The Galveston County Daily News

Container gardening can be an attractive part of the landscape of an urban home or apartment, whether on a patio, rooftop, balcony or doorstep.

During a recent garden tour on the East End of Galveston, a delightful array of container gardening was on display. Even a causal walk around many neighborhoods at this time of year can reveal a variety of gardening containers.

Whether they grace a backyard deck, front entranceway or patio, containers of flowers and other plants are a great way to decorate homes where there is limited space for gardening.

Mixed plantings in large containers also can create focal points and provide architectural interest by combining decorative containers, dramatic plant forms and colorful flowers and foliage.

Container gardening literally elevates plants, bringing them closer to eye level and making them more prominent than a similar grouping of plants at ground level.

Container gardening has evolved far beyond the simple clay pots of yesteryear. Today’s containers come in an array of materials, shapes, sizes and styles suited to almost any location or use.

The container you choose depends on its purpose and location. Your container needs to “fit” the space, complement the plant(s) and be conducive to good plant growth and health.

If you will need to move the container, lightweight plastic might be a good choice. Wood containers need to be sturdy so they will last a few seasons. Glazed clay pots are popular due to their aesthetic qualities, but ceramic pots tend to retain moisture slightly better than clay pots.

For the more venturesome gardener, consider using novel containers, such as an old boot or an antique bathtub or even a small boat.

What can be grown in these small spaces? Container gardening is not just for adding color during the spring and summer growing season. With flowers like pansies, flowering kale or cabbage, dianthus and chrysanthemums, the choices for a fall planter are great. To add contrasting greenery and texture to the mix, choose from variegated ivy, asparagus fern, etc.

Why not use herbs in your container? You could fill it with oregano, thyme, parsley, cilantro, chives, mints or erect rosemary topped with your winter flowers. Harvest the herb leaves for fresh use in holiday dishes or dry and store them in airtight containers for later use.

What if your gardening philosophy veers toward an “if it’s not edible why grow it” ideology or you just like vegetable gardening? Then you’re in luck, as many fall season vegetables grown in a typical backyard garden also will grow well in containers.

Fall vegetables well-suited to container gardening include leaf lettuce, green onions and radishes. To add color to a patio or deck area, ornamental peppers and red-leaf lettuce can be included. Even red cabbage can be in the mix given a suitable size container.

Good drainage is important when using containers. A 5-gallon container should have at least four drainage holes.

Many suitable types of potting media are available for growing vegetables in containers. A “synthetic” or soilless mix does not contain any soil and is excellent because it is disease- and weed-free, holds moisture and yet is well-drained and lightweight. However, there are several excellent potting mixtures available that contain “high quality” soil but are pasteurized to reduce problems with weeds and soilborne diseases.

So even if space is limited but you can’t “contain” the itch to give gardening a try, then give container gardening a try. Depending on your selection of plants, the rewards can be colorful or delicious or both.

Dr. William Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County Office of Texas AgriLife Extension Service, The Texas A&M System. Visit his Web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston.