If you’re trying to fill your container garden with a variety of plants, you may be wondering which shrubs for containers are best. This article offers some ideas, including Boxwood, Hibiscus, Golden Creeping Jenny, and Abutilon. Read on to learn more. There are many other options as well! And remember that potted plants need more water than those grown in the ground. They may even require daily watering.
Abutilon
The broad, deciduous leaves of abutilon x hybridum look similar to maple leaves and form a fine foil for the flowering stems. Although they are not hardy in the UK, they can thrive on a sunny fence or wall, providing plenty of summer colour. Their bluish-white flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators. Abutilon shrubs for containers are highly ornamental, but you may need to prune them regularly to maintain the shape and size.
Since abutilons are easy to grow, they can be started from cuttings, which can be kept in pots and moved to different locations according to the season. To propagate abutilon shrubs, soak the cuttings in rooting hormone and place them in a moist potting soil. Then, wait for the cuttings to root and transplant them. After they have grown roots, you can transplant them to the ground or place them in a sunny window.
Ideally, abutilon shrubs are grown in full or partial shade, but northern gardeners may wish to grow subtropical specimens in containers. Abutilon shrubs grow well in well-drained soil that has been amended with compost. Abutilon shrubs don’t require much water, but if you prune off the side shoots and weak branches, they will keep compact. The slender stems can be pruned to a point at which they reach the tip of a branch.
Golden Creeping Jenny
If you are looking for a container plant, you can choose one of the Golden Creeping Jenny shrubs. This plant is suitable for a container garden because of its wide range of colors and height. It can survive in full sun to partial shade. However, the temperature should not be below -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure that you water this plant regularly and avoid planting it in shady areas as it will suffer from wilting.
It’s important to give Golden Creeping Jenny a full growing season. This is because it needs time to establish its roots. Feeding them too early will encourage leaf and bloom production while hindering the development of roots. Once they have established themselves in the container, you can feed them with a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer. Make sure to water the plant thoroughly after applying the fertilizer to help the fertilizer soak into the roots.
The easiest way to propagate Golden Creeping Jenny is by cuttings. After cuttings have grown, place them in a pot filled with moist potting soil and indirect light. After a week or so, transplant them to the garden. Golden Creeping Jenny shrubs for containers need to be pruned periodically to keep them from overgrowing and overproducing. Also, you can pinch off the flowers to discourage seeding.
Boxwood
If you want a compact and drought-tolerant plant, boxwood is an excellent choice. Once established, boxwood requires only moderate water and needs minimal fertilization. To protect it from the elements, it is best to use a large, well-draining pot, at least 12″ wide. The bottom of the pot should be completely empty so that water can run out without soaking the plant. This type of shrub does best when the soil drains well.
Boxwoods have a silky texture, making them great for woodworking. They also help define walkways and borders. They can also be used to hide less impressive features of a home’s exterior. You can use a few of these shrubs for a meaningful container. But be sure to check with your local gardening supply center to make sure the variety you’re getting will fit in your space. After all, it’s not a bad idea to have more than one type of shrub in your container.
If you’re thinking of adding a small shrub to your container garden, you should consider the Japanese boxwood. Its compact growth habit makes it perfect for containers. The leaves are bright, glossy, and shiny, and the trunk of the boxwood looks like a cone. The foliage turns golden in late summer, and its rounded shape makes it an excellent choice for foundation planting. A few more things to consider: boxwood’s resistance to boxwood blight, and its rounded form.
Hibiscus
To keep hibiscus looking great in your container garden, you should water them regularly. During active growth periods, you should water them once a week. In hotter climates, watering the plants daily may be necessary. Once they reach maturity, however, they will need only a few waterings a month. In cooler climates, watering will be less frequent. If you’re not sure how often to water them, try to observe the amount of rainfall your area receives each month.
When choosing Hibiscus shrubs for container gardens, it is important to remember that some varieties will bloom much earlier than others. Plants grown from seeds usually bloom in mid to late spring, so if you’re looking for an early spring bloom, choose a potted variety. Hibiscus shrubs will reach as tall as 30 feet when grown outdoors. However, plants that grow quickly rarely bloom until late summer or fall. Because of this, many hibiscus “fans” opt to keep their hibiscus in containers.
To grow hibiscus in a pot, you’ll need a well-drained pot with a tray or saucer beneath. You can also insert coffee filters to avoid soil seepage through the drainage holes. If the container doesn’t have drainage, drill holes or add landscape rocks to the soil. Landscape rocks also provide drainage while adding weight to the pot and stabilizing the container. When you’re planting a hibiscus, make sure to water the roots frequently.
Ninebark
If you’re a beginner gardener, you may want to try ninebark shrubs for containers. Ninebark has a number of great attributes, including the ability to grow in a variety of soil conditions, including dry and wet. It is a resilient shrub that thrives in a variety of urban conditions, including partial shade and poor soil. Even though it is known to tolerate a wide variety of environmental conditions, it does best in full sun.
If you’re considering ninebark shrubs for containers, the first thing you need to know is how to propagate them. Ninebark stem cuttings are relatively easy to root, and can be taken while the shrub is dormant. Take two to three inches long, 1/2-inch-thick branch cuttings from dormant plants. Cut the branch at least two inches above and below a node and bend it down. Then, dip the branch in rooting hormone. Be sure to wrap it with a rubber band after rooting.
After the flowers have finished, ninebark shrubs can be pruned to open up spaces within the plant. Remove branches from the middle or bottom of the shrub to allow air to circulate. If the plant is too overgrown, cut off the top half or third of the stem. Then, the plant will sprout new branches. Unlike other shrubs, ninebark shrubs for containers do not require excessive watering once established.
Yucca
The genus Yucca contains more than 40 species of shrubs, trees, and vines. These plants are native to the hotter regions of North America and the Caribbean. Many varieties are suitable for indoor cultivation. A few, such as yucca aloifolia and yucca elephantipes, are grown in gardens and pots as houseplants. They’re often found in the wild, but they are incredibly versatile in pots and planters.
Some varieties of yuccas have scented flowers, while others are purely ornamental. Banana yucca has a flower-like appearance, with flowers that resemble peeled bananas. In addition to its large bell-like shape, banana yucca has more evenly divided petals than other types. The outer petals are purple while the inner petals are white. Banana yucca is an attractive choice for small gardens and containers, and it’s hardy enough to grow outdoors in most climates.
To plant a yucca plant in a container, first prepare a planting bed. Dig a hole about twice as deep as the root ball. Add sand or gravel and organic matter. Organic matter is beneficial to the plant, as it helps to improve drainage. Then, place the root ball into the pot. Then, water it well and wait for it to grow. You can move the plant once it has grown to a larger size.