Deck Rail Planter Makes Great Small Space Gardens

Most people staying in flats do not have the luxury of  big space.  But that is not the excuse not to reap the benefits of a small space gardens. Deck rail planter or deck planter often comes in as the most appropriate solutions. Any addition of green small space gardens can have a lifting effect especially for corners or space that do not support plant life. This will bring life and make the area more welcoming , relaxed and friendly.

Deck Rail Planter Makes Great  Small Space Garden

With a spade of flat lifts upgrading in my estate, small deck space is created at every floor just outside the lift. More and more heart landers are making full use of this extra available space to create a small a space garden. Railing and fence window box style planters has turned the railing deck into a garden oasis

Deck Rail Planters - Hanging Small Space Garden

Areas boarded by a railing are transformed from a bland to dramatic and from uninviting to cosy with small rail planters that include deck rail brackets with window box style planters. The railings planters, deck flower boxes and fence rail planters are mounted on or hung over the railing using  deck rail brackets.

Deck Rail Planters - Hanging Small Space Garden

I understand in overseas, many pro and amateur gardeners grow tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, corn, melons, strawberries and even pumpkins for self-sustenance. But where I stay we usually buy from the wet market or super market. Most people grow plant for hobbies and curry leaf herbs container gardening is quite popular. Curry leaf has many herbal medicinal properties and is a prominently used herb in south Indian cooking. Curry leaves with food strengthens the functions of stomach and promotes its action.

Curry Leaf Plant (very left) - Pandan Leaf Plant (most right)

Get started with small space garden with deck rail planters and railing brackets and turn your deck in to an awsome hanging garden.

Hanging Pots-Hanging Garden

Freestanding pots and container  gardens are common to be seen planted on the ground level. However hanging pots can also add a new charm to a container garden with floating beauty and greenery at eye level and above.

Potted Plants And Hanging Potted Plants

In my neighbourhood,  gardener  who enjoys gardening but lack of gardening space still have the option to  surround  themselves with flowers and plants by starting hanging pots garden.  Hanging pots can be used to create small garden growing plants  or flowers we love according to the local climates.

Growing Money Plant In A Hanging Pot

Beautiful plants or flowers that blend with the environment  are both catchy and soothing to the eye. With the right combination of colours a plain looking entrance can be lifted up with both beautiful hanging pots and potted plants.

Plain Looking Entrance Transformed With Hanging Pots
And Potted Plants

With the right hanging pots and brackets they are secured from small children or pets that could mess up the lovely gardens. Moreover hanging pots  that are  suspended from a wall bracket  can beautify house wall, balcony or veranda.  Any  concrete shed that is unattractive can also be visually boosted with a couple of planters and hanging pots.



Hanging pots are excellent for adding colours and lives to patios, courtyards, walls or open corridors. With so many plants and plant combinations to choose, starting a small hanging garden has never been more easier.

Container Herb Garden - Enjoy Fresh Herbs For Culinary

Herb container gardening is very popular with people who enjoy gardening and is a favourite for those who love the taste of fresh herbs in their home cooked meals. It would be great to have the fresh herbs we need whenever we want them for our cuisine. We don't even need to have an outdoor garden to grow herbs. Grow herbs in a pot or any suitable container would be just great. This is simply a fantastic quick way to have fresh herbs right at our fingertips.

Below video contains a very helpful detail instructions on how to create our own Container Herb Garden from selecting a container to planting the herbs and caring for the garden.

Herbs grow well in containers. Ensure that the planter has drainage holes so that extra moisture can be drain away. The shape can be anything from round to rectangular. My two cents  is to get a catch pan as well so that it can catch the excess water that is drained away. For a start with herb container gardening, select a group of plants that are doing well and suitable for our location and limit to three or four herbs so as to cater some space for the plants to mature and roots to breathe.

Most gardener would begin herb container gardening with all time favourite taller herb such as Rosemary for the center piece of the decorative pot. Then fill around with smaller herb like Greek Oregano which spills over the sides of the pot. Most herb lovers agree that Greek Oregano has a distinct flavor and is perfect with pizza.

