Making a Great Winter Container Garden
There are certain times of the year when it becomes a little more difficult to do some traditional gardening, most notably during the winter. When this happens, gardeners are typically left with two choices. Those two choices are to first simply wait to begin doing the gardening when the weather begins to warm up a bit, or to take their garden inside. The best way to take your gardening inside is with what is called a container garden.
Basically, a container garden is another name for a type of terrarium. However, instead of having a completely closed container, like you may with a terrarium, you will be able to open this container. Keep in mind that since this is a winter container garden, that you will want choose items that will work the best during the winter months. While you can choose plants that grow year round and force them to grow out of season inside, it is always best (if not easier) to choose plants that grow best during the colder months. Here's how you can make a great winter container garden.
- Materials. Probably the single most important aspect of creating a successful winter container garden is to choose the correct materials. Due to the nature of these types of gardens, you can expect that there will be some freezing and expanding, so you will want to be sure that you choose materials which will be able to withstand these extreme conditions. Most pots will be able to withstand the cold of winter quite nicely, but be sure that any stone or ceramic pots that you use doesn't have cracks. Over time, these cracks can lead to your pot breaking. Also, ensure that your container will have proper drainage.
- Plants. Choosing a plant for a winter container garden can be a little tricky for many people. The simplest thing to do is to choose plants which seem to not only do well during the winter, but actually seem to thrive. Some of the best plants to use would be an evergreen tree or shrub (such as a cypress, holly, or pine), spring bulbs (such as daffodils or hyacinth) or even some particularly strong vines such as ivy. Do your research before choosing a particular plant though.
- Location. Be sure that you have chosen the proper place to store your winter container garden. In large part this will depend on the type of plant that you are using. If you are simply using some plants that look pretty, but will have little or no chance of survival during the winter, then you will want to keep your container where it will be warm (such as inside, near a window sill). However, if you will be choosing a plant that can survive during the winter months, then you can choose to place it just about anywhere you want. Be sure that you chose a location where it will be protected from the worst that winter can throw at it, but still have plenty of natural light.
Author Bio
Lee Wyatt
Contributor of numerous Tips.Net articles, Lee Wyatt is quickly becoming a regular "Jack of all trades." He is currently an independent contractor specializing in writing and editing. Contact him today for all of your writing and editing needs! Click here to contact. Learn more about Lee...
Removing Stains from Children's Clothing
Children are without a doubt one of the great joys in this world. They seem to have this innate ability to create ...
Discover More
Questions to Ask When Organizing
Are you having trouble deciding what you should keep, and what you should get rid of when you are organizing something? ...
Discover More
Living without Credit Cards
If you are really interested in being as financially independent as possible, then you need to be as free of debt as ...
Discover More
Japanese Gardening
Japanese gardening takes more thought and planning than conventional gardening because you want to create an almost ...
Discover More
Planning a Fruit Garden
It is never too late, or too early to begin planning any garden, let alone planning a fruit garden. By taking your time ...
Discover More
Creative Garden Decorating
Create themes for your garden and add elements for events such as Easter, Independence Day, or a family birthday or ...
Discover More
Comments