Re: planting in pots revisited


On Jul 27, 2008, at 7:45 PM, Reidfamily wrote:

As for mixed plantings in pots, I have given it up.    I find it very

difficult to match watering requirements, and I never seem to build an

arrangement that looks good for more than 2 seasons at best.  Then I am left

with an unbalanced arrangement which I inwardly moan about and procrastinate

in fixing.  (Can anyone relate?)  My solution has been to plant lots of pots

with only one species and arrange them according to their best look and

season.  It is so much easier and would allow the person interested in

planting special bulbs to give them exactly what they need, and then just

put them on the side of the house when they are dormant!  It seems like a

bit more work, but in the long run I find I waste fewer plants and am

happier with the look of things.


Carrie,

I came to exactly this same conclusion several years ago.  I have abandoned the "Mulligan stew in a pot'' effect for a more flexible and fluid arrangement of one-species pots that can be rearranged with the seasons or completely recomposed for ay special occasion.  Also, when one plant goes bad, it can be replaced or repotted without disturbing the other plants.  I find in multiple species pots, no matter how well you think you have selected companions, one species always takes over and dominates, requiring constant trimming to keep it from shading out its companions.  For me, this usually happens within a couple of months--not even one whole season.

The one exception is where I have a tall, treelike plant in a pot and I use another plant as a groundcover.  But even this can work out badly when the roots of the tree fill the pot and starve out the groundcover.  I am finding that a mulch at the base works even better.

John C. MacGregor
South Pasadena, CA 91030
USDA zone 9   Sunset zones 21/23

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