4 things you didn't know about container gardening

Planning on setting up your container garden soon? Here are four amazing container garden tips you probably didn't know about.

When repotting patio plants, sterilize flowerpots and planters to keep those newly purchased pygmy roses or Kurume azaleas from succumbing to fusarium wilt or leaf curl. First plug the drainage holes with clay or putty. Then scrub off caked debris with a scrub brush or toothbrush. Rinse the pots and fill with a solution of one part household bleach to four parts water. Let stand for two to three hours. Discard the bleach in a laundry room sink (not the yard), rinse the pots with fresh water, and let them air dry.

Finally, a use for that wicker basket you've had stuck in the back of the closet for three years! Dig up four or five of the plants in your flower bed and transfer them to the basket — and voila: a hanging plant for the patio. First, though, use an aerosol varnish to weatherproof the basket and line the inside with clear plastic wrap poked with a few drainage holes.

Camellias grown in containers are particularly sensitive to the cold because of their shallow roots. When winter comes, wrap the pot with thick plastic bubble wrap or several sheets of newspaper and secure the wrap with duct tape.

Instead of putting rocks or pot shards in the bottom of a patio planter to aid drainage, fill the bottom quarter with packing peanuts. What do they have over rocks? They make the planters lighter and allow you to use less potting soil. And, if the peanuts are made of Styrofoam, you're keeping them out of your local landfill. Green tip: Biodegradable packing peanuts made from cornstarch can go straight into your compost pile.