Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The Braselton News
Page 11A
Seasonal color in containers calls for tasteful selection
Harris, Pope united in marriage
C ontainer gardening is a
great way to create attrac
tive floral accents for home
entryways, decks, and patios. And it's
also an ideal way to add seasonal
color to the landscape with a lot less
maintenance than planting annuals
in beds.
On the other hand, it's a practice
that requires good taste and restraint.
Pots that upstage the plants they con
tain, clash with the colors of masonry
or siding or, through overuse, cre
ate a scene of clutter that should be
avoided. And the same applies to
using too many different flower and
foliage colors in the same individual
containers.
Functionality is also important,
and should take precedence over the
artistic merits of containers. Many
ornate ceramic and concrete pots, for
example, do not provide adequate
drainage and should be avoided in
favor of those that do.
In selecting containers that will
grow the healthiest plants and, at
the same time, harmonize with your
home’s permanent architectural fea
tures, you can’t go wrong with earth
tones and simplicity.
For a long time, large pots of clay,
concrete or wood met these require
ments. But on the downside, they
stained easily, cracked in freezing
weather, or rotted after only a season
or two of use.
Today, heavy molded plastic fac
similes are generally less expensive,
longer lasting, more portable, and
far easier to clean with a little soap
and water. And most of these are
made with adequate drainage holes in
the bottom and come with matching
saucers.
Fewer large containers are gener
ally preferred over numerous smaller
ones for two reasons.
The bigger the container, the more
soil it holds and, consequently, the
less often it will need to be watered.
In addition,
an abundance
of smaller
pots in vari
ous shapes
and sizes
tend to make
an otherwise
neat and tidy
place look junky.
A good measure for selecting the
right size for a particular site calls for
a two-to-three ratio of pot size to the
height of the tallest plant featured. In
other words, the potted garden should
be a third taller than the vertical mea
surement of the container.
And if the planted container is used
to frame a doorway or entrance to a
walkway, drive, or patio, it should not
be taller than a third the height of the
nearest door, gate or piece of outdoor
furniture.
Exceptions to this rule of propor
tion may apply to some individual
plants, such as tree-form roses and
hibiscus, trunked palms or plants
trained as topiary. But unless you’re
an experienced landscape designer,
my advice is to stick to the aforemen
tioned ratio.
Since some of the best premixed
potting soils are relativly light in
weight, a few inches of heavy gravel
in the bottom will help to prevent
planted containers from turning over
in high winds. This will also improve
drainage and keep soil from washing
out of the drainage holes.
When placing soil in the contain
ers, stop about two inches below the
edge of the rim. As you add plants,
the soil around their roots will raise
this level and, after your selections
are all heeled in, you can add more
soil. But always leave at least an inch
of exposed rim to hold mulch and to
prevent soil and water from spilling
over the edge.
Although the primary purpose of
placing a layer of mulch on top of
the soil is to
prevent weeds
and conserve
moisture, it
can serve
other purpos
es as well.
Light-
colored mate
rials tend to reflect sunlight and main
tain cooler soil temperatures than dark-
colored mulches. But if you anticipate a
problem from cats or squirrels digging
in your containers, a covering of lava
rock is a better choice for discouraging
critter damage.
Lava provides similar protection
from bad cat habits for houseplants,
as well.
Now for the fun part: Selecting and
installing the pretty stuff. And this,
too, demands restraint.
Annuals generally perform better
for longer periods when given suf
ficient room to spread. Put too many
too close together, and you’ll end up
with weaker stems and often more
problems with insect pests, snails and
slugs.
Consider a single tall plant to pro
vide maximum height in the center.
Spike dracaena is a good choice for
this. Or if you prefer something a
little softer, a small clump of Purple
Fountain Grass or Variegated Iris
should accomplish the same thing.
Around this vertical centerpiece,
you can pretty much select anything
that forms dense mounds of growth
and produces a non-stop display of
blooms. Petunias, French marigolds,
annual vinca, and geraniums are
among the more carefree choices for
sun.
Impatiens, coleus, caladiums and
begonias produce similar results in
shade.
And for a finishing touch that really
makes a container garden look like a
true work of art, add something with
more delicate foliage and flowers to
spill over the edge and trail down
ward.
Baccopa with small green leaves
and tiny white blooms or Blue Daze
with silvery leaves and azure flow
ers are great for this purpose in sun.
Selaginella, Wandering Jew and min
iature ivy are popular choices for
shade.
Where color combinations are con
cerned, be sure to give some thought
to where your containers will be
placed and to the times they are most
likely to be enjoyed.
Bright yellows, reds, orange, and
purple tend to warm up areas where
too much green is somewhat monoto
nous. Softer blues and pinks create a
cooler, more relaxed ambiance. And
whites are an absolute must for night
time viewing.
