planting elfin thyme in a dry fountain

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guosui Bakersfield, CA Jun 19, 2009

Should I just put small pebbles (for drainage) and some potting soil in the large lowest tier of a dry fountain as a planting medium for elfin thyme? Also, should it be watered often in hot weather even though it's supposed to be drought tolerant?

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jun 19, 2009

You need to be careful planting anything in containers without holes, and with drought tolerant plants it's even more important. If you drill some drainage holes in the fountain I think you'll have better luck in general growing things in there. And the gravel may not really help you--there's a great thread in the container gardening forum that explains why adding a "drainage" layer to your pots is frequently counterproductive. Since you're not a subscriber all you'll be able to read is the first post, but there's a lot of good info in that first post so it's worth reading http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/719569/ As far as watering, it'll definitely need to be watered more often in a container than it would if it were in the ground--I'd use the finger test to judge the frequency--stick your finger down an inch or two into the soil and see how wet it feels.

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guosui Bakersfield, CA Jun 21, 2009

Thanks a lot, ecrane3. I had no idea that container gardening could be so challenging, shall we say. A few months ago I posed a question on the pottery forum regarding some pots I had purchased that turned out to be lacking drainage holes, and there were replies about all of the different materials one could use to compensate for the missing holes --pebbles, packing peanuts, crused soda cans, etc., but no one seemed aware of these other potential problems. I'd really hate to kill this plant; it's so incredibly cute with its tiny dark green leaves massed so thickly together, simply enchanting!


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