Green Thumbs needed

[IdofEntity]

What plants would you recommend for container gardening? I've spent the last 5 days making a bunch of different flowerboxes and containers to make a garden on my porch. I've scoured that internet thing and have received all kinds of advice concerning the subject. Unfortunately a lot of it is contradictory. So I thought I'd ask the smartest group of miscreants I had easy access to.

What plants would you recommend for a container garden?

Fruits, Vegetables, Perrenials, Annuals, Bushes (not the political type), Grasses, and Earthen Accents (rocks) are all welcomed.

And no, I'm not growing anything out of a toilet. That recommendation comes up a little too much, sadly.

 

[Tercha]

Peace Lily
Herbs
Pineapple
Strawberries
Miniature roses
All easy to grow, useful, nice looking, and the roses smell nice!

 

[freakinacage]

blueberries are AMAZING. i have a couple of bushes and want a third. water cress if you like it, lettuce and toms are good. it's incredible how much better stuff tastes, makes you realise how much shop bought stuff has no flavour

 

[Gunnila]

It all depends on where you live and what weather you get.
Also, if you want to grow things from seeds or buy little seedlings.
Tomatoes should be fair call, and also some vines like thunbergia, most herbs too. You should be able to get some annual flower seeds mixture in a shop near you too - they come in colour or habitat mixes around me.

 

[IdofEntity]

It all depends on where you live and what weather you get.
Also, if you want to grow things from seeds or buy little seedlings.
Tomatoes should be fair call, and also some vines like thunbergia, most herbs too. You should be able to get some annual flower seeds mixture in a shop near you too - they come in colour or habitat mixes around me.

I'm in the hardiness zone 8 of the US. It's a little humid here. The porch has full sun exposure on about half of it. The rest is partial sun exposure. Growing from seeds vs. seedlings doesn't matter so much to me. I do know that certain things like Crocus won't be viable since you have to plant that in fall.

Thanks for the input so far, people!

 

[TAB Studio]

http://plantfinder.sunset.com/sunset/plant-home.jsp

Great place to start
I had a load of info for you ...I have gardened for 30+ years for a living, I went to a pdf and it crashed and I lost the post...
if you message me here I will give you my email and be happy to one on one help you. I miss the garden lately so is no problem. I suggest you let me know the cardinal direction your porch faces and if you want grab pics.

I found the above before my crash but there are a number of good way to start, free seed catalogs and places like Whiteflower farms have plants catalogs and the zones they correspond to. I checked you state agriculture site and it is not to hot for the consumer mostly farming ours here will have basic info to help you so here is a link.

My words of wisdom in all the years of practice come from an old woman when I was young

"It's a dollar hole and a penny plant"

Those words to spend good money on soil will save you frustration and money in the long run. I would add drainage holes in the pots with deep drip trays underneath keep moisture consistent.

If you have pets or kids check plants before you place them both peace lilly and tumbergia beautiful but are poison also and infants love the tumbergia ojitos berry looks we call them black eye susan. Below is a watch out list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_poisonous_plants

Have fun

 

[Beelzebrush]

Sedges (carex, most sorts), agapanthus, lavenders, clipped box etc all look great in containers. For larger containers, I like to use bamboos such as phyllostacys and larger grasses like miscanthus, then under-plant with alliums, echinops etc.. They look very stylish and are hasslefree and low maintenance.

Like TAB mentioned, put plenty of voiding drainage into the posts like largeish gravel and then prepare good quality top soil with a multi-purpose compost. Also, finish it off with about an inch of mulch to keep the moisture in - decorative aggregates or wood chip are ideal.

Piece of cake and look great!

Incidentally, I've typed this from planting in the UK, which obviously has a different climate.

Like TAB, I build and design gardens for a living - here's my webby if interested http://www.bird-design.co.uk Although, I've really only photographed hard-landscaped projects, so probably not particularly useful for what you are looking for!

 

[IdofEntity]

Okay, good information.

I picked up some used coffee grounds from the local coffee shops for the plants that prefer a higher acidity, and I'll make sure to add mulch.

As for drainage, I built the containers to all have holes about .7 cm across throughout the bottom. Would 2 cm of gravel or river stones provide enough drainage?

Oh and lastly, the porch faces east and north. I don't have any space with a southern exposure. ::sigh::

 

[TAB Studio]

You have some kick ass hardscape I enjoyed your site! The landscape network you all have there is cool also