During the 2021 Summer Olympics in China, our team found themselves in need of some 50 gallon nursery pots. We needed more than that just in case the Chinese athletes decided to water their training pool. I had been saving pots for this exact purpose ever since my first trip to China two years ago. The first time I saw the Olympic colors on a television was amazing to say the least. My excitement started to build the second my eyes got bigger when I saw the huge selection of these super flowers.
At that point, I knew that container gardening had to be one of my best investments in both time and money. As it turns out, container gardening is actually quite simple once you get past the learning curve. I learned very quickly that hard work pays off very well. So I did what any good gardener would do to prepare for the Olympics. I got a hold of some literature on basic container gardening, bought a book on how I could mix different flowers and arrange them, and got an idea of what I wanted my container garden to look like.
Once I had those things in place, I knew I was ready to start laying down some seeds. Since I was going with a Chinese theme, I knew I needed a pot with some Chinese style flowers and plants. This is not as hard as it sounds; all you really have to do is get a beautiful pot with a good design and add those flowers into the potting bench. The bench just has to have the correct measurements to fit the size of your container garden and then fill it with the right potting soil and you are all set.
I chose three colors from my Chinese pot book and planted the four smallest ones in the back row. The middle row went with two other colors, and the largest pot I placed in the center of the garden. After I divided the flowers in half with the pot on the bench, I arranged the four pots on top of the rows in the garden. The only thing left was to make sure that the tallest pot sat on top of the tallest flower in the middle. It was a simple arrangement, but that little bit of perfection gave the garden that finished touch. The four Chinese style pots that I placed on top of the three Chinese bulbs and two English garden roses made that container garden look very authentic.
When it came time to pick the flowers for my container, I knew I wanted a lot of pink. The biggest pots I had were just right, but I knew that there was a better option. That pot that I picked had only been used once, so it was going to be the perfect addition. After I removed the pot from the potting bench, I immediately saw how beautiful this arrangement looked, and I knew that I was going to add many more flowers to the pot.
I placed the second largest pot on the potting bench next to the pink container garden. Once again, I was surprised by how beautiful the arrangement looked. Just like the pink container garden, the pink potting bench only required minimal watering, and I did not need to use any fertilizer to get the plants thriving. The biggest flower that I decided to place in that pot was the one that I used to make my China koozie.
It may be hard for some people to decide which port to use, even after they see the beautiful flowers that are available in a 50 gallon nursery pot. But if you think about it, the flowers that are in the pot are going to stay there forever. If you select the right potting bench, then you can enjoy those flowers for a long time.
If you are trying to find a place to buy a potting bench, you may want to check out your local hardware store. They usually carry several different types of pots. You can also find many different styles at home stores. Just be sure that you are buying a good quality potting bench that will be durable enough to hold the weight of the flowers that you are hoping to grow.