Review author: Terrari School of Design
Flowers in pots are a flower bed that can be moved to any corner of the site if necessary. With proper planting and proper care of plants, their flowering can last all summer.
To arrange such flower beds you will need a small plot of land and flowerpots of different sizes, shapes and styles. You can take one flowerpot or use parts of a broken pot.
A wide variety of variations are applicable: ordinary and designer, new and broken, miniature and large flower pots. It is very important to choose the right plants for planting.
Main principles of plant selection
When choosing flowers for a flower bed in pots, you need to consider the following:
- compactness of the root system, providing flowers with comfort in a small space;
- endurance (flowers easily tolerate drought or abundant watering);
- long flowering period, preferably the whole season;
Not all flowers can be planted in one pot. Then they are distributed among different flowerpots and at the same time create a common flower bed. In one container, plants with inflorescences of different tones of the same color look impressive, while the tallest flower should be located in the center.
Important! Not all outdoor flowers can grow in pots. You should not choose plants intended only for open ground for these purposes.
What is a vertical flower bed
The type of decor described is voluminous structures, the structure of which certainly stretches upward. It is planted with various plants. It can be not only flowers, but also vegetables, berries, herbs.
This type of landscaping is rarely used when arranging private gardens. Many amateur gardeners believe that vertical flower beds are difficult to construct and that they are not easy to care for. This is wrong. The designs of many of them really look intricate, but in fact, making something like this can be very simple. And materials that are always at hand or that can be bought at any specialized store are suitable for this. Let's give the simplest examples.
Ready-made containers
They are presented in a wide range in any garden center, in any nursery. The cheapest ones are made of plastic. There is no point in purchasing expensive products: after the planted plants grow, they completely cover the pots, so they become invisible. Experts recommend purchasing white pots for planting berry crops. Against their background, green foliage and juicy berries will look great.
Vertical flower bed created using plastic pots Source www.sothatscool.com
The easiest way to create a vertical flower bed from ready-made containers is to take pots of different sizes (from the largest to the smallest), fill them with soil and place one on top of the other. If you plant plants with long vines in open ground, you will get a beautiful cascading flower bed or a pyramid flower bed.
An alternative is a metal stand to which stands for the flower pots are welded. Such design options are often used in urban landscaping; if desired, you can order a stand of any shape, any size from a workshop or forge and place it on your site. Such an object will always look luxurious, it will invariably attract the attention of guests.
cascading flower bed Source tapetus.pl
You can also make a cascading flower garden using tires of different diameters. It is assembled according to the same principle as a cascade of pots:
- The largest tire fits into the base;
- it is completely filled with fertile soil ;
- directly in the center on top ;
- it is also then filled with soil ;
- another tire of a smaller diameter is placed on it;
- After the pyramid is formed, plants can be planted in the ground .
A flowerbed of tires, ready for planting Source drive2.ru
Screen on a fence made of plastic bottles
This decoration is good for decorating unsightly concrete walls. Using hanging threads and plastic bottles with one side cut out, you can create a beautiful flowering screen that will significantly transform the space and make it very attractive.
If you choose creeping flowers with a small root system for planting, over time they will completely cover the plastic pots. The volume of the bottles is of great importance. For example, minipetunias, matthiola, and lobelia will feel good only in two-liter bottles. A smaller volume will not allow the plants to gain the strength that will be able to ensure abundant flowering.
Vertical screens made from plastic bottles Source nadoremont.com
Sheer walls can also be decorated with flat containers. It is advisable to plant only garden succulents in these. They have a shallow root system that can tolerate almost no soil. Flat containers are created from scrap materials. The easiest way to do this is to use a wooden frame. The following algorithm of actions will allow you to turn it into an original flower garden:
- a chain-link mesh is attached to the reverse side using bars and nails ;
- the inside is lined with moss ;
- a layer of soil is poured on top ;
- it is covered with a sheet of plywood ;
- the structure carefully turned over ;
- Plants are planted through the mesh into the ground .
The result is a green picture, such as shown in the next photo. Flower beds that can be hung on walls can actually be made from anything. Rubber boots and old women's bags are suitable as containers for planting plants.
Green composition in a wooden frame on the wall Source houzz.es
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in landscape design services.
Flower towers
They always look great. Despite the name, such flower beds can be either spherical or cube-shaped. Today, flowering animal figures are very popular. They are created using a frame filled with fertile soil.
For the simplest manufacturing option, you can drive four pegs into the ground, wrap them with plastic mesh or geotextile and form a cylinder. It needs to have holes in the center for watering the plants. Tubes with a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the watering hose are inserted into them. Using scissors, you first need to make holes in the mesh or geotextile in a checkerboard pattern. After the entire structure is then filled with fertile soil, flower seedlings will be planted in them.
