Growing shrubs in containers sounds very strange doesn't it? Many of the most decorative shrubs can be grown in large pots or tubs to adorn your patio or deck. The fact that the roots are restricted may actually improve flowering. Not all shrubs respond well to container culture, however; the magnolia and large forms of daphne, for example, do not. In general avoid planting shrubs in containers that have thick, fleshy roots.

Some shrubs that grow particularly well in containers include the barberry, bluebeard, camellia, clematis, forsythia, honeysuckle, jasmine, lilac, passionflower, and wisteria, just to name a few. For example, a shrub expected to grow 4-5 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide will need a tub at least 2 1/2 feet wide by 1 1/2 feet deep.

Make sure you have a drainage holes in the bottom, if your tub doesn't have any drainage holes, you can make them with a drill. You can now begin with a layer of drainage material 1-1 1/2 inches deep. Broken clay pots, large pepples, or coarse gravel are most frequently used. You then add a layer of potting soil deep enough so that when the plant is placed on it, the base of the stem will be level with the rim of the tub. Make sure that the root ball is moist and the root system is good before setting the shrub in the container. Fill in around the shrub with more of the planting mix. Firm it down well; then fill with more soil mix to 1/2 inch below the rim. Water thoroughly, let the water settle, and soak the soil again.

Care and feeding of container shrubs is also very important. Confined roots cannot seek out water; so you must bring it to them. Water well whenever the soil surface dries out.

A year after planting the shrubs in containers, and then again monthly, if the leaves seem small and discolored or when growth is meager, we need to apply a liquid fertilizer. Shrubs that tend to grow large can be kept small and healthy by annual or biannual root pruning.

Maintaining a healthy shrub requires pruning both the top growth and the roots in autumn or early spring every four to six years. Remove the shrub and strip about 4 inches of roots and soil from the root ball. Scrub the container and repot the shrub with fresh soil mix. As you can tell, growing shrubs in containers can be a much better idea than planting them in the garden, where we have a habit of letting them get out of control.