Drill holes into bottoms of plastic, resin planters
Q: My cousin gave me a wonderful, big planter. It's plastic or resin and is quite lightweight for its size. It's about 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. I'm going to put it in a corner of the driveway and fill it with colorful annuals but, if I fill the whole thing with dirt, I'll never be able to move it. Also, I don't see drainage holes, so I guess I could end up with soggy dirt in the bottom of the thing. How would you deal with this? Should I fill the bottom with Styrofoam or coconut husks or something and then just use the top portion of the planter for dirt and flowers?
A: I would begin by drilling some drainage holes into the bottom of the container. A drill bit intended for use on wood works fine on plastic or resin. If the pot were ceramic or terra cotta, you would need to use a masonry drill bit. I have a similar resin container and put six half-inch holes into the bottom before I planted it. The common practice of putting pot-shards or rocks into the bottom of a container with no drainage holes in hopes of "adding drainage" does not work, it merely changes the height of the pot's "water table." So unless you plan to grow water plants in your pot, drill the holes into the bottom first.
Ideally, you should fill the container from bottom to top with high-quality potting soil mixed half and half with compost. This allows for maximum root growth and cuts down on necessary watering by increasing the soil volume. The only time I recommend adding something to the bottom of the pot to fill up some of that volume with something lighter is if you have to regularly move the pot around. I grow a fig tree in my large pot and need to move it in and out of the garage quite a bit to protect it from freezing temperatures, but I don't want to limit the fig's root growth by adding anything to the pot but soil, so I use a hand-truck to haul it around instead.
If you do want to lighten it a little, I suggest filling the bottom third with empty soda pop cans rather than Styrofoam peanuts, which can make a big mess when it's time to empty the pot. Plus, they aren't recyclable. Another option would be to place a smaller, inverted plastic flowerpot into the bottom.
Q: I have an old article about a royal purple queen bush whose flowers are described as mini-angel trumpets. Any information that you could give me on the family of this plant or the location of where I could purchase one would be greatly appreciated.
A: A wonderful plant, worthy of the beautiful hummingbirds that love to visit it, royal purple queen is a relative of angel's trumpet. Its botanical name is Iochroma cyaneum "Purple Queen." The plant grows 3 to 5 feet tall and is grown as an annual here in Western Pennsylvania. Though the species is a native of South and Central America, this cultivar was developed as part of the Athen's Select program at the University of Georgia and was hand-picked by renowned plantsman Dr. Allan Armitage for being heat and humidity-tolerant. It produces lovely purple, tubular flowers throughout the summer. Be warned, however, that all parts of the plant are highly poisonous so care should be taken when growing it around kids and pets. According to the Athen's Select website, local suppliers of this plant may include LMS Nursery in Allison Park, Michael Brother's Nursery in Cheswick, and Reilly's Summer Seat Farm in the North Hills. Call first, though, to be sure they have them in stock before making the trip.
