By Steve Evans

You can grow everything from flowers to herbs to vegetables in container deck gardens, and the more you get into it the more you’ll realize you can take this style of gardening as far you like. Follow your imagination and innovate and you will be amazed at the abundance of plants grown in containers, and where better to display them than on a deck garden?

I’m lucky in that I have a large back yard and I have a flower garden, a herb garden and a vegetable garden. Plus, lots of containers on my back deck too. Guess where I spend most of my time and gain most enjoyment? Yes, on my back deck, attending my container grown collection.

I love the little bonsai trees, and I recommend you try the technique. Rosemary, scented geraniums, the thymes, and many other easily grown herbs are ideal for bonsai growing in containers. Again, we say be innovative in your technique, but read up on the requirements for each plant, an take advice on choosing the appropriate herbs for the kinds of bonsai you wish to create.

Don’t worry if your plants suffer attach or infection, just set about finding a cure. It happens to the best gardeners at times. Garden centers carry a full array of top quality insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and repellents that control virtually all major garden disease problems, so don’t be put off if your plants do suffer from infection. Wetting agents and polymers can be useful, and can be non-toxic, safe and economical to use.

In addition to standard hanging baskets there are attractive, brightly painted clay pots and French bucket planters made to hang on decking and lattice, which will add interest to your container garden and by raising them above the deck, take up very little space. How ever you are planting your patio or deck, do remember to vary the heights of your plantings, even if just to break up the line for interest.

A pleasantly decorated living room pleasing to the eye depends on drawing the eye to various levels: to floor level and attractive floor coverings or shiny, glowing wood floors, to a bright, well lit ceiling

Elegant and functional, fiberglass planters are a great choice, make a point of looking for them to use as garden planters particularly for rooftop, balcony, container gardening where if areas prone to frost clay pots may tend to crack due to freezing and expansion if the pore water in clay fired pots. Large commercial planter, tree planters and large fiberglass planters have become a favorite in landscape design, so why not also use them on your decking. Use large containers grouped in layers with plantings that incorporate height, texture and color. All the elements you would work with in a normal garden.

The advantages of side planting are many. In a matter of weeks, instead of months, you get lush, fully covered containers and impressive floral displays.

Even a vine will grow in a good sized container, select the soil medium carefully though. I had one that grew so rapidly in a container that it had a tendency to double back on itself and use itself as a support (it will climb itself). The result was a tangled looking plant unless I trained it. Having become entagled upon itself last year I cut it back. It took no more than a couple of weeks to see good new top growth, and it soon grew to the newly erected supports I made up for it.

Herbs work very well in container deck gardens, as long as there are plenty of flowers as well. The smell is so close when you site on the decking beside them that you will gain the best effect from their wonderful smells.

Recent studies in France have confirmed that the scent of certain herbs does have a physical effect on brain chemistry. Rosemary gives mental energy and enhances thought retention.

Why not use Caladium? Caladium grows 12-24” tall and 12” wide and makes a good container plant because caladiums need well-drained soil. Caladium plants are tropical bulbs grown for their beautiful foliage and come in many pattern designs in green, white, and red.

Most plants you will choose start blooming in early summer and produce an abundance of flowers for months and months. These varieties with fully double flowers are very effective in the front of borders. The easy-to-grow plants will provide abundant color from their containers, and will also add a nice fragrance.

I have at times have also planed some edible nasturtiums in among the anise-hyssop, allowing them to spill over the sides, thus adding some lovely color to the sitting area on my back deck.

So there you have it. My ideas for growing everything from flowers to herbs to vegetables in container gardens.

There is always something you can do in a container deck garden even when it is too wet to venture on to the lawn, and being directly to the back of the house the decking needs almost no walking to get to it. As we commented earlier, the more you get into container deck gardening the more you will realize the joys it provide. You don’t need much space to create one, and once you start you will soon realize as I did, that you can take this style of gardening as far you like.