Gardening Tips (How to Add Color to Your Garden With Containers)

Most shade-and-moisture-loving perennial and woody plants look their best when allowed to develop into undisturbed colonies. Disturbing their roots can slow the growth progress and compromise their ability to tolerate drought. Set aside special places where you want to grow shade-tolerant annuals, such as impatiens or tender summer bulbs like caladiums, where you can plant them without digging into the roots of permanent plantings. Better yet, grow these and other colorful plants in containers, and either sink the pots into the garden or set them on the ground among your hostas and ferns. Using containers broadens your plant palette, because you can use plants that prefer more light when they are young, such as browallia, wishbone flower or coleus. Start them in a sunny spot, and then shift the pots to the shade garden when the plants approach their peak. If moved to a shady location when they begin to flower, many annuals actually bloom longer than they would if left in a brighter spot. In fact, even annuals that normally need at least a half day of sun, such as dusty miller, flowering tobacco, petunia and salvia, seem relieved to be moved into shade in midsummer. Should they sulk or stop flowering, simply move them temporarily back to better light. Flowers in pastel shades, like pink and blue, or even white flowers show best in partial shade, though occasional bursts of red can be a welcome surprise.

by the Editors of Reader's Digest