Vermiculite or perlite must be added to the soil. Sphagnum moss placed on the bottom of the cylinder can act as drainage. If you plant ampelous strawberries in such a flower bed, they will simultaneously delight the entire warm period with beautiful greenery and produce a good harvest.
Frame for a flower tower Source pinterest.com
Flower balls
To make them you need to take a wire with a cross-section size of 5 mm. Using two segments, form circles with a diameter of 20 cm, connect them to each other perpendicular to each other, and fasten them at the intersections with thin wire. Afterwards, the resulting workpiece needs to be wrapped with thick wire crosswise, while leaving space for planting plants. They should be at a distance of seven centimeters from each other.
When the base is ready, it needs to be filled with soil mixed with moss and peat. First, you need to insert a large plastic bag inside the ball. When it is completely filled, you need to make holes in it and plant seedlings. In order for it to take root well, experts advise pressing the soil tightly around the green sprout and watering the plants abundantly. They will feel comfortable if the ball is hung in a place where it will not receive direct sunlight, but will have plenty of light.
Creating a hanging flower ball Source pinterest.es
Choosing a site for a future flower garden
A plan of the entire site will help you decide on the location of the flowerbed. You can take the simple route and place flower pots where there is empty space. But on any site there are recreation areas and passable places. There is no need to forget about them. Only a well-thought-out space will look neat.
First, you should walk around your site and evaluate:
- where is the sun all day long?
- are there any shadow areas;
- Are there tall plants or shrubs on the site to protect the flower bed from the wind?
Features of care
Whatever design option is chosen, some effort will have to be made to ensure that the flower bed growing upward looks good. To do this you will have to:
- carefully observe the watering regime , otherwise the enclosed space will provoke the death of the plant;
- organize drip irrigation , it will reduce moisture deficiency and facilitate daily care;
- when the first signs of various diseases appear, treat flowers and herbs with pesticides ;
- in the cold season, bring vertical flower beds into a heated room , or use annual plants .
Even a beginner can handle such work, so growing vertical flower beds is not difficult.
Convenient drip irrigation system Source rmnt.ru
How to choose a pot for a flower bed?
Finding a successful flower pot is not just a matter of aesthetics. The right container will have a beneficial effect on the growth and well-being of plants. When purchasing an outdoor flowerpot from a flowerpot store, you need to consider several factors:
- Material. Pots can be made from various materials: plastic, terracotta, concrete, metal, glass or wood. Here the choice depends on everyone’s taste preferences.
- Size. It is important to choose the optimal depth of the pot for the flower. If the pot is too deep, then there is a high probability of water stagnation, and if it is small, then certain types of plants may be cramped.
- Color. Light shades of flowerpots are preferable, as they create a cooler environment for plant life. For example, a white flower pot maintains an optimally low temperature because it does not heat up much when exposed to sunlight. Dark colors help warm the soil inside the pot because they absorb sunlight more strongly. Pots and flowerpots painted in dark colors can be used for those plants whose roots easily survive high temperatures.
- Form. It should be chosen taking into account aesthetic preferences and the specifics of the space. Flowerpots can have different shapes: round, square, rectangular, etc.
You can purchase the perfect pot not only by visiting a special store in person, but also by carefully studying the descriptions and photos of flower pots in online stores.
Design ideas
To create an unusual flower garden, gardeners use old buckets, watering cans, barrels and even stepladders. An idea for creating a vertical flower bed is often wide PVC pipes - small holes are made in them for seedlings (or cut in half) and hung on a support.
The photo shows a harvest of lettuce grown in beds made of pipes with a diameter of about 10 cm.
Varieties of designs from pots for flower beds
To make a flower bed from flower pots with your own hands, you don’t need any special talent. You just need to beautifully place the required number of pots with plants in the intended place.
Manufacturing principle
The general principle of performing the various stages of assembling vertical flower beds is similar. To make them, it is necessary to prepare the base, arrange convenient watering, fill the frame with soil and plant the prepared plants. There are certain subtleties in the manufacture of structures from various materials.
When developing a design for a beautiful flower bed, you should take into account the characteristics of the selected materials. The assembled structure must be securely fastened. Flowerbeds resembling a pyramid are considered the most stable.
It is important to plan the irrigation and fertilization system. This will help you easily assemble vertical flower beds with your own hands from scrap materials.
Stylized flower bed from a lying pot
A colorful stream of flowers, as if flowing from a fallen pot, will decorate any garden. For such a flower garden you need to take one large pot.
It is necessary to remove about 20 cm of the top layer of soil in the right place and place the pot there. Pour soil into and around the flower pot. Then plant small flowers inside and outside it, as if repeating the bends of a flowing stream.
Required tools and materials
For production you will need:
- net;
- plastic pot or container;
- wire or clamps;
- drainage material, such as expanded clay;
- dark film;
- knife or scissors;
- prepared soil;
- plant seedlings.
