PINT-SIZED GARDENING; PLANTS CAN GROW IN ALMOST ANYTHING.Byline: Carol Bidwell Daily News Staff Writer Some things just aren't meant to be permanent. Container gardens are one of them. But they're great to add color to an empty corner of a patio, a bare balcony, a table at an outdoor wedding reception or theme barbecue. Their life span can range from a few weeks to several months, but - even with the heartiest, longest-lived plants - fans of container gardening will find themselves replanting next spring or sooner. ``For permanence, plants are happiest in the ground,'' said Teddy Howell, horticulture chairwoman for the West Valley Garden Club and a fan of things growing in pots. ``A color bowl isn't intended to last for 50 years like a tree.'' The West Hills gardener, who grows herbs, succulents and orchids in pots on her patio, likens a miniature garden in a pot to cut flowers flowers cut from the stalk, as for making a bouquet. See also: Flower : They last a bit, then it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to move on. ``It's pretty for effect,'' she said. ``If you want something to dress up your back yard for an event, color bowls with summer flowers are great. You can plant them in any color you want. ``But you'll see when there are too many plants: You'll notice that they'll begin to wither and die. In others, some plants will just take over, and you'll end up with just one plant. In the end, there just won't be enough room for the roots to grow, and that's when you have to take them out and plant them in the ground.'' In assembling a container garden - perhaps an herb garden for the summer, or a pot of colorful annuals to brighten up a porch or a windowsill - the container can be just about anything that will hold soil and plants. Got an old shoe with a hole in it? Maybe a pretty ceramic bowl you accidentally cracked? Even a deflated de·flate v. de·flat·ed, de·flat·ing, de·flates v.tr. 1. a. To release contained air or gas from. b. To collapse by releasing contained air or gas. 2. basketball will do if you're creative enough to see the possibilities. This spring, fourth-graders at West Hollywood West Hollywood A community of southern California northeast of Beverly Hills. It is mainly residential. Population: 36,600. Elementary School elementary school: see school. planted a garden of strawberries and marigolds and learned as much about what to plant a garden in as they did what to plant. They experimented with plants grown in everything from cardboard boxes (not a success) to straw hats (fine when lined with plastic with drainage holes punched in it). ``Cardboard's not good, 'cause it gets soggy when you water it, and it falls apart,'' said Jonathan Dean, 11. ``And there's not enough oxygen for the roots, so they get root rot Noun 1. root rot - disease characterized by root decay; caused by various fungi plant disease - a disease that affects plants and die,'' added Jasmine Bailey, 10. A tennis shoe's too small for anything to grow in, and so is a paper cup, unless you're just starting a seed you plan to transplant, they said. Kevin Alveres, 10, had better luck planting his garden in a football helmet, and others coddled plants along in tin cans tin cans put on car of newlyweds leaving ceremony. [Am. Cult.: Misc.] See : Marriage , quart-sized yogurt containers, plastic bottles with the tops cut off, and even a hollowed-out watermelon watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Africa and introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States and are popular also in S Russia. . ``The watermelon won't last long,'' said Amber Ahmed, 10. ``But it'd be good for a party, for a few days, maybe a week. Then, the melon melon, fruit of Cucumis melo, a plant of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Asia and now cultivated extensively in warm regions. There are many varieties, differing in taste, color, and skin texture—e.g. will go bad and you have to put the plants in something else.'' To plant in a container, gently remove a seedling or small plant from its pot, shake a bit of the dirt off the roots, and gently cover them with potting soil. ``You have to spread the roots out like a dress,'' explained Sabrina Dragan, 10. Plants just dumped out of their tiny pots and jammed into a larger container of soil tend to die because their roots never spread to take in water and fertilizer and help the plant grow stronger. Both the West Hollywood kids and Howell warned against frequent but light watering, saying that forces the plant's roots upward and exposes them to the air, which dries them out and kills the plant. Deep watering less frequently - although more often when the summer grows hot and dry - is better, they said. It's easy to tell when your container garden needs watering. ``You just put your finger in the dirt, and if it feels dry, you put more water in,'' advised Sonia Cano, 11. Howell also fertilizes her container gardens every two weeks with high-nitrogen