Kelly Jackson
Christian Co. Extension Office
Patio Gardening
Container gardens bring flowers right to your door. They can be enjoyed on the patio, porch, balcony, deck, or sidewalk. Even certain vegetables can be grown in containers.
Annual flowering plants such as geranium, marigold, periwinkle, or salvia are suitable for containers located in full sun. Wax or fibrous-rooted begonias, caladiums, and coleus can be grown in partially shaded locations.
Hanging baskets continue to be popular for use for container gardening. Many different types of plants can be used in hanging baskets. Plants that trail over the sides of the basket help to hide the pot and are very dramatic. Ivy geraniums, cascade petunias, wave petunias, and moss rose are annuals that prefer to grow in full sun and will tolerate a couple hours of partial shade during the day. Impatiens are annuals that prefer to grow in full shade but will tolerate a couple hours of morning sun. These plants also make a nice addition to window boxes.
Ferns, like Boston fern, are commonly planted in hanging baskets and make beautiful accents. Ferns prefer shade and will scorch and turn brown under hot conditions. Ferns are not cold hardy and should be taken inside before the first frost in the fall and kept inside the house during the winter.
You should not feel limited to planting only flowering annuals in containers. Other plants that live from year to year are easily grown in containers outside during the summer. However to successfully keep these plants, most will need frost protection during winter. Daylily, cardinal flower, coral bells, and ornamental grasses, like carex and fountain grass, are great perennials to grow in containers. Consider inter-planting annuals with perennials in the same container to extend color.
Container gardening is not limited to ornamentals. Vegetables suited for containers include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, eggplant, kale, lettuce, pepper, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, tomato, turnips, and zucchini. Herbs suited for containers include chives, garden thyme, basil, marjoram, and summer savory.
