Best Practices for Container Gardening During a Drought

Those of us who garden have seen the effects of the lack of rain, and enjoying our gardens is going to take more work. Longtime Californians have already experienced this kind of shortage and we know the drill. You turn on your shower in the morning, you grab a handy bucket kept nearby to catch those first 60 seconds of cold water you wouldn’t dare step foot in. Later, you carry that bucket outdoors and hand-water your beds, borders and trees, or maybe just one bed depending on the size and fullness of your bucket. This becomes a daily tradition.

If this seems far-fetched, consider that the politicos and water managers have finally weighed in and declared that we are actually in a drought. Not just a minor water shortage, but a state of extreme drought. Now we are not just encouraged, but, in some areas mandated to reduce water usage immediately.

One solution to having handsome specimen plants to adorn our outdoor living spaces is to plant them in containers. Planters are small, “contained” gardens after all. Everything from our favorite tropical plants like cannas and palms to flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs like citrus and even camellias can be grown in containers. When planting in a pot you can tailor the soil mix to maximize water absorption and retention and closely monitor just how much water is needed and used.

While I still encourage you to keep that bucket handy in the bathroom, you have other options with containers, such as low-flow and efficient drip irrigation systems. Take this opportunity to embrace the world of container gardening and do your part to conserve our most precious resource, water. And check back here for lots of specific tips on growing your favorites from ornamentals to herbs and vegetables, even a mini water garden. Also, look for future posts that will teach you how to choose the right container for your needs and tailor the soil for the plants you want to grow.

When you visit Eye of the Day Garden Design Center in Carpinteria, you’ll see a lot of things: authentic European and American terra cotta, statuary, fountains, a gift shop full of wonderful books and more. You’ll also see succulent planters designed by Mimi Richardson, whose eye for color, texture and scale has resulted in our collection of one-of-a-kind pieces that are ready to take home.

I sat down and talked with Mimi to find out more about her creative inspiration.

Q: How did your background growing up around horticulture influence the way you think about and design with plants today?

A: I grew up living on Seaside Banana Farm with my parents and three sisters. Playing in the dirt was more than just a saying for me. My dad raised fifty varieties of organic bananas plus other subtropical plants and fruits like passion fruit, mango and papaya, plus there was always a multitude of plants around that were being studied and tested. My inspiration for design came later, when I worked at Pan’s Garden in Summerland, CA, and then Island View Nursery in Carpinteria.

Q: Regarding the containers you plant up for Eye of the Day, what makes you lean toward succulents?

A:  While I try to be just as artistic with other plant materials, it is succulents I most prefer to work with.  As to containers, succulents give immediate instant gratification and they maintain themselves from the get go and anyone can take care of them. There are forms, textures and colors to satisfy everyone and their proclivities.

Q:. Can you comment on how color, texture and size of plants figure into the way you design the containers?

A: I don’t have a design layout for containers or specific forms. Like Jackson Pollack, I let the plants speak to me and for me and go with their flow and as they populate the container. As I work, I make adjustments, sometime even tearing them out and replacing them until I’m satisfied with the feel and look. Obviously, colors and textures play into it, but not until they are in my hands.

Q: Can you comment on the containers themselves: what you like about them, which one do you prefer, and why?

A: The contemporary form excites me as much as the elegant and high-colored French Anduze. We planted up a number of old French Cavalry stone troughs awhile back and although it was a challenge and they turned out beyond my wildest imagination. Each container allows me to escape into a new adventure.

Q: In terms of customers caring for these planters once they buy them, what do you suggest?

A: We plant them in correct soil and from there they just need to be groomed for old or dead foliage and watered sparingly (and don’t forget an occasional loving chat).

Brent Freitas, President of Eye of the Day, was recently sought out by for his expertise on garden containers. Interviewed for a story that is now live on the NHS website, Brent provided helpful information on the subject of extending the season by adding heat elements in the garden.

In an effort to make their gardens more distinct and more beautiful, many homeowners incorporate garden containers for use as fire pits–but this can prove both costly and dangerous if the wrong techniques are used.

As Brent says: “Customers often ask for pots or containers to use in their backyards for fire pits. They want something attractive and different from the average offering. They want to know if our concrete or terra cotta will stand up to the heat, and this is what I tell them: if you want to burn wood, no. But if you are going to install gas and use a flame delivery system that is properly install so the flame is diffused upwards through the rock or tumbled glass, well then, yes.”

Design experts Heather Lenkin, Debra Prinzing and Phil Maddux also contributed to the story on heat in the garden. Want to learn more? Click HERE to read the whole story.

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