domesticdiva
Full Member
Posts: 41
Joined: Sat May 16, 2009 10:54 am
Location: Eastern NC

Year round container ideas?

I have never attempted container gardening. I'd like a couple of them for my backyard patio. But...I'd like something I can leave outdoors all year. Is that possible? I live in zone 7, which is pretty warm all year but occasionally in the winter it will snow...maybe once. I'd like some sort of evergreen that I can plant annuals around...or possibly even perennials? Would rosemary work? A topiary would be awesome. What would work for a small patio? Would I have to keep changing the size of the pot as the tree/shrub grew? Thanks for any ideas!

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Kisal
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Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

I was going to recommend a dwarf rhododendron, until I noted that you want to plant annuals around the plant. Rhodies have very shallow root systems, and digging around them would disturb them. A camellia might work, too, but whatever you choose, I recommend a dwarf variety, to avoid having it outgrow the space you have available.

Yes, you will probably have to repot the plant periodically, but eventually it should reach its mature size and be happy in its container.

A topiary would be possible. I'm not sure planting annuals or perennials around one would be the best idea, because it might tend to distract attention from the sculpted topiary. It might work well with a simple "standard form" topiary.

I'm a strong proponent, though, of the idea that people should design their spaces to please themselves, so if you like flowers around your topiary, go for it!. :D



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