Growing Strawberries in a Container

 

Just because you have a small space does not mean you cannot grow strawberries.  Plant everbearing strawberries in a container and enjoy fresh picked strawberries during the summer months.

Normally I grow strawberries in the ground but this year I planted everbearing strawberries in a container.   I added 3 plants to a hanging container to protect the plants from garden pests. (deer, raccoon, rabbits and armadillo slugs and snails)

I like growing strawberries in a container because it saves on space, plus I can easily move the container to a sunnier spot and plan to move indoors during the winter months.

Containers have better drainage; the soil drains well through the holes at the bottom of the container and roots are never waterlogged.

When plants produce fruit, you will be able to harvest the berries easily from the container making the container strawberry garden perfect for patios and decks.

I have many container gardens on my patio and find that these gardens add interest to my outdoor living space. The trailing plants like strawberry and sweet potato are eye appealing.

Growing strawberries in a container is a great way to enjoy freshly harvested fruit in a garden that has limited space.

Growing Shasta Daisies: Planting, Care, and Garden Design

Shasta daisies have a way of stealing the spotlight without even trying. Their clean white petals and golden centers light up borders, prairie plantings, and cutting gardens all summer long. They’re reliable, easy to grow, and look just as charming in a mason jar bouquet as they do swaying in a breeze. If you want a perennial that returns year after year with cheerful blooms, Shasta daisies deserve a place in your garden.

What Are Shasta Daisies?

Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum × superbum, formerly Chrysanthemum maximum) are hardy perennials that form bushy clumps of foliage and send up strong stems topped with classic daisy flowers. Mature plants can reach about three feet tall and bloom from mid-summer into early fall, depending on your climate. They work beautifully in border gardens, prairie-style plantings, and cutting gardens.

• Bloom color: White petals with a golden-yellow center
• Height: Up to ~3 feet
• Bloom time: Summer (July–September)
• USDA zones: 5–9

Where to Plant Shasta Daisies

For healthy plants and lots of blooms, location is key. Shasta daisies look best when they’re given the conditions they prefer.

• Sunlight: Full sun is ideal (at least 6 hours daily). In areas with extremely hot summers (upper 90s), they appreciate part shade during the hottest part of the day.
• Soil: Moderately fertile, well-drained soil. If your soil is poor or heavy, amend it with compost or a quality potting mix.
• Placement: Plant them where you can admire them from a window, along a path, or in a mixed perennial border.

How to Plant Shasta Daisies

Planting from Seed

1. Start indoors (optional): Sow seeds indoors about 10–12 weeks before your last spring frost. Cover lightly (about 1/16 inch deep) with seed-starting mix.
2. Keep evenly moist: Do not let the soil dry out. Germination usually occurs in 21–30 days.
3. Transplant outdoors: Once seedlings are sturdy and danger of frost has passed, harden them off and plant them in the garden, spacing about 16 inches apart.

Direct Sowing Outdoors

1. Wait for warm soil: Sow seeds outdoors when the soil warms to around 70°F.
2. Prepare the bed: Loosen or till the soil and rake it smooth.
3. Sow seeds: Plant seeds 1/16 inch deep and space them about 16 inches apart for good air flow.
4. Water gently: Keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings are established.

Planting Nursery-Grown Daisies

1. Dig the hole: Make it slightly wider than the root ball.
2. Set the plant: Place the plant so the crown is level with the soil surface.
3. Backfill and water: Firm the soil around the roots and water thoroughly.
4. Space plants: Allow 16–24 inches between plants so clumps can fill in.

Watering, Mulching, and Fertilizing

Watering

• New plants: Keep soil evenly moist but not soggy until plants are established.
• Established plants: Water deeply when the top inch of soil is dry. In very hot weather, morning watering (and a light late-afternoon watering if needed) helps prevent stress.

Mulching

Apply a light layer of organic mulch around the plants to help retain moisture and keep roots cool. Keep mulch a bit away from the crown to prevent rot.

Fertilizing

Shasta daisies don’t need heavy feeding, but a little fertilizer can boost bloom production.

• Fertilize monthly during the growing season with a balanced flower fertilizer or bloom booster.
• Liquid fertilizers that attach to the end of your hose work well because they deliver nutrients directly to the roots.
• Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers that encourage foliage at the expense of flowers.

Ongoing Care: Deadheading, Pruning, and Dividing

Deadheading

Remove spent flowers regularly to extend the bloom season and keep plants looking tidy. Cut the stem back to a set of healthy leaves.

Pruning for Winter

In fall, after a hard frost or when plants begin to decline, cut stems back to a few inches above the ground. This tidies the garden and prepares the plants for winter. In milder climates, you can leave some foliage for winter interest and cut back in early spring.

Dividing Older Clumps

Every few years, Shasta daisies can become crowded and bloom less in the center. Dividing refreshes the plant and gives you more clumps to spread around.

