• Fill It Up -- Add plastic water bottles or Styrofoam peanuts to the bottom of your container (Up to ½ with annuals or ¼ with small perennials). Fill the balance with your soil mixture. You will save on plant materials and provide drainage for your pot.

• Drain - Many pots or containers don’t have drainage holes in the bottom. Add one or two holes in the container for proper drainage after watering.

• Recycle and Reuse -- Anything can be used as a container for your flowers, herbs & vegetables. Use a container that reflects your personality. Love horses? Use an old cowboy boot. Is your passion cycling? Put an old bicycle in your yard and fill the basket with trailing ivy (an evergreen). For added enjoyment, paint your bicycle pink (or a complimentary color to the surrounding area) and lean against a tree.

• Compost - Start a compost bin with your grass clippings, leaves and food waste (other than meat and dairy). Your garden will love this amendment and you’ll save on fertilizers and soil amendments (necessary additions with our clay-based soil).

• Mix It Up --Not in the mood to compost? Instead of buying expensive potting mixes for containers, blend together mushroom compost and soil conditioner.

• Dig Your Friends & Neighbors– Many perennials multiply. Ask your friends and neighbors if you can have cuttings or bulbs from their gardens. When I needed shade plants, a friend need sun ones. We traded plants, both gardens benefited, and it’s FREE! Have some root hormone on hand to use with cuttings.

• Two For The Price of One  – In the Spring, many grocery stores run great specials on flowering bulbs, already in bloom and in pots. After their season on my kitchen table, I cut the spent blooms and plant the bulbs in my yard. They revisit my home again next year!

• Gardening Classes-- A great way to increase your knowledge, get expert advice, and find out what’s new and different in the gardening world. Lichtenfelt Nurseries offers classes Saturday mornings in the Spring and Fall and they’re free! Check with your local nursery. For a schedule go to www.lichtenfelt.com.

• Start With Seeds – If you have the time and the patience, it’s cheaper to start with seeds.  Park Seed in Greenwood, SC, has a full line of flower and vegetable seeds. They also have an online garden library with articles and planting guides to get you started at www.parkseed.com. Looking for something different, maybe even historical? Thomas Jefferson’s gardens at Monticello have many offerings. Check out www.monticello.org. 

• Mulch It – Mulch provides much needed protection and helps keep moisture in the soil. Did you know many local landfills offer free mulch? The Twin Chimneys Landfill in Greenville County even offers complimentary loading on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9-12 and 1-3. They give away over 18,000 tons of mulch a year! Contact them at 864-243-9672. Don’t forget to tarp; it’s the law.

• Drip - To save water and time, try a drip irrigation system. Many systems are available at your local home improvement store or nursery and are available for as low as $10. 

• CommunityGardens-- In 1942 (during World War II) 20 million Americans planted Victory Gardens. These gardens brought families and communities together during the depression. Live alone or not sure how to begin? Start a group garden with friends and neighbors. Westside Church in Simpsonville is planting a community garden on the Pastor’s property. Interested members will share in the costs, preparation, planting, and maintaining of this garden spot and all will reap the harvest. 

VEGETABLE AND HERB CONTAINER

SEGMENT AIRED APRIL 14, 2009

I used a large container (50” in diameter).  Plant tomato in center and herbs around perimeter of pot. 

Annual:

Tomato Plant                           I used “Better Boy.”  Use a tomato cage to support the vine.

Remove suckers on the low end of the stalk.  Work a couple of handfuls of lime into the soil to prevent “blossom end rot.”

Perennials

Lavender                                 Sweet smelling fragrance used in sachets and tea. Attracts butterflies.

Tri Color Sage                         Sages attract butterflies. Use to season meats, poultry, fish salads, omelets and soups.  Gentle flavor. May be used as attractive garnish.

Purple Sage                             Use to season meat, stuffing, and sausage. It has a musky spicy aroma.

Creeping Rosemary                 Fragrant herb used for garnishes, pork, soups, vegetables,

                                                dressings, etc.

Doone Valley Thyme              Lemon Scent fragrant garnish (great with fish).  May be used as a ground cover.  Not edible.

Mother of Thyme                    Creeping.  Great between stone pathways, emits sweet aroma.  It has been used for its reported properties in decongestants, as an antiseptic; cough remedy and a digestive aid.

Biennial (lives two years)     

Curled Parsley                         Great source of Vitamin C – Use as garnish on plates and in sauces.

FLORAL CONTAINER

SEGMENT AIRED APRIL 14, 2009

I found a lovely two-tier planter in a junk store in Newberry.  The metal planter was lined with sheet moss. When space allows, utilize cascading plants for visual interest and to make a bigger impact from a distance.

Top Level:

 (ANNUALS)

Double Impatiens –                             “Sparkler Hot Pink”-Beautiful, rose-like blooms

Euphorbia                                            “Diamond Frost” Airy, white flowers

BOTTOM:

(ANNUALS)

Torenia –                                             Cascading with violet flowers

(PERENNIALS)

Coral Bells –                                       Produces tiny white flowers

Dead Nettle-                                       Pink flowers