Petunias are just perfect for a vertical flower bed. They will look unusually harmonious on such a composition.
Flowerbed made from old broken pots
You shouldn’t throw away the fragments of broken flowerpots; you can give them a second life by creating unique flower beds from them. There can be many options.
You can collect parts of a flowerpot in a multi-level flowerbed, make an unusual hut from a fairy tale, a small forest, or decorate an existing flower garden with a mosaic from pieces of a pot.
Advantages of organizing vertical compositions
Vertical flower beds look very attractive and give the appearance of the site special sophistication and sophistication.
They are made from all sorts of materials, such as bottles, tires, pallets, boxes, mesh and the like.
Vertical flower beds can add charm to both the site and the balcony or rooms of the house. You can also use them to disguise not very beautiful buildings and fences or decorate gazebos and arches.
Caring for vertical flower beds is very simple. Regular application of fertilizers and timely watering are sufficient. It is worth noting that vertical flower beds need the latter more often than classic ones.
Basic rules for growing plants in pots
Drainage. At the bottom of the flowerpot it is necessary to pour drainage in the form of fine gravel (crushed stone) and coarse sand.
Earth. To make the soil more crumbly, it is mixed with foam granules, which also protects the roots well from overheating. For this purpose, the inside of the container is lined with parts of thin foam plastic.
Landing. It is important not to let the pot become too crowded. The main role here is played by the plants themselves and their tendency to grow. The distance between flowers should be maintained within 10 cm.
Sustainability. Tall flowers require a container with a wide neck, made of heavy material. This makes it massive, and it will not topple over from a gust of wind.
Plant protection from pests. The most common scourge for plants is midges. To successfully get rid of this pest, you first need to understand how it appears in the flower.
Causes of midges in flower pots:
- larvae-infested soil brought from the store;
- waterlogged soil in a pot.
It is important to notice the appearance of flower midges in time, otherwise after some time a whole swarm of these unpleasant insects will circle around the flowers.
Flower beds in pots are a popular trend in garden design. To create such a unique decoration for the site, anything will do (an old barrel, shoes, an umbrella, car tires). Still, classic flower pots are better and more convenient to work with.
What types are there?
The structures are arches, columns, towers and pyramids, which determine the size of the flower beds. If the pots decrease from bottom to top, the flower bed has a pyramidal shape, and if the containers are the same size, it is colonial. Flower beds in the form of cascades, reminiscent of fountains, look especially luxurious.
Each plant is on its own tier and has its own earthen ball, so flowers can be combined without fear of an unfavorable neighborhood. Due to the small area of open land, there are almost no weeds in the flower beds, and water does not flow outside the flower pots, so flower care is kept to a minimum.
On a wall or fence
Photos of flower pots
Build process
To make it, you need to fold the mesh into the shape of a pot or container and secure it with wire or clamps. The inside is covered with a dark film. The resulting pipe is inserted into the pot and covered with soil. Small holes should be made in the film in the places where the plants will be planted.
After planting the seedlings, water the finished flower bed. To make watering more uniform, you can insert a plastic pipe with small holes into the middle of the flowerbed. The finished flowerbed will look great and will emphasize the sophistication of the area’s design.
Flowerpot made from a wicker basket
Naturally, it would be a pity to use a new wicker basket, and it would be expensive, because such works of art are not cheap. But you can make a flowerpot from an old basket that has become dilapidated very easily. It is necessary to fill such a basket with substrate and select plants for planting that do not require systematic watering. This is necessary in order to extend the service life of the basket, because constant humidity can quickly deteriorate the material.
Baskets can be placed along the border, in a gazebo, installed on the retaining wall of a flower bed, or you can create a special pedestal for them.
When working with wicker baskets, labor costs are minimal, since you don’t have to create anything, you just need to plant ornamental plants inside them and grow them according to all the rules of agricultural technology.
Build process
Smaller diameter holes are made in the smaller pipe. The prepared pipe is wrapped in burlap or any other non-woven material. The bottom is sealed with tape or foil.
Holes are made in the larger pipe. Seedlings will be planted there. The bottom also needs to be securely closed. The larger pipe should be fixed in a vertical position and the smaller one should be inserted inside. The pipe is covered with prepared soil.
To avoid the formation of voids, it is necessary to plant plants after several days of regular watering.
Learning to make a fence for a flower bed
Without extensive knowledge of how to make a beautiful flower bed, you can use garden stones to create it. If you plan to plant flowers that are relatively short, then you should use small pebbles.
It is worth choosing approximately the same size so that in the future the flowerbed looks neat and harmonious. But, for example, for bush flowers that grow a lot, it is worth choosing heavier stones.
More common is plastic fencing. It has different designs, but essentially all options perform the same function. Such fences are inexpensive and last a long time.
Their only noticeable disadvantage is that they can fade over time in direct sunlight.
