Container gardening offers a vast assortment of styles, shapes,
colors and sizes. You become the artist and create your own "canvas,"
as you delve into a world of inspiration and imagination. Requirements
for a thriving container garden are appropriate soil, adequate light,
ample water and shelter from extreme weather conditions.
Water Frequently: Closely spaced plants packed into a small
volume of soil need watering as often as once or twice a day, especially
in hot, sunny dry weather. When you water, be sure to saturate all
the soil in the pot, not just around the edges. Pots that dry out
too quickly may have more plants in them than the soil can support.
Remove some plants, prune them back, or move the pot to a less sunny
location.
Fertilize Regularly: Rapidly growing plants
need plenty of nutrients. Frequent watering and the limited amount
of soil in container gardens, makes the need for fertilizer critical.
Mix slow-release fertilizer pellets, such as 
FERTILOME
start-n-Grow Plant Food, into the potting soil, according to the
package instructions. Add additional nutrients throughout the growing
season by dissolving water-soluble fertilizer, such as 
FERTILOME
Blooming & Rooting +Plant Food, in the watering can once every
week or two. Use a one-half to one-quarter strength dilution, and
follow package instructions.
Groom and Remove Dead Flowers: Keep plants looking lush
and full by pruning leggy stems back to buds or branches and removing
off-colored and damaged foliage. Many plants continue to produce
new flowers if you remove the spent blooms before they set seed.
Pinch the flower stems back to just above a leaf or bud.
Change Plants Seasonally: When the plants pass their prime
and begin to look tired, pull them out and replace them with fresh
plants. You can keep your container current with seasonal themes
by growing a succession of plants, such as bulbs and primroses in
the springs, annuals and vegetables in the summer and colorful kale
and pansies in the fall.
Prepare For Winter: In cold weather climates, containers
and their contents need protection from freezing temperatures. Even
hardy perennials, trees and shrubs cannot tolerate completely frozen
roots. Terra Cotta and ceramic pots may crack if left outside to
freeze. Empty their contents into the compost pile and store the
dry pots in a protected environment, such as a garage. Wrap chicken
wire around the pots of small trees and shrubs, then stuff with
loose mulch, such as straw. Store in an unheated, but not freezing
garage or basement for the winter.
