Tracy Erfling N.D.
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guidance f t or
Naturopathic Physician
-JUNE’S GARDEN"
CONTAINER GARDENING
A visiting gardener called the many containers on
m y deck filled with colorful annual flowers the razz-ma-
tazz, the show-stoppers, o f my garden. T h e perennial
beds are also colorful at times, out most perennials only
bloom once through a season. Annuals bloom from the
time they’re large enough to produce flowers and
continue to bloom until the first frost in the fall.
Container gardening with annuals does take more time
and effort as you need to replant new plants each year,
but it’s well worth the effort to create a colorful palette
o f plants that bloom throughout the summer.
Through the years o f past experience, also
information given to me by other gardeners, I ’ve learned
a few steps to take for success.
It*s best to start w ith clean containers. I f they
have been used before, I wash them with a mild solution
o f about 1/4-cup o f bleach to a gallon o f water, then
rinse thoroughly. T h is helps to destroy plant disease or
critters left from last year’s plantir
Container plants need soil tnat is porous, well-
drained and yet moisture-retentive. I add peat moss and
com post to commercial potting soil using my
wheelbarrow to mix the combination together. Peat
moss helps retain moisture; com post adds organic soil
amendment. I f you don’t have your own compost,
V ic k i M c flfe e
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whose petals were purple and orange, inspired me to add
different shades o f purple petunias, orange blooms o f
marigolds, pelargonium (geraniums), nemesia, and
nasturtiums. I chose deep blue lobelia and the silver-
grey foliage o f helichrysum that both cascaded over the
edge o f the planter. In other containers I used lighter
shades o f this color combination: lavender flowering
Swan River daisies, coral impatiens and tuberose
begonias, to name only a few. A fter you choose what
color you want predominantly to use, the search is on.
Last year in a turquoise blue over-washed large
ceramic pot 18” tall, 17” across, I planted a cerinthe
major Purpurescens. T h is plant is a hardy annual whose
bracts turn ultramarine as the reddish purple drooping
flowers emerge. It grows about 2’ tall and as wide in a
single season. I added a Martha W ashington
pelargonium whose flowers were burgundy red, a trailing
dark pink foschia whose variegated foliage colors are
cream, green, and a touch o f burgundy, a bright pink
‘Sunscape’ daisy, a variegated ‘Sun’ coleus, dark blue
lobelia, lavender flowering bacopia, and pink flowering
strawberry plant. Some o f these plants lived over, which
I ’ll use again this year. I saved seeds from the cerinthe
which I planted and which have sprouted, and this year
I ’ll add either ‘Lim elight’ chartreuse foliage o f
helichrysum or a sedum called ‘Vera Jameson.’ This
sedum has foliage similar in color to the cerinthe, and
dark pink clusters o f flowers appear in late summer.
W hen Lee Estabrook and his wife Mary had
Haystack Garden nursery in the 1980’s, Lee taught me
how to save soil when filling a large container like the
turquoise one I described. Fill the bottom o f the pot
with large pieces o f bark such as the kind that can be
bought by the sack, or use layered twigs left over from
pruning. Annuals only need about 1 1/2 feet o f soil for
their roots.
Have fon creating your own razz-ma-tazz.
C O R R E C T I O N : In last m onth’s column, a
misprint: ‘Double D elight’ is the name o f my rose, not
‘Double D igit.’
Cfaticai '}fzrbafat
Certified Nutritionist
1010 Duane • Astoria, Oregon 97103
Phone: 503-325-9194 • Email: erflingnd^hotmail.com
503 325-3471
I s to n a . Oregon
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planted too early they can be damaged by frost. Around
M other’s D ay is the timetable I use.
Annuals are available to buy in packs, 2-4 or 6
plants to a pack. Choose ones that have not grown too
tall or leggy. W h en dividing plants grown in packs, use a
sharp knife to separate them instead o f pulling the
plants apart. A sharp cut straight down and around each
one is less damaging to the root system. I f your plant
comes in single pots and the roots are entwined, gently
tease the roots apart before transplanting. This will
encourage the roots to reach out into the soil. Before
transplanting, water each plant in its original container.
T h is makes them easier to remove and helps cause less
shock in transplanting.
I add slow-release fertilizer, which comes in
diet form, to each container. W hen I finish planting I
pen,
first
rst water it thoroughly, then again w ith a mild solution
o f liquid fertilizer to help settle the roots into the soil.
Fill each container w ith as many plants as you
can. T h is is easier to do when you have selected young
plants. A t full growth the containers are more
attractive. M ost annuals are compatible as to their
needs o f fertilizers and moisture. In case you’re in
doubt, check their labels; most labels have full
instructions as to their needs.
M y deck is on the south side o f the house and I
water the containers daily, usually in the morning. I f it’s
especially warm or windy, wind will dry out the pots, so
I water again in the early evening. I only use liquid
fertilizers about every three weeks. W ater the plants
first before using the liquid fertilizer to prevent plant-
bum. I depend more on time-release fertilizers to
provide the nutrients.
W h en selecting the color combinations o f
flowers you want to use, also give thought to shapes,
textures o f both flowers and foliage, and the height o f
mature growth. M ixing different shapes, textures, and
heights makes the com position more interesting.
C olor combinations can be inspired to use by a
single plant. O n e year a pansy, patent name ‘J o k e r /
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