Most well-established container
gardens in full sun require watering
as often as every other day in hot
weather while those in shade may
require a good soaking no more than
once a week. Recycled water is per
fect for this purpose, as long as con
tainers are thoroughly soaked during
each application.
To keep container gardens looking
their best throughout the growing
season, snip off fading blossoms to
prevent seed formation, pinch grow
ing tips to encourage better branch
ing, and turn the planters every two
or three weeks to encourage even
growth on all sides.
Add a little plant food to the water,
spray for such pests as aphids, spider
mites, and thrips if these become trou
blesome, and keep snails and slugs at
bay with a pelletized bait.
Fil Jessee lives in Braselton, where
he works as a freelance journal
ist. He is a Georgia Certified Plant
Professional with experience in orna
mental horticulture and landscape
design. Reader questions relating to
gardening can be sent to Fil at fil-
writes@aol.com.
Candice Marybeth Harris,
Winder, and Kristopher Wallace
Pope, Jefferson, were united in
marriage Sept. 8, 2007, at The
FarmHouse Inn, Madison, with the
Hon. Tammy Brown officiating.
The bride is the daughter of
Richard and Ann Harris, Winder,
and the groom is the son of Kevin
and Karen Pope, Jefferson.
The bride was given in mar
riage by her father, and her mother
was matron of honor. Bridal atten
dants were Kimberly Pope, Brooke
Hogan, Emily Bryant, Kaylain
Little, Jessica Arnold, Chelsea
Grifth, Stacy Klemm and LaDonna
Canup.
Ryanne Olivia Harris was the
flower girl and Mary Elizabeth
Harris was the bell ringer.
The groom’s father was best man.
Groom’s attendants were Lance
Elrod, Mark Edwards, Joel Thrasher,
Mac Parks, Blake Brooksher, Luke
Canup and Zach Hightower.
Bryson Smyth Harris was the ring
bearer and Adam Harris, Shannon
Harris and Klint Harris were ush-
ers/candlelighters.
Tony Wall was pianist/organ-
The Celebrate Braselton festival
— set for Friday, July 4 — is seek
ing parade and vendor participants.
The festival, which is sponsored
by the town, will be held at the
Braselton Park.
The town is seeking organizations
— such as scout troops, athletic
teams, pageant winners and march
ing bands — and cools cars to par
ticipate in a parade.
A parade will begin at 10 a.m. and
will go through downtown Braselton
on Ga. Hwy. 53.
MR. AND MRS. POPE
ist, and Chris Little was vocalist.
Carrie Gilmer was the bridal book
attendant.
A reception was held at The
FarmHouse Inn.
The groom’s parents hosted a
rehearsal dinner.
Following a wedding trip to Cape
Sand Blast, Fla., the couple resides
in Winder.
Music will begin in the park at 11
a.m. “The Bored Executives” will
perform at 1 p.m. and the Elizabeth
Cook and Band will perform at 5
p.m.
At dusk, a fireworks show behind
Publix on Ga. Hwy. 211 will begin.
Vendor booths will be open in the
park from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The town
is seeking vendors, such as antiques,
crafts, food, jewelry, purses, kiddie
crafts and recreational activities.
Formore information, call the Town
of Braselton at 706-654-3915.
Gardener’s
Grapevine
with
Fil Jessee
filwrites@aol.com
Vendors needed for festival
Family day planned May 17 at Braselton Library
A family day at the Braselton Library will be held on
Saturday, May 17, at 11:30 a.m.
A pizza party and “paleontology dig” for students in
fourth grade and up will be held. Pizza, drinks and des
sert will be served.
A special program for pre-school and students up to
third grade will also be held.
Parents and grandparents are invited to the event,
which is sponsored by the Friends of the Braselton-West
Jackson Library.
Reservations are requested for the event. To make a
reservation, call the Braselton Library at 706-654-1992.
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Community
Health Fair
Saturday, April 26
9 am - 1 pm
Barrow Regional Medical Center
★ FREE Face Painting ★ ★ Hot Dogs & Popcorn ★
★ Moonwalk & Sno-Cones ★ ★ Family Fun ★
All the fun is outside, but come inside and find out how you and
your family can be healthier and have more fun this summer!
Specialists Will Include:
Other Vendors Will Include:
Allergy & Asthma
YMCA
Dermatology (skin cancer screening)
Beauticontrol
Family Practice
ENT
Ultimate Best
Barrow County Fire and Emergency
with the firetruck
Community Bank and Trust
The Tree House will celebrate
Pinwheels for Prevention!
*
Come visit us at 316 N. Broad Street, Winder
www.barrowregional.com
Submit your school or social news from Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Mi
Creek, South Hall, Barrow County or West Jackson by e-mailing news@mainstreet
news.com, faxing items to 706-387-5421 or calling 706-367-5986.
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I-85 South
Exit 129
