Container gardening isn't just for annual flowers and tomatoes! In this episode, Sarah and Hanna are joined by conservation scientist Jeremie Fant from the Chicago Botanic Garden to explore growing native plants, perennials, shrubs, and even small trees in containers.
Whether you're gardening on a balcony, patio, driveway, or in a small yard, you'll learn how container gardening can expand your growing space, support pollinators, and help you garden successfully in challenging conditions. Jeremie shares lessons learned from more than 15 years of experimenting with native plants in containers, including what survives harsh Midwest winters, which plants thrive in pots, and why gardeners shouldn't be afraid to experiment.
In This Episode
- Why container gardening isn't just for annuals
- Lessons learned from green roofs and rooftop gardens
- Choosing containers: plastic, fiberglass, steel, repurposed containers, and more
- Potting soil considerations and common mistakes to avoid
- Using mulch in containers to conserve moisture
- Managing weight and mobility of large containers
- Growing native plants in pots
- Which plants survive Midwest winters in containers
- Companion planting and mixing species in containers
- Supporting pollinators with container gardens
- Watering strategies and drought resilience
Plants Mentioned
(Alphabetized by scientific name)
- Agastache foeniculum — Anise hyssop
- Allium spp. — Native onion
- Amelanchier spp. — Serviceberry
- Asclepias meadii — Mead's milkweed
- Asclepias spp. — Milkweed
- Baptisia spp. — False indigo
- Chamaecrista fasciculata — Partridge pea
- Clematis spp. — Clematis
- Coreopsis spp. — Coreopsis
- Delphinium spp. — Delphinium
- Echinacea spp. — Coneflower
- Heuchera spp. — Coral bells
- Ilex spp. — Holly
- Liatris cylindracea — Cylindrical blazing star
- Liatris spp. — Blazing star
- Monarda bradburiana — Eastern bee balm (pagoda bee balm)
- Olea europaea — Olive
- Papyrus spp. — Papyrus
- Rheum rhabarbarum — Rhubarb
- Rosmarinus officinalis (syn. Salvia rosmarinus) — Rosemary
- Sedum spp. — Stonecrop
- Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
- Vaccinium spp. — Blueberry
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Links:
Chicago Botanic Gardens: PlantNebraska members can receive free admission through the American Horticultural Society reciprocal admissions program
PlantNebraska Member Appreciation Week July 20-24th
Schramm State Park Pollinator Party
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