Question
I'm moving to an apartment with a huge terrace and excellent light: morning noon and early afternoon. I don't want to get one plant at a time and assort a junk yard collection of plants. My question is, what kind of large containers could I get that look modern and what kind of plants should I buy? This is by Mission Creek in Mission Bay, not far from the ball park. I'm leaning toward natives because while I might water them diligently, I can't have an automatic system and want to ensure they outlive occasional neglect. Lavender? What kind of soil?
Bill
San Francisco
Answer
In terms of modern containers we do carry a lovely line of Fiberstone pots that are lightweight and modern looking. And, of course, we have tons of styles of pottery and redwood containers to choose from as well.
I think going Native is a great idea. There are plenty of low-water options that will do well in containers. Some examples are: Aquilegia (columbine), Artemisia, Ceanothus (wild lilac), Erigeron, Heuchera and Penstemon. This is but a short list. We can personally show you a larger variety at any of our San Francisco locations.
Lavender is not a native, but does quite well in containers and does not need a lot of water either. You may also want to consider a cactus/succulent garden. You can get many different colors and textures from succulents, and they certainly have low water requirements.
Euphorbias and Phormiums are two more excellent choices you may want to check out.
With any and all of these you will want to use a Potting Soil. At Sloat stores we differentiate between Potting Soil and Planting Mix by whether or not the soil is going into a container (potting soil) or if it is going into the ground (planting mix). In your case the drainage needed in container planting is made possible by using potting soil. Although you can also consider a cactus/succulent specific soil too if you go that route.
I hope this helps get you started. And again, please do visit any of our locations to see some of these plants in person and get additional direction from our educated staff.
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