BEAUTY ON THE BALCONY YOU DON'T NEED A YARD TO CREATE A WINNING CONTAINER GARDEN.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Staff Writer

Great gardens don't require big yards.

``You can plant anything that grows in the ground in a pot on your patio or condo balcony,'' says Sue Maki, owner of the Burbank-based Patio Potter container gardening business.

Container gardening, now prevalent in town homes, condominiums and apartments, most likely started centuries ago in Europe, in places where people lived close together in cities and only had window boxes for flowers, says Larry Ruoho, a horticulturist at Sperling Nursery in Calabasas.

Both Ruoho and Maki say the trick to container gardening is identifying the geographic location of your patio, porch or balcony and accepting it.

``You'd be surprised how many people don't know which direction their patio faces, and then they wonder why their fuchsia dies in a sunny patio even if it's covered, but we can help them if they at least do a little homework and tell us the amount of sun it gets, such as 10 a.m. until noon or whatever,'' says Ruoho.

``It was a challenge,'' confesses Bess Byrom, a 78-year-old Northridge town house resident who moved from a big yard to a patio garden. ``I had to accept that the angle of the patio isn't good for daffodils and roses, which require full sun. And after trying by myself I had a mess, so I hired Sue (Maki) to design our patio garden with colors I liked and plants that could survive, and now I really have an oasis,'' she says.

Byrom adds that her patio garden has become an extension of her home she can see through her glass doors, and that illusion is part of the container garden's cachet.

Potting panache

``Containers offer you so many creative opportunities to show off both plants and containers and expand your living space. For instance, one glazed pot with ornamental grass can become a work of art,'' says Lance Walheim, a gardening expert who has contributed to numerous books, including ``Sunset Western Garden Book,'' and is the spokesman for Bayer Advanced Garden products.

Walheim says the best display of pots is achieved by varying the size of containers and grouping them by color. ``If you use all the same type of pots - whether they're terra cotta, glazed, faux stone, wood or metal in similar shapes, then the plants will show better,'' he explains. To learn more of his tips, tune in May 5 to the Discovery Channel's ``Christopher Lowell Show.''

Is one type of pot better than another?

``Not better, just different,'' says Ruoho, who adds that classic terra cotta pots are his favorite. Not only does he like the look, but he says the pot breathes, which means more air for the roots. However, terra cotta pots - since they are porous - will also dry quicker, and that means more frequent watering.

``Those big fancy resin pots are a new trend and known for being light weight, which is great for rooftop gardens, but you'll need to punch large holes in the bottom for drainage - or simply leave the plant in its nursery pot and slip it into the bigger pot,'' advises Ruoho.

Walheim adds that decorative metal planters and dark-colored glazed pots heat up fast and thus should not be in direct sun.

A last word about pots. If you're a ``black thumb'' gardener, Ruoho thinks large, round pots with sturdy plants are easier than dainty hanging baskets that will need more care and pruning.

Made in the shade

Once you've determined the growing conditions on your patio, pick out plants. Maki says to begin by looking at magazines and cutting out the plant colors and types you like, while Walheim suggests looking to the Internet at Web sites such as bayeradvanced.com, windowbox.com and provenwinners.com, which provide information as well as photos of plants. Either way, you'll be prepared when you go to the nursery or talk with your garden designer.

Since many patios are covered and therefore shady most of the day, Ruoho suggests ficus trees, ferns, impatiens, begonias, lamium and colorful foliage such as pink polka dots or coleus. Whatever you choose, try to get a mixture of leafy greens as well as flowers to re-create a natural setting.

Semi-shade with style

If your patio gets at least two hours of sun, plants such as fragrant gardenias, pansies, violas, some impatiens and coral bells - otherwise known as heuchera - will do well, says Maki. Ruoho adds camellias, lobelia, dianthus, flocks and pygmy date palms to the list.

And for those dying to have a dainty fuchsia, Ruoho suggests creating a humid, lush atmosphere by hanging other plants around, behind and below it, which might trick the fuchsia into thinking it's in Seattle, where there's light but no heat and lots of moisture in the air.

Basking in the sun

This is the part of the patio that gets at least four or more hours of sun, and it's where you can plant roses, salvia, petunias, marigolds and ivy geraniums, as well as bougainvillea and trumpet vines that can be trained to decorate windows, walls and trellises. And note that the vine types of flowers also attract hummingbirds.

If you have a really hot balcony, succulent California natives are a natural. They require the least amount of care and water, and their blooms can be spectacular.

Survival secrets

Once you've found the right pots and plants for your geographic location, you might think your project is complete. But the secret to survival is in the care, which translates to more frequent watering and feeding than traditional gardens.

``The general rule of thumb is to stick your finger in the dirt and feel for any moisture, but you can also lift the pot - and if it feels light, then it needs water,'' says Walheim.

The size and type of pot, the weather and amount of exposure to sun and heat will determine how often to water, which may be every other day in the hottest part of the summer. But don't over-do it or you'll drown them or cause root rot. And since all that watering washes away nutrients, a weekly feeding of liquid or time-release food/fertilizer is a must, says Ruoho.

Finally, after so much work, you might actually want to sit on your patio instead of just hosing it off and closing the curtains.

Container cachet

-- Know how much sun exposure your patio gets.

-- Create a theme with plants and pots that can extend your living room onto the balcony or patio.

-- Note that romantic looks often have cascading flowers and smaller petals while larger upright types such as palms add drama.

-- Don't be afraid to try a plant recipe, using three or more types of flowers in a single pot. But don't overcrowd; allow for growth.

-- Always use clean pots (sterilize with bleach and water) and fill with fresh sterilized potting soil (never garden dirt) to avoid bacteria and insects.

-- Ensure good water drainage with holes in bottom of pot and products that absorb water and release slowly, such as SoilMoist.

-- Place largest plants/pots in the back or center of an arrangement, with smaller, trailing plant types in front.

-- Change potting soil about once a year.

-- Move plants to larger pots as they grow and/or you see roots circling the pot or growing out of the drainage holes.

-- Water and feed frequently and pinch off deadheads.

- B.D.

Gardener's library

For more help in designing your own container garden try these resources:

``Contain Yourself: 101 Fresh Ideas for Fantastic Container Gardens'' (Ball Publishing; $24.95) by Kerstin Ouellet.

``Ortho's All About Container Gardening'' (Meredith Books; $17.95) by Sally Roth and Pamela K. Peirce.

``Encyclopedia of Container Gardening: Creating a Beautiful, Compact Garden Indoors and Outdoors'' (Fog City Press; $40) by the staff of Weldon Owen.

``The Container Gardening Encyclopedia'' (Advanced Global Distribution; $24.95) by Sue Phillips.

``The Complete Container Garden'' (Reader's Digest; $13.97) by David Joyce.

``Country Garden Planner'' (Country Home Books; $34.95) by Darrell Trout.

``Step-by-Step Yard & Garden Basics'' (Better Homes and Gardens; $24.95) by Liz Ball.

- B.D.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) A special space

Container gardening brings beauty to your patio

(2 -- color) Shade? Try impatiens.

(3 -- color) Semi-shade? Try begonias.

(4 -- color) Full sun? Try California natives.

(5 -- 6 -- color) Shady and semi-shady patios offer numerous choices for container gardens, including exotic foliage and traditional hydrangeas, above. Growing interest in such gardening has spawned glazed pots in numerous colors, right, often with botanical designs.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(7 -- color) Although she lives in a Northridge town house, Bess Byrom keeps a lush container garden on her patio.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) Container cachet (see text)

(2) Gardener's library (see text)