Culinary herbs like Sage, Basil, Parsley, French Tarragon and Chives also do well with herb container gardening. Sage, which is used with poultry and fish has a great place in the kitchen. Basil has good herbal flavor and is suitably used in pasta dishes and salads. Parsley is a very common herbs used in kitchens and French Tarragon can be use it to make Tarragon vinegar. Chives needless to say have many uses in your kitchen place as well.

Thyme, a small plant is also a herb that does well in containers. There is a variety of culinary thyme. We can use Garden thyme or Lemon thyme. I love Lemon thyme which smells like lemon and also has a strong lemon flavor. It is especially great with fish and chicken. Have fun trying them out and enjoy herb container gardening.

Still Short Of Herb Container Gardening Ideas

Wait till you watch  below video. I thought this is like a mini container herb garden encyclopedia. Its so informative.

Besides taking care of the norm like having enough sunlight, sufficient water and fertilisers in herb container gardening , the next important thing to note that it is beneficial to keep trimming the herbs every two weeks or so. Plants like Rosemary we want to keep on trimming them back to allow it to get bushier and ever so flavorful with the new leaves and shoot that grow out of it. Trim your herbs and use them in your cooking in a regular basis.

In preparing a fancy meal or a simple dinner, nothing can bring out the flavours of food like fresh herbs. Many indoor herbs can grow well on sunny windowsill which makes it even more attractive to start a container herb garden.

Lucky Bamboo Container Gardening

Lucky Bamboo are houseplants which can grow in water just like like cut flowers and it can last for many years. My lucky bamboo plant is grown in a vase near a window and I changes the water weekly and it does fine without me feeding it. I find that Lucky bamboo is easy to grow and is able to adapt to its environment easily.

Lucky Bamboo Growing In A Vase

Lucky Bamboo is a species of Dracaena Sanderiana and is not related to the Bamboo plant . However its stalks which look similar to Bamboo could be the reason why it is popularly known with its more common name. This plant also grow well in soil although it is more common to grow it with roots in water. In any growing methods this plant still performs well with little maintenance.

Lucky Bamboo Grow In A Flower Pot

Most Chinese people who like auspicious stuff will buy Lucky Bamboo when the Chinese Lunar New Year is round the corner. It is very commonly use in Feng Shui to create positive energy in the environment. In Business or career it can symbolise prosperity and advancement respectively. In religious wise, it is used to match with flowers as an offering to deities.

Lucky Bamboo Decorated And In Different Shape
Commonly Available When CNY Is Round The Corner.

Three Tier Bamboo Tower looks great and among the many decorated Lucky Bamboo is still as popular as before.

A female worker in China assembling a 3 tier bamboo tower.

Container Gardening Tools

Useful Container Gardening Tools

For container garden we only need a few simple and useful container gardening tools, none of which need a lot of storage space. With the right tools available we can get more things done without causing accidental damage to the plants. Most of the container gardening tools are easily obtain at garden centers or through mail-order suppliers.

Gardening Gloves

Not a must for gardening but does provide protection against thorns, dirts and help to keep your hands clean. Some garden glove not only allows women’s hands breath, but it also stays cool even on hot days with the added ventilation panel on the back of the hand. Personally I don't wear glove when it comes to gardening as I like the feel of dirt. In the any case when "you are touching a lot of things like prickly rose bushes and things of that nature that your sensitive little hands would not want to touch" gardening gloves is very useful.

Secateurs/Pruners

When planting, most gardener may need to cut dead wood, leaves or flowers or labels, even plants. Invest in a pair of secateurs that are good enough to make clean cuts, even on thicker stems. Pruning shears or Secateurs are a type of scissors for use with plants and most popular with gardener. One useful tip is to get secateurs with tension control and with sizes that best fit your hands.

Trowel

This tool will provide great help with container planting. This is one of the great container gardening tools with a scoop shaped metal blade and an easy grip handle. Handy in digging small holes and loosening the soil especially for planting and weeding, mixing of fertilizers or other additives, and the transfer of the potted plants.

