Container gardening

Some excellent examples of container gardening can be found all around the Ocala downtown square. [Submitted photo]

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Posted June 3, 2025 | By Marge Hendon, Pioneer Garden Club of Ocala, Morning Glory Circle

Do you remember the 1964 Simon and Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence?” Try this version:

Hello soil, my old friend
I’ve come to play in you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within container gardening.

Plants love growing in the ground, in outer space, in the oceans, in water, in soil, in the air, in trees, in the cracks of a sidewalk or in containers. Plants will grow almost anywhere. If you enjoy seeing beautiful plants, smelling their unusual aromas, eating their leaves and fruits, and watching your efforts being appreciated by a plant, then container gardening is for you.

Container gardening is great for any growing space you may have. A patio, porch, balcony, deck and front or back yard will hold a container or many containers. They can be long, short, thin, wide, heavy or light. You may have seen wine barrels cut in half as a plant container, but how many of us could ever move one of those? Think of an old kitchen container, small garbage receptacle, boot, shoe, jeans or anything that will hold soil and lets the water drain out. The container needs drainage holes in the bottom, no matter what the size.

Why is it that we remember plants from our youth? My Grandmother/Mom grew violets in her kitchen window.

“I had to pick corn, cotton or … all day.” Memories we may have had involving plants.

This summer, assist a young child to learn responsibility by growing and caring for a container plant. It will give them a memory for their college days and beyond.

Container plants are mobile, like us. Many of us move and our plants can go with us if we have them in containers. As the sun moves from South to North over the seasons, we can move our plants to where they can get the sun or shade they need.

Hot weather or freezing cold, our plants can be moved. Our container friends can give our new residence street appeal, design accents, privacy from neighbors, instant impact for guests and a chance to determine where they will ultimately be the happiest.
What about our happiness when it comes to container gardening? We can use a bag of container gardening soil, which is light and airy. We can plant for colors, purpose and plants of our choosing.

Ninety-nine percent of our time, with an in-ground garden, is spent on pulling weeds; deterring pests, both flying and four-legged; and lugging water hoses, praying for rain, praying for less rain and fighting plant diseases.

Container gardens give us control over soil and water, so our plants have water drainage, avoiding root rot, and complete control of the soil quality. Pest and weeds are almost nonexistent, eliminating the need for herbicides and pesticides.
My planter at my front door was host to a family of wrens, but that made me and the plants happy. If our plants are happy, we are happy!

We now have a sense of purpose and accomplishment with our contained plants. We can plant that bamboo or passion vine that we were always afraid to plant due to its need to take over the world. Our stress level is reduced knowing we control much of the success of this plant.

It’s time to get started. Determine what you would like to grow. Vegetables, flowers, house plants, vines, succulents and trees can all be grown in containers. Review online the best type of container and soil to be used with that plant. Find a container and drill holes in it, if there aren’t some already. Purchase your soil and follow the planting directions on the bag. Start your plants from seed or purchase from a local plant shop. Make sure your seeds are fresh and plants are of high quality.

If you purchase your plants online and expect them to arrive at your home fresh and of high quality, you may be disappointed. Plants purchased in Florida may experience freezing temperatures on the way to their new homes farther north. If you purchase your plants in the south, place them on the back seat of the car in the summer heat, they can die from the heat. Plan ahead.

If you want to mix and match your plants, you can. Marigolds, pansies, calendula and nasturtiums will give your containers the color you want within your vegetable planter, while at the same time deterring pests. Those four flowering gems also are edible. Radishes can be planted at the base of lettuce. Beans and peas can grow up a corn stalk. Plant in interval so as to not have too much produce at one time. Know the purpose of your planters and plants within them.

The cities of Ocala and DeLand have planters that beautify and protect their downtown areas. Ocala has theirs strategically placed so large delivery trucks don’t drive over the street corners and run over pedestrians’ feet. The next time you visit these downtown areas be sure to notice how you are being protected by these beauties.

The Pioneer Garden Club of Ocala has planters within Ocala’s main library. We invite you to come and see if you can count how many different plants are within them.

When planting container gardens, designers go for the “thrill, fill and spill” formula for a pleasing planter. The “thrill” is the tall plants, “fill” is the plants that fill out the middle of the planter and the “spill” is the plant material that flows over the container lip towards the floor.

You’ll be floored when you create your container garden! So, Hello Soil, my old friend…you can do it. You’re never too young or old to plant a container garden.

To learn more, go to pioneergardenclub.org