Gardeners note: Container explainer

Fri., May 23, 2008

The Spokesman-Review

Vi Tiegs, a Master Gardener in Fairfield, likes to transform unusual items into plant containers. The only requirements good drainage and the ability to hold soil, she said. She haunts estate and yard sales, thrift shops and antique markets for finds. Containers, like baskets, will first need to be lined with moss or coconut mats to hold soil mix. Others will be ready once drain holes are punched in the bottoms. And sometimes, Tiegs just plops flower pots into interesting containers, hiding them with a layer of moss.

She’s planted such things as:

“Egg baskets

“Truck brake drums

“Old metal ammo boxes

“Watering cans

“Buckets and pails

“Antique milk cans

“Whiskey barrels

Petunias and geraniums are century-old container standbys. But countless other plants will thrive in containers and expand a grower’s creativity. Be on the lookout each year for new hybrids bred specifically for containers. For drama, add tropical plants. Grow a pizza garden of tomatoes and herbs. Try a succulent arrangement of various cacti or plant a foliage-only container showcasing leaf textures and tones.

Among the plants that take to containers:

“Alyssum

“Begonia

“Calibrachoa

“Caladium

“Canna lily

“Coleus

“Creeping Jenny

“Elephant ear

“Fuschia

“Impatiens

“Lobelia

“Periwinkle

“Salvia

“Sedum

“Supertunia

“Sweet potato vine

“Verbena

“Zinnia

Mark your calendars for a trio of upcoming events.

“ Art in the Garden plant and art sale: Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., O’Rourke Gardens, 3123 W. Ninth, Spokane, free

“ Friends of Manito Park spring plant sale: June 14, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Manito Park, south of Gaiser Observatory, free

“ Spring in Bloom Garden Tour: June 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., various Spokane locations, $10, tickets sold at nurseries

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