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Warm Climate Gardens - Part 3.

© Gary Buckley

While you are deciding what to plant and where, your collection of bulbs and plants will need housing. So the vexed question of pot culture needs embracing.

More often than not, pot culture fails because we humans don't listen to our plants. Plants and especially bulbs grown in containers and pots depend on we humans for their food and water. Folks like Mary who live in a hot summer climate, have long told us the virtues of growing bulbs on patios or a shady verandah out of the blazing summer sun. Another advantage is you have more control over the climate of the plantings; moving them when summer drenchings might arise.

Watering and drainage are the two key factors influencing your success or failure of growing bulbs in pots or containers.

I don't use the traditional way whenever I pot; no great surpise there

The traditional drainage method is to use pot crocks and or rubble over the bottom of the pot, then layer some semi decayed organic material, peat, sand and finally soil. Some folks also can afford to buy special potting mix blends which generally work fine too.

The real enemy of bulbs in pots are worms and frost. As we are growing warmer climate bulbs these demand, perhaps more than the traditional cold hardy ones; excellent drainage.

A sudden drop in temperature is often as bad for your potted bulbs as a frost, especially if the bulb or corm is not planted deep enough.

I will be interested to hear from readers, your choice of growing mediums, as I have found cement or ceramic pots work best with me over plastic ones. The only exeption for plastic growing is when you need a lighter pot, as I do when growing Gethyllis http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/alpi...

or Daubenya http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/alpi...

I fill the bottom third with coarse grit, then use a mix mainly of sand with a little peat add to fill up the container. If you feel uncomfortable mixing this, you can always use a mix like John Innes Number 1, adding by volume to this a third to half coarse gritty sand for drainage~drainage~drainage.

Tried and tested warm growing plants:

The many branched, stiffly swaying Melasphaerula ramosa are everywhere, preferring their own company and liking the sandy well drained position created for them; they thrive. When you think you have enough of these,don't allow them to set seeds. They like to be crowded, but really one can have problems down the track with Melasphaerula; it is so good at

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