Container Gardening Tips

One of the most enjoyable pastimes of gardening is planting containers to dress up the front entrance, patio, and deck. Especially now with the landscape just beginning to awaken, pots filled with pansies and snapdragons remind us that yes, it IS spring. 

May promises to be what we hope is more of a normal spring month, but remember, that is just what it is - a spring month. It's too soon to be filling containers with summer annuals that are thriving now in the heated greenhouse. Here in Wisconsin we enjoy four very different seasons, so celebrate each one in your containers. 

Spring pots can be filled with pussy willow stems, pansies, snapdragons, nemesia, and our new favorite, Senetti, (shown above) which can take temperatures down to 35 degrees. Or plant a pot with spring-blooming perennials like the one below. Once June rolls around, plant the perennials in the garden and fill your containers with summer annuals. Then come fall, it's time to switch them out for mums, kale, and fall Rudbeckia and finally fresh-cut greens and red dogwood for winter.

Need inspiration for your summer containers? Stop in and walk through the greenhouses which are full of new annual varieties as well as old favorites. Our staff is willing to help you select combinations that grow well together. You can also ask for a complimentary copy of the Proven Winner Idea Book for 2018 at the checkout counter. ​

Start your container gardens off right with fresh potting soil and a slow-release fertilizer. Use what we use! This year we are using Pro-Mix which is peat and bark-based. It also contains biofungicide and mycorrhizae - natural ingredients that make a visible difference in plant health, size, and vigor. We have also switched from Osmocote to a natural, slow-release fertilizer called Sustane. Sustane can be used in containers as well as in the vegetable garden. Both are available here at BGC!

Let us plant your container for you! 

Not sure what to plant, or don't have time to do it yourself? Every spring, we plant containers for almost 100 customers! Bring in your containers, give us an idea of what you like, sun or shade requirements, and we'll take it from there. We plant, then we'll keep your containers until the weather is nice in mid-late May. We keep a record of what we plant, so we can do it again for you next year! 

Call today for more information (262-763-2153) or stop in and ask for Marty, Pam, or Taylor.