Show #44/6605. Finishing Touches And Container Tips

Planting A Container - Covering The Drainage Hole

One of the important things we need to think about is to make sure that our drainage is going to be good and that we have the right dynamics for a successful planting. If there is a drainage hole in the bottom and you put the potting mix directly on top of that drainage hole, nine times out of 10, it stands a good chance of getting clogged. At that point, what you see when you look at the top of the container is it's filled with water. The potting mix is just like a mush. So why don't we catch that before it happens? The first thing that Pamela does is put in is some mesh right over the drain hole. Next she puts in some rocks that simply help the drainage, they help the water get down through that hole. Then on top of the rocks she places a piece of weed cloth. The weed cloth is going to keep the potting mix from getting all mixed up with everything that's underneath it. The weed cloth lets water through it, but it doesn't let the potting mix get through. Then we add the potting mix up to the level where we're going to put the plant. Pamela is using a really spectacular planter that in itself is a work of art. What she doesn't want to do is overwhelm it with a whole lot of different plants. Therefore she's just going to plant one large plant and three smaller ones in front, just to accent the color.