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Bring gardening to your door

A contractor installs one of the specially-designed meters that will provide WFEC with data about household energy use..

by Charles L. Brasher, Jackson County Extension Service
A great way to create a welcoming touch to your home is to add containers of plants to your entranceway.

Choose large pots for emphasis or a grouping of varying sizes to complement your setting.
Make sure the containers have a drainage hole or place a layer of gravel or cellular polystyrene (Styrofoam) pellets in the bottom of the pot to facilitate drainage. Choose a good potting soil to fill the containers and you are ready to begin choosing plants. Of course, a pot of your favorite annual will be beautiful, but experiment with combinations of plants that complement each other. You are the artist and your container is the canvas!

Consider light. Howmuch light will the plants receive? Is your site full sun, shade or a mixture? At the plant nursery, look for labels to tell you how much light is needed for the plants you choose, or ask someone to help with your selection. Then, grab a basket or cart and
experiment with combining different plants to achieve the look you want.

Consider color. For drama, try shades of red with purple and pink. White flowers can be sophisticated. And don't forget that silver Dusty Miller looks great with any color! Petunias are a good choice for full sun and impatiens always bloom well in shade or semi-shade, but don't
limit yourself to the annual tables. Some of the smaller indoor plants are wonderful additions to containers. Colorful crotons, silvery aluminum plants and variegated plants of any type will enhance the colors of the flowering plants.

Consider form. Choose some plants that cascade over the sides of the pot. Creeping fig, Wandering Jew, Pothos and ivy are all good choices for trailing plants. Select plants of different heights, always considering their mature height as well.

Consider texture. Crotons have a bold, broad leaf, while ferns provide an airy look. Spider plants or Dracaena margenata are an interesting addition to a container garden.

For additional information about container gardening, call or visit the Jackson County Extension Office located at 2741 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite #3, Marianna, call 482-9620 or log on to http://jackson.ifas.ufl.edu.

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