Show #03/7903. Container Gardens For Butterflies

Planting A Container That’s Full Of Flowers

Eric thinks Pamela does a wonderful job with combinations. In many cases her containers look like an entire globe of flowers. They're so full. Please explain how you're able to achieve that effect. Pamela shows us one window box that's not just planted in the top, it's also planted in the sides. And you do that with a window box that has holes in the side. It's called a side planted window box and it's very flexible. One can just dip the root ball in water, slide them in and then plant the top. There's something about the amount of air that gets in through the cocoa fiber that puts them in hyper growth. But one in particular is seven, eight months old and it keeps going and going and just getting better. They also come in round sizes. The round sizes come with kits that make it possible to put them on a post, a post that goes in the ground or a post that goes inside a pot. Both provide almost a topiary type effect. And those have been the single best way to get a lot of pollinators because there are so many plants in the container. And for small spaces like decks and patios where you're really trying to maximize the color impact that you can get from planting, being able to go vertical provides a whole new plane to work with.

Eric wonders how long the coconut liner lasts? Do they need to be changed out every year? Pamela does change it every year. Some people reuse them, Pamela just likes starting fresh and clean because the ones that are used are just kind of dirty on the inside, just like you would expect. You can't really wash them, she hasn't tried to put one in the washing machine and doesn't think that would work great anyway. So she just gets a new liner every year.