Ideal Containers and Other Considerations for Winter Container Gardening

You can bring some color during winter if you start your winter container gardening. Not only that, plants also helps facilitate efficient exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen gases in the environment. This type of gardening also helps welcome plants that may grow in the coming spring season.

One thing for certain, winter container gardening should be treated differently from other gardening. For example, pots used should not be made of clay and terra cotta as the low temperature may only make the material crack or crumble easily.

Instead, containers made of wood, plastic or metal with customized drainage holes are favorable for winter growing.

Some also add broken clay pots at the bottom of the pots before adding soil in it. Because moisture will easily be lost during winter, plants for winter may be added with a special soil mix with sphagnum moss or peat.

You may also apply mixing polymer granules to assure that moisture is maintained in the soil all the time.

Watering is not of prime importance in container gardening. You may only water your plants at least once a week. Even during winter, plants still need sunlight. Placing them to the most conspicuous space in your house, like your patio or balcony will increase the likelihood of getting sunlight. Some gardeners also use artificial sources of ultraviolet rays or growing lights for plants not to wither.

Plants that Can Withstand Winter

Because of the scarcity of sunlight and gases during winter, ideal plants are those that are resistant to low temperature and less amount of sunlight. Ornamental cabbage are one the plants that can withstand the coldness of winter.

You can also experiment other plants like pansies, variegated sage, flowering kale, primroses and dwarf deciduous hollies for winter container gardening. You can also add trailing plants like ivy in the edges of the containers.

If you are not so sure whether the stock used is in good condition, you may check your community nursery for available stock. You can also ask your community agriculturist for new breeds of plants for winter.

If the amount of frost is heavy on a particular day, you can always transfer your pots in a safe location and apply artificial growing lights or transfer them in the nearest greenhouse for the meantime.For added color, you may also accentuate your surroundings with fruit and nut trees in your yard.

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