Worry-free Container Gardens

Credit: Balcony Garden Web

Don’t let summer travel plans prevent you from decorating your porch, patio and balcony with colorful annual containers and hanging baskets. With some planning and creative watering solutions, you can maintain your potted flowers throughout the summer.  Unlike plants in the ground, containers have limited soil volume and less capacity to hold water, so they dry out quickly and need daily watering.  By choosing plants that are drought tolerant and using creative planting and watering techniques your pots can survive a weekend away, a business trip or a short summer vacation.  

Before you head to the garden center this spring, consider which pots will most likely suffer from a few days without water.  It is usually those that are in the sun or exposed to wind.  Planters in the shade and protected areas don’t always require daily watering because of less water evaporation than pots exposed to radiant heat and sun.   Make a list of plants that are drought tolerant and shop with purpose.  There are edible, succulent, annual, shrub and perennial plants that are drought tolerant.  When choosing vacation proof plants, choose ones with less fuss, deadheading and those that thrive on less water.  When planning pots, place them together in your basket to visualize what they will look like together in a container.  Make sure to consider existing color, texture, and height.  Vacation proof plants include:

Herbs and veggies:  You can create an edible garden or add annuals and succulents to make a fragrant and texture filled container.

• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Lavendar
• Lettuce
• Kale

Fill a container with perennials and in the winter store the pot in a protected spot, garage or shed.  These plants will reward you with years of flowers and texture.  You can always add some annual flowers for an immediate splash of spring color.  Get inspired with Shelterness website for truly inspirational succulent gardens.

• Stonecrop
• Ornamental grass
• Hens and chicks
• Sedum

Better Homes & Garden

Succulents in colder climates should be treated as an annual.  If you have the ability, bring them inside for the winter.  These add lovely texture and color to any pot.  

• Agave
• Cactus
• Chalk sticks

You will find a plethora of heat tolerant annuals at your local garden centers.  Tried and true ones are:

• Lantana:  Attracts butterflies.
• Zinnia:  Pollinator and enjoyed by finches and other birds.
• Cosmos: Pollinator
• Nasturtium:  These thrive on neglect and are fragrant and edible.  Consider adding to an edible container.

If you are a beginner at seed growing, Zinnia, Nasturtium and Cosmos are considered the easiest and most rewarding seeds to plant.  You can start them indoors in March or April in your pots and enjoy your efforts all summer.  You can also plant them now, and enjoy their blooms a little later in the season.

Shrubs planted and insulated within a pot offer winter interest and structure.  Add succulents or some annuals for a drought-hardy four season container garden.

• Boxwood
• Juniper

Vacation Proof Strategies

Despite using drought tolerant plants, long, hot, dry spells and dry winds will desiccate and stress the hardiest plants.  If you will be away for more than four days or weather forecasts seem unfavorable, there are strategies to reduce the stress on your plants.  Prior to leaving: 

• Take a pre-vacation harvest: pick the fruits from edible plants (tomatoes, beans, squash…) that will be overripe when you return. Share with neighbors or take with you.
• Choose bagged potting soil intended for containers, not “garden soil” which is very dense and meant to supplement the soil in the ground.  Look for “Moisture Control” varieties which will retain more water.  Mix water polymer crystals into potting soil prior to planting.  This is especially effective if your pots are in the sun all day and need watered twice per day.
• Move pots to shade while away.  Less sun for a week won’t hurt sun loving plants and will reduce water evaporation and the plant’s need for water.  If you need to create shade, either move pots under a deck, picnic table or a free standing outdoor umbrella.
• If soil reaches the drainage holes in the bottom of the planter, set pots in a small children’s pool filled with water or into another large shallow container filled with water (aluminum foil roasting pan).  The soil will soak up the water as needed during your time away.  Add a little soluble plant food into the water to feed them while away on a longer trip.
• Self watering containers and homemade watering funnels can be added to irrigate plants while away.  These are effective if you travel a lot for weekend get-aways or business trips. 
• If you are handy, you can install an inexpensive drip irrigation with a timer.  If you turn off your home’s water when you leave, this is not an option.
• The smaller the pot, the sooner it will dry out.  
• Use plastic, resin or fiberglass pots that retain more water than clay pots which permit faster water evaporation.
• For large pots,  add a layer of mulch to prevent water evaporation.
• Finally, nothing is guaranteed in a blistering heat spell or dry wind.  During severe heat, safeguard your pretty containers by enlisting a neighbor kid's help to water.  If you don’t shut your water off when you leave, set up a hose with a sprayer nozzle.  If you shut off your water, you can first fill lots of jugs with water and place them near your pots.

To summarize, no matter where you live, you’ve most likely returned from at least one trip to shriveled up impatiens and Gerber daisies in your outdoor containers.  And that’s a drag!  There are steps we can all take to preserve the beauty of our container plants while we are away for brief periods.  Select the right potting soil and amend with polymers if your pots get all day sun.  Avoid clay pots.  Purchase drought-resistant plants and place in large pots.  And use the pointers provided for preventing containers from drying out while you travel.  Container gardening offers the chance to paint a different palette every year.  Since it’s a view you’ll have all summer, use these pointers to extend their beauty.  Enjoy the view!