Sunday, May 17, 2009

Bruce Miller Appreciates

May 16th, 2009.
Attending Bruce Miller's party for the customers. Gaining knowledge and tips on container gardening, herbs, and propagation. Some knowledge that's new to me and I think I can use a lot in my gardening are about soil mix for container gardening, drying and collecting herbs seeds, and propagation techniques. Besides interesting talks and meeting other BM's loyal customers, I also won two draws! One (in the picture) a Lone Star wooden container with begonias and others in it, the other is a pot of artemisia. Not only that, I brought home some new plants and got a hummingbird feeder as a souvenir. Good party, nice and helpful staffs, beautiful plants, ... and the BEIGNET was terrific, too!

Bruce Miller Edgewood wesbite:http://brucemillernurseryedgewood.com/nursery.html

Following is the recap of Container Gardening put up in their website.
Grower's Corner (June 15th, 2009)

Thanks to everyone who came out for our customer appreciation day. Food, fun, and fellowship was abundant and, if you missed it, we are sorry. Just so you do not feel totally left out, I would like to take this opportunity to recap my presentation on "Container Gardening".

Container gardening is an ideal way to t
ake indoor living and decorating out into the yard. It gives you the opportunity to take your color schemes or decor into the garden. You can also create spaces or outdoor rooms with containers. Once you select the appropriate container/containers, then the fun begins. You can choose a theme for your container. It can be monochromatic, diversified, or anything in between. You should also decide the containers orientation to help you with your plant selection.

If your container is against a backdrop or will only be viewed from one side, select taller plants for the back. Medium plants can then be planted in front of these with cascading or low growing plants in the container's front. Pay careful attention to the cultural needs of your plants, and only plant those with similar needs together. Keep your color schemes or theme in mind, too.

Fill your container with a good soil mix. One that is a balance between drainage and moisture retention is important. Most container plantings fail due to lack of water or over watering. A good mix consist of 1/2 peat moss (or organic matter), 1/4 medium vermiculite, and 1/4 perlite. Add more perlite for additional drainage or increase the vermiculite if the medium is drying-out too rapidly. Also, if you are planting a l
arge container, a big part of the expense can be the soil. Consider using filler in the bottom such as plastic bottles, beverage cans, or styrofoam packing material. This can aid in additional drainage as well as save on soil costs. I also like to add a balanced, slow release fertilizer. This is important since your plants will not be receiving any of the naturally occurring nutrients in the soil.

Select your plants and the fun c
ontinues. You can plant all perennials for a
permanent planting, tropical for nice foliage texture, or annuals for a burst of color. Also, consider smaller planters within the container that can be changed out without replanting the whole container. This allows for seasonal changes or spurts of color to tire
d looking planters.

Remember
that the sky is the limit, and if you like your container, it is perfect!

Herman Vess
Grower/Propagator

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