Author: Antonio Pachowko

Water Retaining Gel, a Review- Reduce your Need to Water Product

Product: Gardman Water Gel Tub

Best Place to buy: www.amazon.co.uk

Product Dimensions: 12 x 12x 10cm

Shipping Weight: 0.885kg

My score: 9/10

Anybody who has a container garden will know how frequent it needs watering, as they do tend to dry out quickly, especially in hot weather. Every summer it is the same routine, you get up, the sun is shining in the deep blue sky, and your container plants are starting to get thirsty. So you have to fill a watering can or to use a hose to water plants to prevent them from wilting …

Plants for Rooftop Gardens (Growing on a Windy Site)

In this article, plants there are suitable to be grown in rooftop gardens will be discussed. Rooftop gardens tend to get a lot of sunshine but are also exposed to extremely windy conditions. In order to do well under these conditions, you need plants that are happy basking in the sun, but also windproof, and can be grown in containers.  This is not an easy task to meet but with the correct selection, it is possible to have plants throughout the year.

Most rooftop gardens are container gardens by nature, as this makes it easier to move around. Remember most …

Protecting your Containers from Slugs and Snails Attack (Stop them in their Tracks)

Plants that can be grown in containers that offer some resistance to slugs and snails attacks will be discussed in this article. What will be shown is that there is a wide range of plants that can be grown in containers to solve this problem.

In a previous post, I touched upon what slugs and snails damage they can do in container gardening. In that post recommendations to what can be done to minimize damage caused by these pests, such as slug pellets, beer traps, and copper tapes, was highlighted.

THE PROBLEM WITH SLUGS

The problem is that slugs and …

Slow Release Fertilizers Reviewed (5 of the BEST)

If you have been following my blog for a while you will know that I sing the praises of slow release fertilizers as a means of keeping your container plants fed throughout the growing season.

I am constantly asked what slow release fertilizer do you recommend?

Hence, why this article on reviewing the 5 best slow release fertilizer that I would recommend being used in gardens, particular container gardening was written.

WHAT ARE SLOW RELEASE FERTILIZERS?

Slow release fertilizer is specific feed for plants in containers that releases their nutrients slowly over time. This is usually over six months …

Air Pots, a Review- Increase your Plant Size with a Smaller Pot

Product: Air root pruning pots

The Best Place to buy: www.amazon.co.uk

Size of pots: 30cm x 30cm.

The volume of Compost Required: 20 litres

Shipping Weight: 0.54kg

My score: 9/10

If you ever grow a plant in a container, you know that there comes a time when the plant becomes root bound. This is when instead of the roots growing downwards (as they would normally do in a garden) in search of nutrients and moisture; it instead goes around and around at the bottom of the container.

This will affect how the plant response, …

Easy Fill Hanging Basket- Why Use Plastic Instead of Wire

Product Name: Easy Fill Hanging Basket

The Cheapest Place to Buy: www.amazon.co.uk

Size of Hanging Basket: 35 cm in diameter and can hold up to 12 litres of compost

Shipping weight: 2.3kg

My score: 9/10

WHY USE HANGING BASKETS?

When it comes to summer there is nothing like a hanging basket full of flowers, suspended by a chain from a bracket near a person’s home. These features are so often breathtakingly beautiful.

Traditionally a wire hanging basket is used, which requires a lining to be put down, then sphagnum moss added to make a waterproof …

Growing Plants in Containers in the Shade, Part III-Annuals, Biennials and Bulbs

In this final part of the series of plants that can be grown in containers in the shade, the annual, biennials and bulbs that can be used will be discussed. In previous parts shrubs, trees and perennials have been discussed.

You will note that more shrubs and perennials will grow in deep shade than annuals. You are more limited in what annuals will grow, and so less selection can be made. Most annuals will take light shade but will suffer in heavy shade. Annuals tend to prefer full sun in order to produce their colourful blooms because in the shade, …

Growing Plants in Containers in the Shade, part II-The Perennials

In a previous article in the series, trees or shrubs that can be grown in containers was discussed. It is now our attention turns to perennials that can be grown in containers in the shade. As with the shrubs and trees, there are some crossover, as some perennials can be grown in both sun and shade. Most perennials will take some light shade, but most cannot take dense shading at all.

The plants that can be grown in the shade are more limited to those that can be grown in full sun, but there are plants of interest that will …

Growing Plants in Containers in the Shade, Part I- Trees and Shrubs

In a previous series in growing plants in containers in the sun, trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals were described and their suitability to been grown in containers. It is now to turn our attention to growing plants in containers who can support the shade, where sunshine can become a premium.

In this first article of the series shrubs and trees that can be grown in containers in the shade will be discussed, in terms of the suitability in containers and their preferred growing conditions. The problem is that the most colourful plants require some sun to bloom, but …

Coco and Coir Peat Fibre Growing Medium, a Review-Why go Peatless?

Product: Coco and Coir Peat Fibre Growing Medium

The Best Place to Buy: www.amazon.co.uk

Size of the Compost Package: 30.5cm x 30.5cm x 11cm

Volume of Compost Made: 70 litres

Shipping Weight: 4.54kg

My score: 8.5/10

Container gardeners tend to have many containers that need to be filled with growing media. This growing media normally is a multipurpose compost, an ericaceous compost or a soil based compost (compost mixed with top soil).

The problem is that multipurpose compost tends to have peat in various quantities, which has to be harvested from peat bogs. This …