Gardening and Landscaping DesignGarden Ideas for Planting & Design

Dish Gardening

DISH GARDENING

 

 

 

Dish gardening is the art of planting small ornamentals in pots, shallow vases or dishes. Or it is in itself a miniature garden which you can carry them to any part of your home.

 

There is no record as to the origin and who started dish gardening, though it is very popular today among gardeners, florists ,and plant lovers.

 

If you’re creative and resourceful, you can make your beautiful dish garden. It’s only a matter of your initiative to create your own dish garden.

 

The soil medium for your ideal dish garden is an equal mixture of compost, ordinary garden soil, and sand or crushed charcoal. This medium provides the fertility, porosity, and drainage which the plant needs in its growing period.

 

This becomes even more important when the container does not have drainage holes.

 

For those with drainage holes, water should be allowed to drain before the dish garden is brought inside the house.

 

Containers for dish gardens differ in size, shape or texture. Clay or earthen pots, shallow dish or trays with or without drainage holes may be used.

 

The depth of the container may vary from 2.5 to 10 cm ( 1 -4 inches). Glazed clay pots or dishes are of course more attractive, but the color of the containers should not be more attractive than the plants which are the main attraction.

 

Plants for dish garden may be classified into …

 

1)   Climbers and creepers (e.g. wandering jew, yellow water plant, brown water plant, snail plant, metal leaf, creeping fig)

 

2)   Cacti and other succulents (e.g. siempre viva, small species of cacti, dwarf snake, peperonia, silvery episcia, common episcia, white torch cactus, velvy episcia

 

3)   Ferns and Leafy Ornamentals (e. g. lacy-leaved papua, small varieties of dieffenbachia, corn plant, spotted dracaena, mayana, coleus, heart-leaved philodendron, aglaonema, prayer plant, elephant grass, lacy-asparagus).

 

 

Before you establish your dish garden, you should select the plants which have the same soil and water requirements.

 

Don’t plant cacti and water plants together in one dish. Water plants will die when water or moisture is withheld for a long time, while the cactus will rot with too much water.

 

You should always bear in mind that plants for dish gardens should remain healthy and vigorous inside the house for long periods without sunlight.

 

Generally, dish garden plants are shade loving. However, bring them out gradually to the open especially to the morning sunlight.

 

Don’t expose them immediately to the noon day sunlight, since they will get scorched.

 

Fast growing plants should be avoided but trimming them regularly will keep the dish garden beautifully balanced.

 

There, you have your dish garden guide. Follow it up and send me your comments.

 

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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. Subscribe his latest ebooks, titled; “How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy” and other gardening articles, tips, and tools all FREE at: crisramasasa.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Cris Ramasasa is a retired Horticulture teacher for 29 years and Freelance writer. Writes home gardening tips and resources. Written ebooks titled: How To Get Started In Flower Gardening and Vegetable Gardening Made Easy.

Soon to put up his website; www. how-to-get-started-in flower-gardening.com

Posted by Mike | Posted in Planting & Gardening | Posted on 22-08-2008

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