Specialty Gardening: Are Plastic Containers Inherently Bad?, 1 by carrielamont

carrielamont wrote:
I have some granite-colored large sturdy containers that I bought some years ago at Home Depot. First I tried Moonbeam Coreopsis in them. They died. Then I tried peonies. While they WEREN'T coming back, I bought a large matching round one and put a The Fairy polyanthus rose in it. She lasted for two years but the 2006-7 winter did her in.

I now know the peonies weren't meant for containers and that was a bad idea all around. But what was up with the Coreopsis? A sliver of the self-same plant escaped and almost took over the entire lawn! And the fairy rose? That's a miniature. It should have been OK in a container.

Am I just TOO CHEAP? Am I killing plants by trying to grow long-lived perennials in cheap plastic pots? Maybe if I drill holes in the side or more holes in the bottom - or just say "screw it" and use them for annuals. It just dawned on me this week that I can't keep anything alive in there for longer than one season. WHAT IS UP?

Please share similar - or dissimilar - experiences. Thanks. I used to hang out on this forum ALL the time. xxx, Carrie