How to make Containers with Native plants

Dave: Hi, I’m Dave Epstein this is growing wisdom. And we are here today at garden in the woods and I’m standing next to a very unique container you might not think of containers as being flatten on walls but this is absolutely beautiful and were going to be talking today with Scott LaFleur. The botanical director here at the garden in the woods about creating some wonderful containers using native plants. So I’m here with Scott and we’ve got a container, Scott as I mention is the botanical garden director here at garden in the woods. One of the things that we try to do here at growing wisdom is we are really trying to educate people change a mind set. Scott: Absolutely. Dave: And this segment really is about thinking about containers a little bit differently, tell me about some of the things that you and I were just discussing. Scott: People traditionally use annuals in containers and annuals take a lot of inputs electricity and heat and carbon and pesticides and fertilizers to get them to grow to live a short time. Where as native plants are usual every year, so you can plant a little mini habitat right on your patio, your balcony, wherever, so you can increase pollination opportunities for insects and birds. As they’re kind of passing by your house. Dave: Just to remind folks annuals and those plants which don’t survive over the winter? Scott: Right. Dave: Were really creating a sustainable habitat. Scott: Absolutely, so you can take these plants put them right into your garden and have them next year. Dave: So I’m assuming you have a few little tricks to keep this containers going, tell me about what were going to do. Scott: Absolutely, well the first thing you want to make sure is you have a hole in your container if you don’t have a hole for things to drain in you actually could drowned your plant. The second that you want to do is add other organic matter in there like wood chips, or leaves or something else to again just create that drainage space for the water. Dave: As your watering your containers. Scott: And then on top of that we will put in the soil and then we can start arranging the plants within the container itself. The best thing about containers is you can have lots of fun; you can try all sorts of things but kind of remember the arts of planting a little bit of a mini garden. So you want to have a little bit of balance going on. I like to break things down into having a thriller where it could something high or something very showy in the container. That you would have a bit of a filler space going in around that and then some spillers heading over the side of the pot. So you sort to get you know a really well balanced mini garden going into your containers. Dave: Thriller. Scott: Filler. Dave: Filler. Scott: And spiller. Dave: And spiller I like that, is there any plant you wouldn’t recommend putting in one of a container. Scott: No, I would recommend anything; you can even use shrubs and trees. If you’re in the idea garden we have pitcher plant, we have a whole roof garden full of interesting things, so one of the things about containers you can break the rules. If you don’t have a bug at your house make a bug in a little bit of a container. So it’s a really fun way to try all sorts of things. Dave: Because it’s not staying in that long. Scott: It’s not staying in, you’re going to have them in for the season then you’re going to take them out, you’re going to put them into your garden and enjoying your garden next year. Dave: Well Scott thank you for making us think about containers and an entirely new way. Not only the type of container but what we put in the containers as well. We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of growing wisdom and look for all of our videos here at growingwisdom.com.