I went out today and bought many different kinds of flowers including Shasta Daisies, English Daisies, bellflowers, Petunias, and Balloon flowers from the local nursery.
Now, my question is this... how many can I plant in each box?? Some of the flowers say plant so many inches apart, so does that mean I can plant them (for example) at the 4 corners of the square boxes? Then what happens to all that space in between? Also, to what extent can I mix flower types in the same box?
Sorry for such a detailed question, I am somewhat of a novice at this! :)
Flowers
I like to put screening (as for window screens) at the bottom of my pots to keep the soil in. So, your empty pot; layer of small pebbles/pea gravel; screening cut to fit pot bottom; potting soil (good to mix in Osmocote to fertilize); then plant your plants.
If I were you, I'd purchase a garden book written specifically for your area (my "plant bible" is Sunset (Magazine's) Western Garden book); in the long run, it'll save you lots of time and money. ...at least that's been my experience! Ha.
Musts:
1. consider the exposure (sun, shade, partial sun/shade) for each plant, and put the plants with the same needs in the same pot.
2. consider the moisture needs for each plant (arid soil, moist soil, etc.), and put the plants with the same needs in the same pot.
Shasta Daisies grow 2' to 4' tall, need regular water, and full sun exposure;
Petunias grow about 1' tall, and have a lovely hanging habit (2' tumbling over the edge of a pot), need full sun exposure, and can do with regular water (don't overdo);
I'd put those two together in the same 12"x12"x9" cedar box.
Balloon flowers need sun to light shade , moderate water, and they grow up to about 3' tall. I'd put these in the center of the other 12'x12"x9" box, and I'd purchase a 6 pack of lobelia or alyssum and plant 4 of these small plants (rather) evenly around the edge of the box. As they grow, they'll cascade pleasantly over the edge of the box (even if they're labeled as upright, they usually fall over under the weight of their own blooms).
Bellflowers (campanula) can be such a wide range of sizes (2" to nearly 5' tall!), most need sun, although a few varieties need light shade, some need very little water, others need moderate water... I'd probably plant them in a line down the center of your 12"x24"x9" rectangle box and go back to Lowe's and purchase a 6 or 15 pack of thyme (nearly any variety) to plant in a zig-zag pattern about 1" in from the edge of the box. The thyme will take very little to moderate water, and will (again!) grow out and down... It's such a pleasing look.
The English daisies, hmmm... they need full sun to light shade and lots of water. I'd probably purchase a new pot for these (unless your bellflowers are a variety that need lots of water too; in which case, I'd pair them up).
In my mind, flowers paired with herbs or vegetables are lovely together. (Important: do not eat the veg or the herbs unless you're absolutely sure that there are no impurities in your pots or your soil; also, if you plan to eat the veg or the herbs, use composted manure, fish fertilizer, or other organic fertilizers that are recommended for garden produce!
This is my first time on this site. I hope my answer is not too long or too much info or confusing...
Best of luck.
Reply:use broken pots....not cruddy peanuts, they are safe for the environment and are non-toxic
Reply:Shast daisies are tall and tend to splay wide at the top, they can be 3 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide but it depends on the cultivars you bought. Petunias will drape well over the sides. Balloon flowers are also verticle up to 2 feet but narrower than daisies at 1 foot spread. The English daisy I believe you are refering to is Bellis perennis. They are very low ~6" mounding plants. All of these are fine for full sun.
So Shasta daisies will take up one square box but they will need to be trimmed out to get them to rebloom and for contrast some trailng petunias would look great at the front but you need a midrange plant like a salvia or an ornamental grass to take over after the daisies at the back are done.
Then put the balloon flowers in the center of the other box and suround them with English daisies or petunias or two of each.
It is always nice to combine plants of different forms and colors so the box always has interest. A central spike or tall plant is common then surround it with midheight plants. Last add the trailing plants to spill over the edge.
In containers plant them fuller than you would in the garden for the lush effect. Then give them several small feedings rather than one large fertilization or use time release.
I like to place a piece of screen mesh over the holes in the bottom to prevent soil loss rather than pebbles. Drainage should be fine with a potting soil intended for use in containers. Just mix in your fertilizer as you fill the box.
Reply:I agree on the stones in the bottoms to help with drainage. First, what is the sun exposure these flowers are going to get? Daisy do best in the earth and not in containers. The petunias will do the best. You can place flowers closer then the label states, but there is the danger of overcrowding that can cause the plants not to get as big and die early in the growing season, but that is depending on sun and water too. Just try and see what you get. Have fun and make sure to water often. What you have purchased will need full sun to grow to their best. Good luck!
Reply:When I plant containers I pretty much pack them in because it looks better especially if you are planting all annuals. If you have a mix of perennials (plants that come back) and annuals (have to replace annually) you shouldn't have a problem with overcrowding because at the end of the growing season you will pull out the annuals and leave the perennials to over winter. As for the mix the only thing to really recommend is to put plants with similar watering requirements together.
Reply:If you don't want to use pebbles,you can use the styrofoan packing peanuts. They work great!
Also, when planting, make sure to put like plants together by the amount of sun (or shade) they will need.make up
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