1. When: Early spring or early fall.
2. How: Dig up the clump, divide it into smaller sections with a sharp spade or knife, and replant divisions at the same depth.
3. Water well: Keep soil moist until divisions are established.

Design Ideas and Companion Plants

Shasta daisies mix beautifully with other sun-loving perennials and annuals. They add brightness and contrast to colorful plantings and make excellent cut flowers.

• Great companions: Coneflowers, zinnias, black-eyed Susan, bee balm, Russian sage, salvias, and ornamental grasses.
• Garden uses: Borders, cottage gardens, prairie plantings, mass plantings, and cutting gardens.

Quick Reference: Shasta Daisies at a Glance

• Botanical name: Leucanthemum × superbum
• Common name: Shasta daisy
• USDA zones: 5–9
• Light: Full sun; part shade in extreme heat
• Soil: Well-drained, moderately fertile
• Bloom time: Summer into early fall

Sweet Autumn Clematis Growing Guide and Photo's

Sweet autumn clematis is a vigorous vine that is renowned for its late summer vanilla-scented flowers and for the nectar-rich flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. 

Clematis is simple to grow, however, if it is not pruned after the flowering season it can be invasive and will take over your yard.   If you have tried to grow clematis in the past and have failed I would suggest that you try again by planting sweet autumn clematis. 

For a healthy and vigorous climbing clematis, grow in an area where the soil is well-drained, and where the leaves have full sun and the roots are shaded.  

When I moved to the central region of the United States the home that I purchased was a historic home that had many gardens. On my first observation, I noted that the gardens were covered with an invasive vine. With careful inspection I found one hundred vines growing all over the gardens.  

Many of the vines exceeded the length of 36 inches. They were vigorous and aggressive covering everything they came across. They grew up the trellis and the river rock wall. I needed to trim a few back to prevent them from spilling over into the pond. 

 My husband wanted to rip out the fast-growing vines but I said “No”, I told him it was sweet autumn clematis. By the end of summer, the clematis vines were covered with delicate and very fragrant blooms. The fragrance was sweet like vanilla and the vines were laden with so many flowers that from a distance it looked like snow.

Photographs of sweet autumn clematis - my yard and garden.

Trellis made by husband - Clematis with day lilies and grasses

Fast growing clematis fills in trellis 

Front view of trellis: clematis with Four O'clock flowers

Clematis growing up Maple tree with liriope ground cover

Mature sweet autumn clematis vines look thick and woody.

Fragrant blooms in the end of August

Questions and Answers

Where should I grow sweet autumn clematis?

The clematis is eye appealing when growing up the side of a tree or trailing downward over a rock garden. It is also a good choice for steep hills or slopes and will blanket your trellis, arbor, chain link fence or mailbox with lush green leaves and fragrant flowers in late summer. Sweet autumn clematis is deciduous in most areas however if you have mild winters the plant may be semi-evergreen.

When should I plant clematis?

Plant the clematis in USDA growing zones 4-11 in the spring after the danger of frost has passed.  

Can you grow clematis from seed?

Yes start the seeds indoors by planting in a seed kit.  Plant seeds 8-12 weeks before the last frost in spring.  When vines are four inches in length and the threat of spring frost has passed you can plant the sweet clematis flowering vine outdoors.

How do you plant clematis?

For a nursery grown plant you would dig a hole that is the same depth as the container with a similar width. Break up the soil clumps so that the texture is fine. Mix compost or manure with the soil.  

Set the crown of the sweet clematis in the center of the hole with the roots facing outward.  Backfill the hole and water well.   Apply a thin layer of mulch around the stem and roots of the clematis.  

Protect the clematis roots from the summer heat by applying mulch.

Should I grow Clematis on a trellis? 

Yes clematis looks stunning growing on a trellis.  It is best to install the trellis five inches behind the vine. 

The clematis vine will attach itself to the sturdy structure by twisting a runner around the support.  

Make sure that the leaves are in the sun and the roots are shaded.  You can keep the roots cool by applying two inches of mulch around the stem of the clematis.  The mulch will aid in moisture control, prevent weed growth.  

Care for sweet autumn clematis:

Mist the clematis leaves daily and water the roots.  I find it best to water the clematis in the morning and when my summers get extremely hot (mid 90's to 100's) I will also water the clematis in the late afternoon.  During the peak heat, months of summer clematis need to be watered daily. 

Prune clematis after the flowers bloom.

How do you harvest sweet autumn clematis seeds?

In late summer after the clematis has produced a seedpod (see image below) collect the seeds from the brown shell and set the seeds in an envelope for safe keeping.  Seal the envelope and write the name of the plant.  

Keep the seeds for the next spring plantings.

Sweet Autumn Seedpod: Image by SGolis