Window boxes and containers

Emily Jewell took care of the technical aspects while Barb Jewell made her presentation.

At the February 2014 meeting of the Garden Club of PEI Barb Jewell, of Jewell’s Country Market in Marshfield PE,  spoke about her vast experience in creating window boxes and containers for her customers.  Her family business grows plants and creates containers for sale, does custom planting for residential customers, and also has a number of business customers, including the Delta Hotel in Charlottetown and across the street at the Merchantman Pub. Barb credits the staff of those establishments with helping with the daily tasks of deadheading and watering. 

 

Barb’s job at the greenhouse business includes ordering plants, scheduling and selecting the plants to be used in containers and hanging baskets.  Things get started in the greenhouse during the 12^th week before the last frost – which is the third week in March. 

Some customers come in with their own containers, and Barb will plant them with whatever the customer chooses.  She cautions customers to make sure the containers have proper drainage.  Some people put rocks in the bottom of containers but Barb fills her entire container with good quality soil-less mix.

She says that often the customers will choose the geraniums which are most vividly blooming at the time; however, by the time the customer sees the final planting, Barb has removed the flowers because falling petals which land on the leaves tend to cause botrytis – disease and yellowing. New buds will form quickly, and the planting will soon be full of blooms.

Choosing plants

Before you go to the nursery, make a list of the plants you want.  Do some research on the Internet or look through seed catalogues to get inspired.  Before buying, tip out the plant.  The roots should be white, not brown.

When choosing plants, group together plants with similar needs.  Plants with different needs will not thrive together in a container.  In a formal setting, choose a formal arrangement of plants, such as dracaena, geraniums, and neat trailers.  Plants around a pool should not have petals that blow off easily and end up in the water.  Choose large tropicals like cannas instead.

In late spring, Gerbera daisies are in full bloom and look beautiful.  But by late July, they stop blooming.  If you plant them in containers, make sure you have other plants that will take over and bloom once Gerberas no longer produce flowers.

Growing conditions

When choosing plants for containers, consider where the container will be placed.  A container which gets full sun all day will need different types of plants than one that will be placed in the shade.  Morning sun is not as intense as afternoon sun. 

Plant tags

Plants are sold with a plastic tag that contains a wealth of information.   It will let you know the botanical name, common name, colour of flowers and leaves, when it will bloom, whether it prefers sun or shade, and plant habit (i.e. trailing or mounding).

The tags also come with a label that you can scan with your smart phone.  You can even take a picture of the tag and the plant and create a digital record of the plants you purchase every year.  This will make it easier to choose plants next year.

Soil

When planting containers, plants will perform better if you use fresh soil every year. 

It is very important to use good quality soil-less mix which is a mixture of perlite, peat moss, cocoa fibre, and a chemical wetting agent.  It also contains a small amount of fertilizer.  The brands they use are ASB or Sunshine #4.  This comes in hard, compacted bales that need to be broken up and moistened.  The greenhouse has a machine that automatically breaks up the bales and adds water and makes it much easier to fill containers. 

Water

Watering is the most important job in the greenhouse, because plants dry out fast and can die fast.

Fertilizer

Because plants in containers have a limited amount of soil, and soil-less mix has very few nutrients, fertilizer should be applied twice a week.  20-20-20 slow-release is a good all-purpose fertilizer.  Barb tries to stay away from artificial fertilizers, and recommends making your own compost tea or manure tea to water your plants.  Organic fertilizer does not interfere with the beneficial organisms in the soil that keep roots healthy.
 

Never fertilize when the soil is very dry.  Moisten thoroughly before watering.  If the weather is very warm, flush the plant with straight water to prevent the build-up of mineral salts.

Vegetative vs seed started plants

A plant marked “vegetative” was started from a cutting, not from seed.  Vegetative plants are usually sold individually and are more expensive than those started from seed.  Vegetative plants are usually more vigorous, produce more flowers, and generally perform better.

Jewell’s buys thousands of unrooted cuttings and plants them up.  Their greenhouse has a warm-water misting stem and bottom heat, which provides ideal conditions.

Transplanting

Make sure the transplanting soil and the plant is moist.  When taking the plant out of the container, loosen the roots before transplanting. 

Geraniums

Jewell’s grows geraniums from cuttings and from seed.  About 75% of the geraniums they sell are red.  Vegetative geraniums are more vigorous and more expensive than those started from seed.

Recommended plants

• Proven Winners is a licensed brand that offers plants that are more expensive but are quite successful.

Gaura (above) Karalee Petite Pink

Calliope Dark Red geranium (above) – a cross between ivy and zonal geranium – very vigorous

Rocky Mountain Dark Red geranium(above) – with the proper light, these two should bloom all season

Boston Fern – (above) good for a shady or part-sun location.  They are lush and easy to look after.  Take them inside in the fall.  They are good in hanging baskets.

Lobelia – (above) choose vegetative varieties.  they are more vigorous and will last all season.  

Mounding habit is better than trailing

Coleus – many colours to choose from – some are more sun tolerant than others – check the tag - above is Keystone Copper, which tolerates sun and shade

Bidens (above) – fertilize every week, or it will get tired

Juncus (twisted)

Lantana- good for hot, dry areas

Trixi confetti liners - three different varieties grown together

For more information about Jewell's Country Market, visit http://jewellscountrymarket.com