Container Gardening
Container
Use a large pot. Unless you're talking about growing a single dwarf specimen of something like oxalis or hens and chicks, the bigger the pot - the better.
The container can be made of almost anything but in my opinion, clay works well and looks great when combined with perennials.
If you use a ceramic colored pot, ensure the glazing is water tolerant before you put it outdoors. Some glazes (actually paints) will run as they aren't baked on.
Soil
I recommend a good quality artificial soil - right from top to bottom of the pot. Never mind the old wive's tale of needing rocks on the bottom for drainage. All you need on the bottom is a hole to let the water escape.
Do not use real garden soil. It compacts and turns to concrete by July. The artificial soil will hold its structure and keep the perennials alive.
Feeding
You only have to use a liquid fertilizer if you want your plants to grow or flower. I like fish emulsion because it has adequate minor nutrients as well.
The constant irrigation of the pot drives soluble nutrients down and out of the pot so do feed weekly until 6-8 weeks before final frost/freezeup in your area. In my USDA zone 4 - that's around the end of July - first week of August.
Overwintering
When we're talking container gardening and perennials, the question of how and what to do with the perennials always comes up.
I bury mine in the garden. I leave the crowns exposed as if I were planting them but I just take them out of the container and plant them in the vegetable garden.
In the spring, I dig them back up and plant them in containers again. This works well.
You can store a perennial root anywhere the temperature does not go below -5F and it will likely survive. Let it freeze below that temperature though and all bets are off.
I store my tender perennials in the pot in a cold cellar and water them once or twice a winter so the soil doesn't go bone dry. Bone dry soils will kill off the overwintering perennials if the soil is thawed. Do not turn them into swamps - damp is good. Do not water if soil is damp.
Plants to Use
Yes.
There are no plants that will not grow in a container. That's how nurseries grow them - so can you. The trick is in combining them for season long attractiveness.
A few design tips
When you're starting to grow perennials in container gardening, it is important to understand that both the leaves and flowers are important. Because the flower only lasts for a short time (6 weeks mostly) then the leaves have to be attractive.
Hosta and Heuchera are two stand-out plants for this foliage reason. They can be treated as coleus are in annual container gardens.
The new long-blooming daylilies are superb because not only do you get a long season bloom, you also get a spiked foliage that resists damage and pests.
Use some of the perennial trailers e.g. Vinca 'Illumination' (gold variegation) or Sedums for trailers just as you would in annual container gardening.
Overplant. Do not let the container look like each plant is lonely. There should be no spaces between the plants when you're done. This gives a quick lush look. Remember that unless the plants are mature, they will not produce tons of new top growth and spread out in their first year.
Use variegated plants with abandon. Variegated leaves add interest if you can combine darker leaves next to them. Don't put two variegated plants together though.
Combine dark leaf plants next to lighter leaved plants.
Combine colours such as blue hosta with gold-leaved hosta to get color contrasts.
And the biggest bit of advice is simply to do it. It will add another dimension to your gardens.
And yes, you can easily combine perennials and annuals to get both great foliage and season-long blooms.
5-foot tall gardening pots
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