Hello there,
May I kindly request some ideas for planters that are both in fully shaded areas and areas that are in full sun? Ideally all plants would be easily purchased at a local gardening retailer.
We would like to hold a team-building event for a U8 girls soccer team and feel that this would be an awesome opportunity to help spruce up the outside sitting area of a local soccer facility used by the team.
The planters are not watered often; rainfall will be the primary source of water.
If any bee/pollinator friendly plants could be added to the mix, that would be great, as we could use it to educate the girls as well.
Any assistance would be very much appreciated!
Thanks!
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners;
I am assuming the planters have adequate drainage, or are connected to the soil for drainage. Start by adding the right soil in the containers. Suggest you buy a prepared soil mix with added fertilizer, and added moisture control. There are many bagged products that contain added moisture control, including the following products:
- Vermiculite
- Sphagnum (peat) moss
- Coconut coir
The added fertilizer and moisture control of Vermiculite, Sphagnum (peat) moss, and Coconut coir in the soil , allows for less frequent watering, and good root health to the plants.
Our TMG website has great information on container plants: Container Gardening Information and Pollinator Gardening
Our website also provides lists of annuals for sun and for shade. There are many annuals that are pollinator friendly: please see Drought Tolerant Annuals
You might also want to visit Xerces List of Native Pollinator Plants This site provides a list of native plants that are perennials. The difference between choosing annuals and perennials is that you will need to replant annuals every year, while the perennials will return if they can survive winter in the planter: Native Perennials for Habitat
Once you have chosen your plants for the planters, they will definitely need daily watering until they become established.
A suggestion for watering might be for the girls to bring an extra water bottle to the game, for the lovely flowers they are growing. Planters will need regular watering especially in a dry summer — due to the size, and shape, of the planters, there will not enough rain water to ensure the plants are sufficiently watered. All the best!