Desert Garden Pots

Preparing your pots for a desert garden

Aug 4, 2006

Whether you're buying new pots or recycling old ones, there are some things you need to be paying attention to when creating your container desert garden.

One option for potting plants in your desert garden is reused pots. You may have some old pots already lying around. You can also obtain pots from neighbors and yard sales. If you do choose to reuse pots, please remember that they should be cleaned before using them. That's because whatever was previously planted in those pots may have harbored bacteria or viruses harmful to your new plants.

There are various ways to clean your pots. The easiest method is to use a mixture of one part bleach to 10 parts water. Scrub the pots with the mixture, making sure you get all the old dirt out of the pot. You may also want to use a small amount of liquid soap for this. Some people immerse their pots in the liquid and leave them there for a half hour before scrubbing them.

After scrubbing, rinse the pots and let them dry. Now they are just about ready to receive your plants.

Holes.

Check your pots to make sure there is at least one drain hole in the bottom. Some pots are sold without drain holes, and you may get hold of one or two of them.

Proper Drainage.

At the bottom of each pot, you need to install some structure to prevent the soil from being washed out of the hole when you water. Structures in the bottom of the pot also restrict insects from crawling up into the plant from the ground.

But the main purpose for the hole is to allow water to flush out alkalinity from the soil, particularly if your water (and perhaps soil) has a high pH.

Many people used several clay pot shards, laying them in the bottom over the hole. Gravel, fine screen, even a piece of panty hose will provide the same protection.

Pot Sizes.

In potting, size really doesn't matter. If the pot is large, plant a collection of plants in it. I have a pot planted with two varieties of lantana and some miscanthus grass behind them for accent. In others, I have gaillardia and salvia.

But I also have some larger plants (such as mandevilla) alone in pots.

Use your imagination and improvise. You can include many different plants in the same container, and, as long as their sun, water and warmth requirements are similar, they will do well.

More Low-Water-Use Plants for Your Desert Garden Pots

Coreopsis, Coreopsis lanceolata. Beautiful yellow flowers (about two inches across) with a brown, black or red center, above lance-leafed stems, growing two to three feet high and about one foot wide.
Blue flax, Linum lewisii. First discovered by Meriwether Lewis. Tiny, brilliant blue to violet blue flowers, with yellow centers, above thin stems. Blue flax flowers seem to float in the air above their wispy stems, and when planted in abundance, create a wonderful show in a breeze. Use them as an accent plant.
Iris, Iris spp. There are many varieties of irises which do extremely well in a desert container garden.
Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum. In addition to having attractive flowers (violet bulbs at the tips of the chives), hey are also tasty in salads and to cook with. They will grow to about a foot and a half and about ½ inch to six inches wide.
Russian Sage, Perovski atriplicifolia. Hundreds of small spikes of violet-blue flowers creating what looks like a purple haze. The foliage is grayish-green. Can grow up to six feet high and as wide when allowed to. Keep trimmed in a large pot, and plant coreopsis around it, for a really showy montage.