New to Container Gardening

[MDAVIS]

Okay, so I want to make some planters/ buy some unquie pots for all over my property, ect..

I have no idea what works best in pots
if I use buckets for pots do I need to put holes in the bottom for drainage?
any neat ideas/ projects/ helpful stories are greatly appreciated, and I loooove pics for inspiration!

Zone 5A

[Laura]

These are my country theme planters ... lol.Old buckets I got from yard sales.I did put holes for drainage and have planted them with different flowers each year.They do very well for me.

[Eeyore]

I bought these yellow garbage pails from Superstore last year $1.29 a piece and then placed a brick in the bottom of each one to rest a plain green planting pot of pansies on. I didn;t put holes in the bottom but I would advise that you do. We had soooooo much rain that I had to empty the pots a few times as the pansies would drown.

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Make sure to use good potting soil and coir (soil sponge) for added water retention. The smaller your containers the more often you'll have to water. Group your plantings according to water and light requirements. You can plant just about anything in a container. Bedding plants are very good for containers and many perennials will spruce up a container and then can be transferred to the garden in the fall. Grasses add interest and so do trailing vines such as Lamium or Creeping Jenny. Geraniums are perfect for containers and there are some lovely new varieties out there.

[CdnChelsea]

I love container gardening! especially for vegetables.

Tomatoes grow well in containers:

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tomatos in a barrel.JPG

Scarlet Runner Beans do well in containers too:

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Lettuce and Swiss Chard like containers too:

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Sweet yellow peppers:

peppers august 2010.JPG

Then there's white Impatiens in a ceramic planter:

ceramic fish planter.JPG

Plus lots more containers....even a horse trough.

Regardless of whatever container you use, be sure to use the best possible soil available and every container should have a drainage hole.

[earwig]

Regardless of whatever container you use, be sure to use the best possible soil available and every container should have a drainage hole.

Exactly CC, and BTW, I love your containers. Here are a few of mine from the last couple of years.

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[CdnChelsea]

Betty!!!! I looooove all your containers Very artfully done.

Did you make the lady with the hat? If so, how? I would love to have something like that in my garden.
Love you hypertufa containers too.

Love the boots. Somewhere in amongst my pictures, I have a pair of old boots with cut-out sections filled to the brim with hens and chicks.

Gosh, I just love everything you have done.

[Smitty]

I've missed seeing your beautiful flowers Betty...welcome back!
love those Wellies!

[Scrapinthehat]

Wow! I don't check out this forum much, but look what I've been missing! Amazing containers. Such creative people!!!

[earwig]

Did you make the lady with the hat?

I did, but I only kept her 2009-2010. I had posted her in Projects under "It was because of the hat" Try this link http://www.canadiangardening.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20103&st=0&sk=t&sd=d&hilit=%2Ait+is+because+of+the+hat%2A&start=20

I like to recycle so a lot of my containers started out as something else and I find yard sales and dumpsters are good sources. I have become much better at making containers from Hypertufa since I made the hat for the lady,

My favourite store to browse for containers is Home Sense, they have some very interesting ones.

Smitty, since our snow and ice is disappearing I am emerging from hibernation, I swear that is the only way to survive winter.

[Smitty]

agreed Betty...in my next life i'd like to be a bear