DIY Network

The Dirt On "Cramming" Containers In landscaping, you want to give your plants plenty of "breathing room." But when it comes to container gardening, don't be afraid to crowd 'em in close. From "The Dirt On..." episode DTDO-103

Considering a container planting? Let your plants get up close and personal.

To cram or not to cram? That is the question. And with apologies to Mr. Shakespeare and a certain prince of Denmark, when it comes to planting in containers, 'tis nobler to cram.

In the landscape, standard plant spacing rules apply. That's because you're giving your plants a permanent place to live, and they'll need room to grow. But when it comes to containers, you can "cheat" a little. You don't want to fill a nice, big expensive pot with a few measly plants so that all you're looking at is soil. There's a way to really pack those pots, making a much bigger impact without harming your plants. The secret of success is in swapping them out.

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The first thing you'll need is a container. This planting technique will work for containers of all shapes and sizes but for maximum impact, bigger is definitely better. It's very important to make sure your pot has adequate drainage or you could lose quite a few plants.

The next thing you'll need is of course, plants. When you're at the nursery shopping, arrange your plants right on the cart so you can get an idea of what the design will look like. You can also avoid buying either too many or too few plants for your pot. It's important to look for variety. Planting different types of plants like a miniature landscape will really make your pots stand out, almost like a living bouquet. Here are the different categories of plants to look for...

• Look for plants that will add height to the pot. This could be a dwarf tree, evergreen shrubs or tall perennials. This is really the backbone of the pot. This could be a permanent feature or at least a plant that you'll keep in the pot for a good length of time. Because of this, you'll want to choose something that is evergreen and easy to care for. Some good options include: juniper, African lLilies, tree ferns, camellias, bird of paradise, Phormium tenax and Phormium cookianium.

• The next category to look for is the medium sized plants. These are smaller shrubs or perennials. This can be another semi-permanent feature if you like. Pick something smaller than your "height" plant and make sure it won't outgrow your other plant any time soon as well. Rounded plants look nice here as a contrast to your first plant which is most likely straight up and down. Some good options include: gardenias, Marguerite daisies, hardy geraniums, Camellia sasanqua, Dwarf Pittosporum and Dwarf Phormium.
  
  
• While your "height" and "medium sized" plants may be colorful, it's always a good idea to use colorful annuals to fill in the "small plants" category. These can really be the razzle-dazzle of the pot, making it really stand out. You will need to swap them out once they're spent but it's pretty easy to switch over to cool season annuals when your summer bloomers are done. Some warm season favorites include: Petunias, Impatiens, Dianthus, Marigolds and Lobelia. Cool season beauties include: Primrose, Pansies and Violas.

• Around the sides of your pot, add some low growing plants like groundcovers. These will fill in any spots of soil you might see around the rim. Scotch Moss and Thyme are great for this. This could be your finishing touch to really finish off the pot. If you're feeling like you could cram a little more though, there's one more category.

• To create the total look abundance, you'll need some plants spilling over the sides of the pot. Vines or running groundcovers are perfect. Choose something that's already grown out like a vine in a one-gallon pot. Remove the stake and let it dangle over the side. Showy options include: Jasmine, Ivy, Trumpet, Potato Vine and Sedum.

To create your crammed container, start from either the back or the middle of your pot with the tallest plants and work your way out to the smallest. Plant them close enough so that you don't see the soil between them, but give yourself a little room to water. The reason you can plant them so close together is that they will only live in this container for a relatively short period of time. When a plant gets too big, you'll have to swap it out for something smaller and this will happen about every six months.

When it comes time to swap things out, dump out the pot and loosen up all the soil because it will get pretty compact in the pot over time. Get rid of any dead plants and if you have healthy plants that have outgrown the container, transfer them to the landscape. Then, just fill in the soil gaps with new plants.

By "cramming" your containers you get the benefit of beautiful, abundant displays that you only have to replant twice a year. You'll never go back to that boring "bare soil" look again.