Isn't Cyber Space exciting? At the drop of a hat you can create new places to be. What will they think of next?

Some of the advantages of growing your plants in containers are obvious: You don't have to get out and till the earth, and the plants are movable, which is cool. My jungle gets rearranged whenever I get the urge -- I can transform it in an hour or two. During the heat of Houston summers I can move plants into the shade and still allow them to receive the light they need. And, of course, during cold spells I can move plants either into the house or into my temporary greenhouse. Almost any plant in the world can be grown in almost any climate.

But now the disadvantages. Plants in pots will surely freeze if left out during a cold spell. The roots do not benefit from the Earth's residual heat as do those of plants in the ground. The reverse is true during the summer, when if not careful you can allow the roots to cook in direct sunlight. Black containers are murder in hot, sunny climes.

Then there is watering and feeding. Plants in containers must be watered on a continuous basis, and, since they are not in the ground, they don't get any of nature's natural fertilizers. In the summer around here I water at least every other day and sometimes every day -- not all the plants but many of them. It takes me about an hour to do my nearly 100 containers.

Different plants like different foods, so you can't just use a general purpose fertilizer. I use Miracle Grow liquid for many things. But hibiscus plants, for example, need their own stuff. They don't like the amount of phosphorous contained in Miracle Grow. Gardenias like acidic soil, so gardenias have to get special treatment. Someone on the Garden Web forums suggested adding vinegar to the water. I've just tried that, so I can't tell you how it works.

Pots are expensive, even the plastic ones. Container gardeners are constantly on the prowl for inexpensive things to plant in. One of the things I do is buy inexpensive terracotta pots and paint them with oil base enamel paint. This could become a hobby in itself. Some people frequent garage and driveway sales in search of unusual objects in which things can be planted -- old cookware, milk cans, you name it.

Despite the drawbacks, many of the container gardeners I know on the Internet have little choice in the matter. They live in apartments or condos and do their gardening on porches and patios. Others live in areas with very short growing cycles, including Alaska and the northern Canadian provinces.

The Jungle is growing and will soon spread to the backyard, where I will construct a waterfall, river, and pond. I intend to keep things on a tropical note -- might even fashion things around a beachcomber motif.

I think I am evolving into a combination gardener. The backyard extension of my jungle will contain plants and trees in the earth, along with a few containers and pots at strategic spots. Eventually, I'll have to consider constructing a permanent greenhouse. We'll see how things go.

If you have something to add, I would be happy to hear from you. Click the email link when you get out of here.