Flower box

nd2no

Hi All

I am hoping to build some flower boxes for my mams grave. I only want them for 6 months or while the weather is good. I appreciate any advise as I am a complete novice. My plan is for 2 boxes each side, around a 6ft*1ft. The boxes will be about 4 inches in depth. I'm not sure what hardwood to use. I am planing on lining the boxes with black lino (black bags), is this necessary? Should I cover the base with small stones for soakage? How many air\drainage holes are needed for a box of that size? Is there any particular comppste? Finally, what kind of flowers are good over the next 6 months.. What I want is bright bold colourful flowers and I dont have a clue. What would grow well in a box like that?

Help greately apprecaited.

looksee

Presumably you have checked with the cemetary management to make sure you can introduce these kinds of planters?

Is the grave surface earth or gravel? If it is earth you may have a problem with the base timber rotting or warping. If it is gravel that should be ok, but you will need drainage holes in the timber.

4 inches is really too shallow as it will dry out very quickly and would need watering at least every day in dry weather. If you put in gravel it will make it shallower still.

However if you make a 6' by 1' by (say) 8" deep you would have to take them to the site empty and take compost and plants separately to fill them.
If you do decide to go ahead with this I would suggest making two 3' troughs for each side rather than one 6'.

It sounds like a nice idea, but I think the project would work better if you bought some lightweight troughs made of fibreglass or similar. There are some very suitable ones available and they would be more weather resistant.

Within the next month there will be lots of summer bedding plants available; pretty well any of them would be suitable for the troughs. Pelargonums (annual geraniums) are good for drough resistance and are colourful. I suggest you put a covering of small wood chips or gravel on top of the soil around the plants to help keep them moist.

You should use compost with some John Innes and/or some water retaining beads, straight potting compost will dry out too easily.

nd2no

Hi looksee

Thanks a million for your help. i am going to take your advice and buy the flower beds. I will plant the Pelargoniums as they the flowers she grew around our house for years. Thanking you.