The dirt: Garden briefs

Learn about planting trees and keeping them healthy at a seminar sponsored by Columbia Green and the Historic Columbia Foundation.



The day features three sessions:

Tree pruning. Learn how all trees can benefit from proper pruning techniques.

Tree health care. From insects to diseases, discover what ails your trees and shrubs, and how you can raise healthier plants.

Tree planting. Learn how to choose the perfect tree for your needs and how to plant it for maximum growth potential.

Speakers include trained arborists from the Columbia tree care firm Sox and Freeman. Participants should dress appropriately for the weather because the workshop will be outdoors.

The seminar is free to Columbia Green and Historic Columbia Foundation members who pre-register, and $10 to nonmembers who register by March 28. Admission is $15 at the door.


GET READY TO SWAP PLANTS

The Columbia Garden Club has set its spring plant and tree exchange for April 18.

Bring annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, herbs, house plants, bulbs and rootings to the Forest Park Shopping Center in Forest Acres (across from McAllister’s Deli and Bonefish Grill).

Arrive at 9 a.m., and the exchange starts at 10 a.m. The plants go quickly, so be on time.

VEGETABLE GROWING

Want to grow a vegetable garden in a small space? Learn how to do it at workshops presented by the Richland County Master Gardeners Association.

The sessions will be at the Sandhill branch of the Richland County Public Library at 6:30 p.m. March 26 and at the main library on Assembly Street at 3 p.m. March 29.



COOL WEB SITE

Gardeners have no time for nonsense, so they need tools that work.

MotherEarthNews.com offers two tools that help gardeners find the products they need — quickly.

The Seed and Plant Finder searches through more than 500 mail-order seed and plant companies using a custom search engine to locate sources for vegetable, flower and herb varieties, and organic gardening products. Browsing the crop or flower categories tells you more about available options.

Once you’ve planted your seeds, the Organic Pest Control and Garden Products Finder searches a select group of university Web sites to diagnose pest problems and find treatment advice. You also can shop for recommended items from more than 30 preselected mail-order companies selling organic insecticides, tools and related products.

THE PERFECT POT

As container gardening grows in popularity, we think more about what’s going into the pot than the pot itself.

The right container can contribute greatly to the success of your plants and attractiveness of your garden, but the wrong one can be a pain in the neck, an eyesore or expensive but short-lived.

Laura Justice, herbaceous plant manager with the landscape division of the Chalet in Wilmette, Ill., offers tips to bear in mind when shopping for pots.

• Bigger is better. Small pots may be cute, but they don’t hold enough soil to support most plants, and the scant soil they do hold dries out so quickly that frequent watering becomes a chore. As a rule of thumb, don’t bother with a container that holds less than 3 gallons (imagine three milk jugs fitting inside).

• The right material. For a container to use all year — for winter displays of greens as well as summer planting or as a very large, sculptural accent in the garden — look for good-quality plastics and fiberglass, which are a bit flexible. But over time, hot sun and other weathering can cause even those materials to fade or crack.

• Drainage is essential. Unless you are using it for a water garden, the pot must have a hole in the bottom so excess water can escape. Trapped water rots plant roots. No hole? Drill one (use a masonry bit for concrete or ceramics). To let water drain out, Justice suggests elevating any pot on pot feet (buy fancy ones at garden centers or use three bottle caps or other same-size found objects). Wire baskets with moss or coir liners drain quickly and look lovely but dry out in a trice. Put your plants in a plastic pot (with holes), and hide the plastic pot inside your moss or coir liner.

• Style matters. Choose pots that are appropriate to the architecture of the house and design of the garden. A fancy iron urn might work well for a traditional house with wrought-iron railings, but would look out of place with a mid-century ranch.

• Perspective and scale. When selecting a window box or hanging planter, think about how it will look from below. A pot for a spot across the yard needs to be large enough to make an impact from a distance. Containers to flank a front entrance should be in scale with the doorway and facade of the house.