Subject: Re: planting for an oak barrel

From: [email-masked] (Allyn Weaks)
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 1995 18:11:25 -0800

In article <[email-masked]>,
[email-masked] (Allan Herle) wrote:

> Can anyone out there offer me a suggestion? I have half of an old oak 
> wine barrel, suitable to be used as a planter box. I want very much to 
> place it by our swimming pool and use it as a focal point. Because I 
> already have several regular planters designated for annuals and colour 
> displays I am interested in something to place in the barrel that is 
> fairly easy maintenance i.e.an evergreen of a sort or perhaps a large showy 
> summer blooming perinnal. I am concerned because of the shallowness of 
> the barrel (2-3feet deep) and the winterkill factor, as the Pacific 
> Northwest can have quite cool and cold winters like the rest of North 
> America. Once the barrel is ofcourse full of gravel and dirt moving it to 
> a sheltered location or indoors will be quite a problem, so winterkill is 
> a factor.  If anyone can offer some advice I would be grateful, spring is 
> upon us and the time for planting is here and I am anxious to show off my 
> barrel.  Please email me a response at [email-masked]

You might try a mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana).  They grow very
slowly, can easily stand bonsai conditions, and since it's a NW native
subalpine tree, it won't be bothered by any temperatures you'll get around
Vancouver.  They can be rather sensitive to air pollution, though, if
you're in a high exhaust area.  Not terribly cheap - a four footer will
probably cost you US$40-80 depending on the form and color (there is a
lovely glaucous, but it's uncommon).  Be sure to check out the nursery
plant collection practices; some of them take from where they shouldn't,
and anything much bigger than a seedling is unlikely to be nursery grown. 
Ideally you want to find a nursery that rescues plants from
to-be-clearcut-then-slash-burned areas.
-- 
Allyn Weaks
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Allan Herle)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 03:53:34 GMT

Again thamks for the help. Jennifer Herle eager gardener.

--
 ....... [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Allyn Weaks)
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 1995 18:11:25 -0800

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From: [email-masked] (Allyn Weaks)
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 1995 18:11:25 -0800

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Boulby)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 19:39:30 +0000

In article <[email-masked]>
           [email-masked] "Allyn Weaks" writes:

> > fairly easy maintenance i.e.an evergreen of a sort.

I have a rhododendron in a half wine barrel which seems quite content to stay
there.  In another barrel I have a Japanese Maple which I just love, its one
called Butterfly and has cream, red and green leaves - but it is deciduous of
course.  Then in yet another barrel I have a skimmia.  All of these plants 
have one thing in common - they like acid soil.  Because I garden on limestone
I envy those able to grow the acid soil-loving plants and this gives me the
opportunity to have a few around.  There is absolutely no maintenance at all
on any of these plants which have lived happily in their containers for about
five years now.  I just add a bit of pelleted chicken manure every spring and
away they go.  Azaleas would do well in a barrel, and once a year they give
you a lovely show too.  I understand it is even possible to grow a wisteria
in a container and create a dwarf standard bush.  I plan to give this a try
with the next barrel I buy.  What about a dwarf lilac - they might grow well
in a container too.  I have even see people create a mini pond in a barrel 
with dwarf water lilies floating on top.  There are so many things you can 
do with barrels.  I love them.
Keep us all posted on what you eventually decide to grow in it.
-- 
Christine Boulby

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From: [email-masked] (Jodie Kain)
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 14:00:17 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
>> > wine barrel, suitable to be used as a planter box. I want very much to 

___ snip ___

>with the next barrel I buy.  What about a dwarf lilac - they might grow well
___ snip ___

I was wondering if you could give me some advice on container wisteria 
growing. I have one in a huge oriental glazed ceramic pot on my fire 
escape (I'm limited you see :-) It was planted last spring & was so happy 
you could fairly see it grow. It gets about 1/3 to 1/2 day sun starting 
about 11 am. I may have provided for too much drainage since it seemed 
extremely dry all summer, but the leaves were so lavish I didn't worry.

A couple of weeks ago I pruned it somewhat & there was moist green inside 
the stems, but it doesn't seem to want to bud - and there certainly 
doesn't seem to be movement toward spring growth. I've put a 2 litre 
bottle of water into the soil with one of those watering cones, but it 
still looks dry & dead-ish.

I'm willing to plant another wisteria if this one is too far gone, but I 
don't want to make the same mistakes. What are those mistakes? I'm new to 
this kind of gardening & am pretty clueless !

Thanks,
J.