Hand Fork

Hand fork and Trowel are used to dig small holes and for gardening in pots. Fork is one of the handiest gardening tools that have been in around for a long time. Older designs are recommended. Hand fork does not usually come with various features to hail, a sturdy one is much appreciated.

Below is an interesting garden tool that I come across  for gardeners who use a bigger flower pots and need muscles. "PotLifter is a tool to help the do it yourself gardener lift heavy planters, rocks and other landscaping items. It can also be used to transplant trees, or even lift a keg of beer!"

Watering can

Watering can is especially important in dry weather. Plants require a good soaking not sprinkle to keep them from drooping. Watering can has a spray attachment on the spouts so that the water shower out gently. It helps to make it easier for you to water your plants as it can be slightly tilted, maneuvered and balanced in your hand. Also with watering can you can also apply liquid fertilizer as you water.

When it comes to gardening, having the right container gardening tools will offer immeasurable help with the nitty-gritty of planting.

Growing Bamboo In Containers

Bamboo can be an ideal plant for growing in containers and it can be pleasing to the eyes to see several bamboo in glazed containers or planters showing off in the patio.

Any gardener can make use of available space on patios, porches, verandas or driveways that can stand a pot or two to grow bamboo in containers. I have scoured through my neigbourhood and manage to find one family growing running bamboo in a pot along the corridor.

Running Bamboo In A Pot

I have observed that bamboo are quite popular with shops owers and office. Below bamboo in white glazed containers are simple but merge well with the surrounding. So choose container colours that will complement both the bamboo and your garden and property, soft pastel shades are best that will not distract from the beauty of the bamboo.

Bamboo In White Container Infront Of A Baber Shop

Below bamboo in planters infront of an offices also merge well with the surrounding and breaks the monotonous corridors. My two cents, avoid using plastic containers as they will not do the majestic bamboo justice and plastic containers are just not heavy enough, especially for tall bamboo, they will blow over on a windy day.

Bamboo In A Planter On The Right Side Of An Office

Bamboo In A Planter On The Left Side Of An Office

Bamboo grown in containers are not likely to grow as big or as well as they do in open ground, but they are still ideal as attractive and majestic decorative container plants and adding something special to a garden and property.

Bamboo Tips

Learn more about what species to grow, what it will look like when mature, how to take care of the bamboo. Recommended Bamboo Resource the American Bamboo Society (ABS) website. My jaws drop when I look at the number of species that is available.

 

CNY Container Gardening Plants

Chinese New Year Container Gardening Plants

During Chinese New Year (CNY) auspicious words are traditionally used and exchanged. Prosperity; Success; Good Health; Wealth; Growth; Abundance; Harmony; Peace; and Luck are just afew meaningful and popular words exchanged among friends; relatives and business partners. Flowers and plants are purchased for their auspicious and symbolic meanings and can be place at home, temples, or as gifts for friends and business associates, during Chinese New Year, to wish them well for the New Year.

Today is the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year for 2012. I visited a local ChineseTemple with my familly to ask for blessing for the year of Dragon and took afew pictures of these Auspicious Container Gardening Plants with my Samsung pda hanphone. The pictures are not very clear but it still tell a thousand words.

Mandarin Potted Plant Before The Main Entrance

Chinese New Year will be kind of wierd without Mandarin Oranges which come in different sizes. During Chinese New Year, greetings are accompanied with a pair of oranges. This is a traditional practice among the Chinese. It symbolises "gold" and all the good wishes for the new year.

Four Seasons Lime Potted Plant

Four Seasons Lime are potted and are portable so that they can be easily displayed at any suitable places. They are usually decorated with red ribbons, and other decorations to make it look more even more auspicious. The small 1 inch diameter size fruits symbolize gold nuggets. The orange, bright yellow lime and the luscious leaves blend well together. Placing them at the doorway or in the living room is said to bring good luck and wealth for the year.

Potted Four Seasons Lime At Flower Centre

Popular Greetings: "Gong Xi Fa Cai" (Wishing You A Prosperous New Year)