Specialty Gardening: Future container garden area, 1 by SoCal

SoCal wrote:
This area is a real trouble spot for me. There is no drainage and the soil is bad.

When we had our backyard relandscaped 4 yrs. ago, this area was all concrete as it was the spa equipment area and a large umbrella tree. When they put in the new drainage, they forgot about this area, so it gets flooded really bad when it rains. I have put so much money into the soil with amendments and compost, but it hasn't helped at all. My plants just sit there and eventually die. The green plant that is in the ground right now, is an Aster, and it will grow anywhere. (It will be moved)

The reason this area is barron right now, is because we just had our house tented for termites 2 weeks ago and I had to remove all plants against the house.....any that were still alive. lol

So what I think I would like to do is create a large container garden here. Get lots of pretty pots in different sizes and elevations and not worry about the soil or drainage problem. I can plant some easy to grow groundcover around the bottom of the pots, to soften the look.

I was hoping that someone can give me some ideas on designing this area: what color and type of pots should I use, etc. It gets full sun all day. The white iron gate was used to put a clematis growing on it, but the poor plant just didn't like that soil, so I moved it. I just bought another clematis (in the small pot), it is a mini clematis and I would like to put it in a nice pot between the iron gate. See the pot next to the trellis? I just put that there, as I had a 14 ft. China Doll tree there and with all the rains we had, the roots got so wet and it died.

I could sure use some help with this new bed. Any ideas or suggestions are very much appreciated.

Donna

This message was edited May 5, 2005 1:30 PM