Do you have pots that stand empty for weeks out of the year? In northern climates, gardeners often empty and clean their pots in winter. Since unglazed ceramic pots absorb water and sometimes crack in freezing temperatures, this makes sense. But how empty things must look once summer’s beautiful pots go into storage.
Fourth Dimensional Gardening
Gardeners work in four dimensions. Of course we consider how tall a plant will grow and how deep its roots will go. Every plant grows to a certain width and depth to fill the space around it. But we also work in a fourth dimension: time. Each plant appears, grows, and fades according to its own schedule. We can use this to our advantage, planning for various plants to appear in their season, dovetailing to create a series of beautiful compositions during each gardening year.
Our coastal Virginia remains mild enough to enjoy our pots throughout the year. With a little planning, a gardener can have a beautiful display, and maybe even something in bloom, every week of the year. Once you have the right sort of pot positioned in a sheltered spot, your horticultural imagination is free to experiment with a range of beautiful plants.
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