prefer water more acidic than municipal water sources can provide, and they are sensitive to the minerals and chemicals in treated water. I suggest using rainwater to irrigate the plants. Remember to keep them consistently moist. It is important to note these plants are perennial and will have a dormant period. In areas colder than Zone 6, move the plants indoors when the temperatures are consistently below 30˚F. Move them into a protected but cool environment, such as a garage or basement window well. Bring them outdoors again when the temperatures are consistently above 30˚F. Try these United States natives: • PITCHER PLANTS (SARRACENIA SPP.)—many cultivars available with pitchers from ground level to 3 feet tall. • PRIMROSE BUTTERWORT (PINGUICULA PRIMULIFLORA)—will bloom consistently through the warmer summer months. • SUNDEWS (DROSERA SPP.)—often compared to fireworks because of the tentacles that cover their leaves. • BLADDERWORTS (UTRICULARIA SUBULATA, U. CORNUTA)—not as showy as the others, but interesting. They will fill in the spaces around the other plants and create a more natural look in the container. • VENUS’S FLYTRAP (DIONAEA MUSCIPULA)—these prefer drier growing conditions than the above species, so if you make a mixed container plant, their crowns are a little higher. Diligently remove the flowers to grow larger, healthier traps. There are great sources for plant material, such as California Carnivores. Consult your local carnivorous plant society or the International Carnivorous Plant Society for more suggestions. Come see our display in the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Shoenberg Temperate House, newly renovated by horticulturist Kyle Cheeseborough, or check out my Carnivorous Bog Containers in the Victorian District Garden. * Karen Hill is a public relations officer at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Julie Hess and Jennifer Kleeschulte work as horticulturists at the garden.
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GARDENERS ON THE GO!