When Plastics Make it Possible® asked self-taught gardening guru Michael Petrie about the beautiful garden oasis he designed for the 2011 Philadelphia Flower Show using plastic materials, he told us that when he began his career in horticulture at the age of 21, he had no idea how much he’d depend on plastics to help him do his job. But as soon as he got his first job watering and caring for plants at a local nursery, he realized how indispensable plastics are in gardening.
According to Petrie, who now owns a successful, Philadelphia-area landscape design business called Michael Petrie’s Handmade Gardens, plastics play a role in every stage of a plant’s development and transportation. From the greenhouse where the plants begin their lives, to the plastic pots that hold nutrients to assist in their growth, to the large, rectangular, plastic trays in which dozens of plants are carried to the watering system, plastics help plants grow and thrive.
And when it comes to utility, durability, and convenience, plastics are unbeatable. That’s why plastics are the only materials Petrie recommends for container gardens. He says that choosing the right containers is just as important as choosing the right plants, and plastic containers will help ensure a healthy, beautiful, blossoming garden.
Petrie also points out that a variety of gardening tools are made of plastics, including his favorite, the blue tarp! “I can’t live without my blue tarp,” Petrie said. “I use it to help collect the leaves when I rake, to assist with transporting plants, to collect the soil when planting and much more. It is my go-to tool when working any job!”
