Container Gardening Portland Or Style

By Donna Murray


So you don't have a yard, or the time to weed and water. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy fresh herbs or vine-ripe tomatoes. It doesn't mean you have to do without flowers or the refreshing effects of greenery. Container gardening Portland OR style can make your patio, balcony, or kitchen counter productive and colorful.

Actually, even those with large yards and flower beds like growing things in pots, baskets, planters, window boxes, and barrels. Anything that holds dirt can be home for one or more plants. Garden centers have gorgeous ceramic pots or traditional terra cotta ones, but even tires and empty coffee cans can be used in a pinch. All sorts of things, from straw hats to mini wheelbarrows, will add whimsical touches to house and garden.

Pots of bright annuals can be moved around to bring color to otherwise drab areas. Having portable planters also means that plants can be front and center in spring but moved to more protected areas when summer sun gets too hot or winter frost threatens. If a garden has poor soil, plants may do better in pots.

Plants in pots or baskets can give height to a landscape as well as color. The tops of tables and walls are perfect, as are old stumps, ironwork plant stands, or terrace steps. Hang some window boxes in the traditional way or use them as patio guard rails. Trailing greenery can hang high or ramble over a wall or banister.

If the only place to have flowers, herbs, or decorative greenery is inside, potting them up is the only way. Some plants need light, so sunny, south-facing windows are great. Others do better without direct sun; they may flourish in a north window. Nothing is prettier than a group of bright geraniums just inside a sliding glass door. Their color will be seen from both inside and out. Foyers are great for a ficus tree, a lemon tree, or even a tropical banana plant.

If you don't have enough natural light for flowering plants, consider the decorative effect of grow lights. Not only do they provide light for plants, they also highlight a dark corner and show off the flowers. Indoor plants are good for you, too. They humidify the air, which makes rooms more comfortable and saves energy. They also clean the air of toxins, like fumes from carpet or furniture, and add oxygen to it.

The health benefits of plants in the home or the office are validated by research. Records show that offices with plants house workers who miss fewer days and work more productively. Many of the plants that do all right in low light are very efficient at cleansing the air. Others thrive under fluorescent bulbs.

Tomatoes and blueberries grow well in pots, strawberries in window boxes or pyramids, herbs in kitchens, and wheat grass in flats. There are even survival gardens designed for the loving room. Check out how you can use plants as decorative touches, health aids, fresh food, and pure pleasure.




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