oak barrel planter help??

hi, ive just recently purchased a half barrel and was wondering what plants I could put in there for the winter, ideally free cuttings or cheap as poss, just something that will flower or add colour to the dark days that are ahead, thanks

 

Hmmm, not much flowers in the winter, pansies perhaps??

Val

 

heathers come in lots of colours , put some small daffs and crocus and a couple of polyanthus

Look great

 

Remember that barrels are water proof, so drill some drainage hole if it doesn't have any.

 

Maybe an evergreen winter flowering shrub.

 

Im about to plant 2 dwarf cherry trees in Oak planters,
What should i line the bottom with to stop the soil from draining away, i have got some broken flower pots, but i was wondering if i need a "landscape Fabric to cover the broken pots

 

I doubt you'll need any kind of fabric in there. The broken plant pots in the bottom will maybe help with drainage, but it's generally not necessary.

 

Hello Veg kev, I grow my citrus trees in oak half barrels. They have plenty of drainage holes and I lay plastic shade netting circles over the base to retain soil/compost. Then just curved crocks over the holes. Seems to work OK Cherries need good drainage, like citrus.

 

My dwarf trees arrive tomorrow )

What would be a good soil mix? i was planning to use john innes No3 with an inch or so of top soil,
Cheers

 

First off. make sure it drains at the bottom. 2nd elevate it off the ground with some flat rocks. 3rd, you do not have to fill the whole thing with soil, use large plastic pots upside down in the bottom, then soil. it will be really heavy otherwise.

 

Get it in place with drainage holes in it, on the flat rocks/slabs suggested, then fill it with chosen mix, firm it down then plant in it and water.
Your back will thank you for your thoughtfulness.

 

Hi Veg kev, redstar has a point there. Is there any chance of fitting little wheels to the underside of the barrels, as used on plant trolleys? If they're going to be kept on a hard surface, it makes moving them around much, much easier. As for compost, I'd go for 50/50 JI 3 and multi-purpose compost. John Innes can be a bit claggy if it's not lightened by peat or a peat substitute.

 

Cool, thanks for the reply's

 

I have a huge plastic planter , it comes up to my mid thigh, and is about 2 1/2 foot in diameter. even with "plastic" I put empty plastic pots upside down on the bottom, then the soil, it takes some to move it about when I want to cut grass or something around it. I have a tomato cage nestled in it, where my moon flowers climb up it. Soon to plant that up next month.

at our second home in New Bern, when we took over the house. the prior had a wine barrel on the deck, totally full of soil, and very heavy. we could see the direct contact with the deck under did not look good. we had to scoop out the soil, tossing it over the deck to the earth below. then rolled it down the two flights of steps to the grass area to another spot. at this point have not done anything with it, it is empty. I am actually thinking of planting some Lemon grass in it, and tell the neighbors to harvest it at will when we are gone, the zone is good for something like that. we painted up the deck, looks good now.