Hey, Since the winter winds and temperatures have just about clear cut most of my deck garden, I thought I would take this time to move some plants about, and to get some feedback on my plan from others. I have attached some images that detail my situation and plan. I made these planter boxes in the late summer of 2005 just after my fiance and I moved out here ( New Westminster ) from Alberta. In retrospect I would have changed a bunch of things, mainly made them higher, since the deck is not wide enough to allow much more space for the boxes to get wider. Cest la vie, lesson learned. Originally I had most of the boxes planted with various herbs and a few parsley family plants... they did fine until November when the rains hit, and the moisture pretty much killed off all the herbs, those that survived were killed off this winter by the wind, cold, and rain. The lemon balm is doing fantastic, and the mints are, well, mint. I have been experimenting unsuccessfully with climbers. I've got two ivy, one is doing moderately well, the other is slow going. I've tried Dutchman's Pipe, but it died of some sort of leaf disease. And my Jasmine looks like a lost cause. For more on that see my other forum post here: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=22378 So, before I go off to the nursery this spring and buy some plants, I figured I would post my plan here and see what everyone things. I hope the diagrams come out okay for everyone. I am most concerned about climbing vines, and what sorts will do well in the limited pot size available. Ideally I'd like everything to be perennials, and it would be lovely if they were ever-green. I know the clematus can take the weather, I have gardened with some in Alberta and they are great spreaders. I just don't know if I have enough pot space for their roots. ( Lots of length to grow, but not a lot of depth. ) Any suggestions or comments would be fantastic, since I'm still trying to figure out how to garden in containers and in the Vancouver, BC area.
I have some concerns with the depth of the boxes and the gravel. I would remove that as it takes up root space and doesn't really contribute to drainage. Adding perlite to your soil will help with drainage as well as lots of drainage holes. Take a look here. http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda ...ural Myths_files/Myths/Container drainage.pdf I'm not sure I'm understanding your first two sketches about water and light. If the soil is dry then they need to be watered. I'm getting your hardiness zone as 7b. You can use this map. Put New Westminster into the search box and zoom in. Then click on 'results'. http://nlwis-snite1.agr.gc.ca/plant00/index.phtml# With your zone as 7b I don't think your rosemary will survive outdoors. They don't like to have their feet wet in winter and can't take cold and wind. Porcupine grass is more tolerant of wet soils, so that could be why it's thriving. Is there any way you an make the boxes deeper? The sweet autumn clematis will get to be a very large vine eventually. You can trim it back every spring as it blooms on new growth, but I think you will find the roots will take up alot of your space. In such a shallow box I would recommend annual vines. Perennial vines can take 2 or 3 years to establish their roots before they can support the top growth and flowering. I've also made some comments on your other thread. Newt
I grow a lot of perennials etc. in containers in Maple Ridge. I stopped using gravel because I was breaking my back trying to move the larger containers around. I use broken up styrofoam packing (not the peanuts - larger pieces that I break apart into approx. fist sized pieces.) This is to keep the container lighter, not to provide drainage at the bottom. I mix them into the soil in the lower half of the container. My most successful, long-term containers are the size of half oak barrels and larger. However, I have some smaller ones that have done ok. Hostas and daylilies work well. Both have smaller cultivars. Semps (hens and chicks) and most of the hardy succulent types. Almost anything marked "alpine" or advertised as good trailing ground cover for rock walls. Heucheras perform well and can add some interesting colour. I am planting some mini conifers in the barrels to create some balance/interest but this is the first year. My windmill palm is five years old and doing well in a container - though it is a bit sheltered under the eaves and near the front porch. I also have a tree peony that is thriving in a large container - about five years now. Rhododendrons also do well for me in containers. With all the containers, drainage seems to be key. I drill lots of extra holes. I also tuck in crocus and snowdrop bulbs and quite a few small primulas. This year I added violas. WCG
The wetness diagram is charting the natural rain fall by season, most importantly the rain hitting the boxes in the winter. The way the building overhang works seems to funnel water into certain areas. I don't know if I can make the planters bigger, since they are already full of soil and whatnot. I could extend the height with some planks I suppose. Sounds like for something like the clematus will it be critical to add more root space, so I may have to get myself some sweat peas or other annual climbers. Thanks for the wicked zoning guide link, that totally helps me out! Thanks Newt. I totally didn't think about crocuses, they'll be great in the spring! I wish I thought of styrofoam, I had piles of it after moving... ah well. Thanks WCG.
Do be careful planting your spring bulbs (crocus, etc) in the wet areas. Most are native to regions that are dry in summer and very moist soil will cause them to rot. Newt
I was thinking Grape Hyacinth, since I see them growing wild all over around New West. I did a bit of reading and it seems they like dry in the summer, and wet in the autumn to spring. They should work okay correct?
If you're concerned about weight, you could get rid of half the soil and use perlite instead - better for drainage and a lot lighter on you, but do mix it in well (and do skip the bottom gravel layer as it's been shown to even be counterproductive to drainage in larger containers (vs pots).
Grape Hyacinth (muscari), crocus and snowdrops will all do fine in a container. I have all three in abundance - and I mean abundance...I have to dig crocuses and muscari up and thin every three years or so because they multiply so quickly. My containers are mostly out in the open and get very wet in the winter and can get quite dry and hot in the summer. I had crocus blooming in 4 inch pots last year which I somehow missed planting the year before and they survived over the winter and bloomed like mad. Hardy little things.... Can't say the same for dafs and most tulips. Oh, and another perennial to consider for containers (and I agree with earlier posters that your containers need to be bigger) is heather. I have several blooming in containers right now. WCG
