The-Artistic-Garden's Blog

How to Increase Moisture in Container Garden Soil

I thought I’d talk about a great product you may not have heard of before – water crystals, aka water gel – that can make your outdoor container gardening watering requirements a bit easier. These little white granules are a type of absorbent polymer that can absorb up to 400 or 500 times their weight with water (there are different brands on the market – there may be variances in their absorption rates). Continue reading

Miniature Dish Garden How-tos

Dish gardening is quite a popular hobby. Have you ever tried to make one? If not, I’ll walk you through the basic steps (it’s really not difficult at all to do!).

But first, I received a nice email awhile back from Pearl who wrote:

Hi … I’ve been working on garden miniatures for garden dishes. Been having a blast. I try to make a lot of what I use in the dishes and recycling as much as possible.

I’ve sold a few, but mostly I’ve been making them for friends and relatives. Some are for outdoors with real plants and some for indoors. Hope you are enjoying the summer and working on projects you love. Pearl

She also asked if I’d share two of her dish gardens with everyone. Of course I will! Here they are:

Making a dish garden would be a great summertime project for you to try … but how about giving the kids a chance, too? If your children are out of school for summer break, and you want to keep their little minds and hands occupied, this project certainly lends itself to anyone’s skill level. You just never know what their little creative minds may come up with!

Simply stated, a dish garden is an arrangement of several different very small plants in a single container. It’s a great way to carry on the theme of container gardening, however is a bit different from traditional container gardening in that the container you use – that being a dish – is shallow and wide.

Also, many people like to include little decorative accents to add to the visual impact, like Pearl did with hers.

The great thing about a dish garden is that it can be easily placed in most any spot in your garden or outside patio area or even on your front porch you wish. And of course it can be moved to another spot in a jiffy if it’s not doing well in the first spot you chose, or if you discover a better place for it.

Your container can be anything from round to oval to square in shape, and can be made of almost any type of material, as long as the container can withstand constant moisture and the outside elements.

I recommend you choose a container not less than 3 inches deep so that it can hold a one-inch layer of gravel mixed with charcoal, with at least 2 to 3 inches of planting soil on top of that. A dish that is too shallow is NOT going to spell success for you.

If you’re a hypertufa fan … well here’s a wonderful opportunity to make yourself s simple, shallow container that you can then use for this dish gardening project. Just make sure you properly cure and then leach out all the lime before you even think about adding in the dirt and plants. Learn about this subject in my article: How To Properly Cure Hypertufa.

Back to choosing a container. Get really creative. How about using a big old tennis shoe or a worn out leather shoe? The kids would probably get a kick out of making their little garden in a shoe!

Another creative recycling idea a neighbor of mine used was an old hubcap that her husband had kept stashed in their garage for years. She was looking for something nice and round and shallow … and voila. She confiscated it and gave it new life!

Or how about an old serving tray? Or a woven basket with sides that don’t come up too high? (If the basket is made from a reed type material, include a plastic liner to help retain moisture. Also be aware that your basket might fall apart or rot in a couple of years due to the constant moisture and outside elements.)

If you do use something “non-convention” to plant in, make sure to provide drainage for water. You might have to poke a hole or holes in the bottom of your container. In the case of a shoe and a hubcap, you just might have to use a drill, and with a fat sized drill bit, drill a couple of holes through the sole or metal.

Your Dish Gardening Project – Main Steps

This project’s success or failure depends upon using plants that are appropriate for the shallow depth of soil and their ability to adapt to the location you will put it in. Too sunny or too shady or too damp a spot might spell disaster for you, depending upon the plants you chose. Hint: do some research first if need be.

Use Good Soil: Use a packaged potting soil or make a mixture of one part sand or perlite, one part soil and one part finely sifted peat moss (no chunks or stem pieces in it). Most gardening experts suggest adding one level teaspoon of a granulated 5-10-5 fertilizer for each six-inch pot of soil added. If you’re a fan of pour-on liquid fertilizer, skip adding the granulated type.

Provide Drainage: Good drainage is important for successful dish gardening, just the same as it is for your garden beds or any potted plant. You don’t have to do this, but it is helpful to the health of the plants if you add about an inch of fine gravel with a tablespoon or two of charcoal mixed in. This layer will provide a proper drainage base and will help provide oxygen.

Pick Your Plants: Choose an odd number (better visually for your arrangement). Three small plants might be all you can fit in depending on your container’s size. Whatever, don’t crowd them as they are going to grow! And you’ll want slow growing plants. Succulents are perfect for dish gardening, and small cactus plants are too.

