Perennial Container Gardens

Get more bang for your buck by including perennials in your container garden. At the end of the season, perennials can be transplanted into the garden, where they’ll perform for years to come. Just be sure to select plants that are hearty in your area. Start by choosing a large, deep pot to allow for root growth. A lightweight pot is easier to move around. So we like to place empty nursery pots in the bottom of the pot to save on the weight and expense of potting soil. Then fill your container almost to the top with potting soil. Never use soil from the garden. Choose plants with attractive foliage. Some of our favorites include tiger eyes sumac. [MUSIC] Heuchera, Hosta, Sedum and Dwarf Fountaingrass. Include one or two perennials that offer a long blooming season, such as shasta daisy, purple coneflower, black-eyed susan or coreopsis. Arrange the potted plants in your container, with the tall plants in back and shorter filler plants in the middle. Place trailing plants in the front. Keeping plants in the pots allows you to move them around until you arrive at a pleasing design [MUSIC] Gently remove the tall anchor plant, in this case the Tiger Eye Sumac, from it’s nursery pod., by turning is upside down. And letting gravity do the work. If roots are bound up in the pot, untangle them before planting. Add huchra’s or other mounding plants as the fillers. Annual potato vine and a coordinating hue, makes a great trailer. Finish with a Shasta Daisy or another flowering plant for a splash of bloom. Fill in with additional soil and press down to eliminate air pockets. Water regularly. In the fall, transplant perennials to the garden and surround them with mulch. [MUSIC] This will give roots time to establish before the ground freezes. Next spring you’ll have new plants to enjoy in your garden.

SOURCE:http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/container/perennial-container-gardens/