fertilizer from January until August, then switches to a high-phosphorus and high-potassium fertilizer once a month until after New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. to encourage blooms. ``You have to fertilize because when you're growing things in pots, there's no way that nature can create all these nutrients, like it would if they were in the ground,'' Howell said. ``You have to be the caretaker.'' Careless gardeners can kill even a successful plant, cautioned the young gardeners. When a flower wilts, clip it off rather than break it off, or you might yank Yank steamship stoker vainly tries to climb the social ladder, then fails in attempt to avenge himself on society. [Am. Drama: O’Neill The Hairy Ape in Sobel, 339] See : Failure (jargon) yank the whole plant right out of the soil, they warned. The same goes for herbs, which can grow unruly if not trimmed. ``Herbs growing too big in a container generally aren't a problem,'' Howell said. ``You're going to keep clipping (1) Cutting off the outer edges or boundaries of a word, signal or image. In rendering an image, clipping removes any objects or portions thereof that are not visible on screen. See scissoring. See also WCA. off the top and using it to cook. That's the best kind of container garden.'' Secrets to a green thumb In planting your container garden, there are five important elements to consider: Container: Generally, pick one with drainage holes in the bottom. (For a very temporary planting, gardeners can layer garden-standard charcoal, small rock or pebbles, then potting soil and plant in a container without a drainage hole - perhaps an old teapot that would shatter shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. if holes were drilled in the bottom.) Terra cotta cot·ta n. pl. cot·tae or cot·tas A short surplice. [Medieval Latin, of Germanic origin.] pots, which are porous, will dry out quicker than plastic pots. But plastic pots tend to get very hot when placed in the sun and transfer that heat to the plants they hold. Plants: Choose small plants if you plan to put more than one in a container. If you'd like several plants in a single container, try plants of varying heights and colors but all requiring the same amount of sunlight and water. Soil: Buy a good-quality, all-purpose potting soil for most container gardens. There are varieties that provide special nutrients for African violets, orchids, azaleas and gardenias. Mix in a bit of compost, peat or other organic material to lighten the soil. Water: Container gardens usually need water every few days; in summer's hot sun, some may need watering daily - and those in terra cotta pots may need a drink two or three times a day. A wilted wilt 1 v. wilt·ed, wilt·ing, wilts v.intr. 1. To become limp or flaccid; droop: plants wilting in the heat. 2. plant can usually be revived with water but won't tolerate too many wet-dry-wet cycles. Fertilizer: Plants in a pot or other container have no natural source of nutrients, so at least once-a-month fertilizing - more often if plants don't respond - is required. Use high-nitrogen fertilizer (the first number of the three that describe every fertilizer's composition) to get bushier, greener foliage or to help a new plant get started; high-potassium (the second number) and high-phosphorus (the third number) fertilizers to encourage blooms. Source: West Valley Garden Club CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, Box Photo: (1--Cover--Color) On the cover: We found our containers in thrift shops, proving that just about anything can be a planter planter, farm or garden implement that places propagating material such as seeds or seedlings into the ground, usually in rows. Broadcasting, i.e., scattering seed in all directions, by hand followed by harrowing (see harrow) to cover the seed with soil was an early on a short-term basis. A cowboy boot ($1.95 for the pair) won't provide a good home for long for plants, but it would make an unusual centerpiece for a western-themed event. (We lined the boot with a plastic bag before planting purple petunias.) A plant will also live for a short time in a mug (50 cents) that would appeal to a golfer. Andy Holzman/Daily News (2) Teddy Howell of the West Valley Garden Club accents the back yard of her West Hills home with potted pot·ted adj. 1. a. Placed in a pot. b. Grown in a pot: many potted plants in the study. 2. Preserved in a pot, can, or jar. 3. Slang a. plants. Tom Mendoza/Daily News (3) West Hollywood Elementary School fourth-graders Sabrina Dragan, left, Jasmine Bailey, Dalia Gonzalez, Sindhuri Nurra, Farrah Palma Palma or Palma de Mallorca (päl`mä thā mälyôr`kä), city (1990 pop. 325,120), capital of Majorca island and of Baleares prov., Spain, on the Bay of Palma. , Janet Bayramyan and James Lee James Lee is the name of:
Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News Box: Secrets to a green thumb (See text) |
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