Think about the light, temperature, and moisture requirements for the plants you’ll use. Make sure they are compatible with each other and that the spot you’ve chosen to place the dish garden will provide them the right requirements to stay healthy.

Arranging The Plants & Decorative Accents: You may want to play around with a few different configurations for the plant and accent placement. Keep the plants in their little pots until you’re sure of where you want to plant them.

Two traditional planting configurations are: 1) a symmetrical planting – a tall plant in the center with shorter plants on either side; or 2) an asymmetrical planting – the tallest plant is placed off-center and is balanced by lower plants on either side.

Final Assembly: The usual, suggested way to plant a dish garden is to add the gravel/charcoal mix first, then determine where each plant will be planted, remove the plants from their pots and place them on the gravel layer, and then add in the soil. **Make sure your little plants won’t be sitting up above the final level of the soil after you’ve planted them. You may have to spread out their roots a bit to make them sit lower than how they came potted from the store.

Make sure to firm the soil around the plants. Then add your decorative accents. Then water thoroughly. (Or vice-versa if you desire! )

That’s about it! My only other suggestions would be to keep an eye on your dish garden for awhile, to make sure you’ve chosen the right spot for it that allows the plants to grow healthily, and to make sure you water it as needed.

A Condo Owner Would Like A Water Feature On Her Porch
And Asks How She Can Make One

I recevied an email from Jean asking me:

I would like to do a container garden with plants and koi on my porch. I live in a condo and I’d like to do one that is made with clear or semi-clear glass so I can enjoy both the fish and the plants when I’m on my porch.

First I would like know if this is a good idea. And next I’d like to know where can I find clear/semi clear glass contains to do this? My searches have turned up empty.

My reply:
Hi Jean:
Thank you for contacting me and I am so glad you are asking these questions NOW … rather than later. Let me tell you why. (This is a long answer, but I want you to understand all the parameters you are dealing with.)

Red flag #1: The first big issue that will most likely turn into a problem for you is the fact you’ve said you want Koi.

Please know that I have received Koi Health Advisor certification training from the AKCA (Assoc. Koi Clubs of America) and that what I will share with you right now is for YOUR best interests and also the Koi’s best interests.

Koi in a container garden are a BIG mistake! Because:

• Koi grow rapidly – they are NOT meant for aquariums nor small containers; did you know they will grow up to 22+ inches in captivity?
• The rule of thumb is to give each Koi at least 250 gallons of water in which to swim! This is why people have koi ponds.
• Koi should have NO LESS than a 3 foot deep pond in which to live (5 or 6 feet is the preferable depth).
• Koi must have excellent water quality levels – much more so than goldfish.
• Koi cannot tolerate poor water quality as goldfish can–this means Koi are very prone to ulcers, etc. in poor water.
• Crowded conditions (container gardens) cause Koi to get stressed–this leads to health problems.
• They excrete at least twice as much as goldfish … meaning you MUST have a quality filtration system to immediately remove the excrement from the water.
• The list goes on …

What I would suggest in your situation is to purchase either Wakin goldfish (hard to come by, but I will address this in a minute for you); or purchase Shubunkin goldfish, or Comet goldfish (the “common” goldfish most of us are familiar with). These types are hardier than Koi (because they are goldfish!) and they don’t grow huge like Koi will; and they will do much better in smaller surroundings.

How big of a container are you able to place on your porch? You’ve GOT to have swimming room for goldfish, too. You really ought to be thinking along the lines of a minimum of 100 gallons. (That may sound huge to you, but it isn’t.)

Other problems with small containers: the water temps get hot really fast and/or get cold really fast due to the container being small. Koi CANNOT handle rapid temperature fluctuations.

Next problem: NO … glass or clear plastic is not going to work (and probably the reason you’ve not found anything like this in your internet searches). Because ultimately algae is going to form all over the inside of your container (this is a good thing, not a “bad” thing) and so, anything clear will soon become covered with green algae and you won’t be able to view the fish through the sides. So, a clear sided outdoor container doesn’t make sense.

One of the purposes of having pond fish is that they are meant to be viewed from the top of the water’s surface. Your idea of having fish in a container is really just like if you had fish in a pond – you want a little visual “eye candy”. 

Suggestions for containers (I am sort of stabbing in the dark here as I have no idea of your porch, etc.):

• 100 gallon Rubbermaid water trough that can be affordably purchased from Tractor Supply. (I will assume you have one somewhere near where you live–they’re all over the USA.) You can search their website to see where the nearest one is to you.
• a small whiskey barrel lined with plastic – you will only be able to put in a teeny-tiny goldfish or two (maybe the $1.00 kind you can buy at Wal-Mart).
• a preformed black plastic pond “insert” (meant to be sunk into the ground) found at Home Depot or Lowe’s – you could put this on your porch and place small containers of flowers and plants to help “pretty up” the sides.

Now, about buying Wakin or Shubunkins. If you provide ample room to swim then one or two fish will be all you need.

Do NOT go overboard with the number of fish – they grow rapidly. Less is ALWAYS better!

And your climate … does it get below freezing? If so … what will you do with the fish if your container garden will turn into a solid block of ice? Most goldfish can stay alive in winter-temperature water … but they cannot live if they turn into a solid frozen popsicle!

Wakin – as shown in the photo – are cute and very pretty. I happen to have 7 of them. However Wakin can be much harder to locate and may be pricey.

Wakin are meant to be viewed from the top of the water – yes they are gorgeous! And as with most any type of pond fish, there are lesser quality on-up-to top quality fish (better patterns, colors and body conformation) available to buy … your budget is your limitation. I believe a top quality Wakin (if you can even find a dealer offering them in this quality range) can run around $250.00.

My Wakin are extremely friendly. They will nibble on my hand if I stick it down in the water – they are most assuredly hoping to get soemthing to eat. This is great fun to experience, especially for little children. Wakin are cuties for sure!

I would check out eBay (yes–there is a reputable dealer or two selling them–just make sure you check the customer feedback!!!) or of course Google search for aquatic dealers near you. Just Google “wakin goldfish” and you’ll find many sites. I had to have mine shipped to me. There are very few people in the USA that sell them.

As for Shubunkins … again Google the term and you’ll see there are many different patterns and colors available. Many many people turn to Shubunkins when they haven’t the proper facilities to keep Koi. Here in Tennessee there are a few pet/aquarium stores that will offer Shubunkins during Spring and Summer, so check with your local pet stores to see if they have any. Or of course, there are online sources as well.

I hope this preliminary information is of help to you. Please don’t even think of getting Koi. You will only be asking for trouble. (Meaning dead Koi.) Trust me … my 1,100 gallon pond was finally too small for my growing Koi and I gave them to a friend of mine who has a 5,500 gallon pond (yes, I am jealous of her pond) because it wasn’t fair to the Koi to keep them in the 1100 gallons anymore … they were now way too big for 1100 gallons!

I also had a $1500.00 filtration system (honest–$1500.00) which kept the water in pristine condition … another reason I never ever had sick Koi. Healthy Water = Heathy Pond Fish

The money spent was well worth the low amount of maintenance I had to do, including time spent cleaning out the filter and doing my weekly water change-outs. Not being a slave to constantly cleaning filters and such does make the whole “ponding experience” enjoyable and not a chore. But I digress here … you want to know about container water gardens!

I hope you understand the information I’ve provided and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have more questions.

~~~

Jean wrote back and said:

Thank you, thank you so so much for taking the time and very much thought on my project. I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Most of the time our winters are mild. However we do get a few freezes. The summer time temps can get into the mid to upper 95′s accompanied by terrible humidity. I live on the second story of my condo so weight and size is an obvious concern. Maybe I should think on a smaller scale. Something I won’t get tagged by my condo association for.  If you have any suggestions I would certainly welcome them.

My reply:
Hi again Jean:
About suggestions for a smaller scale water garden, as I previously told you, you could use a:

• 75-100 gallon Rubbermaid water trough that can be affordably purchased from Tractor Supply (**additional info–there are smaller sizes available that you could use, too);
• small whiskey barrel lined with plastic–you will only be able to put in a teeny-tiny goldfish or two (maybe the $1.00 kind you can buy at Wal-Mart); or
• preformed black plastic pond “insert” (meant to be sunk into the ground) found at Home Depot or Lowe’s — you could put this on your porch and place small containers of flowers and plants to help “pretty up” the sides

Anything that will hold water will be fine if you just want plants, but as I told you before, fish add another element of concern you need to think about.

If you need some visual ideas to help your creative juices get flowing, I Googled “container water gardens” in the Image search function and there are lots and lots of photos.

Look through the photos and you should get a lot of inspiration.

I hope this helps some. Don’t hesitate to contact me again if you have anymore questions.