Would love to see some of your container gardens. Here is one of mine.
Show me your containers
I only have a couple of containers. One is my chicken planter. The other is the old concrete planter my mom gave me. It's pouring rain here so a photo will have to wait on that one.
Wisdomskr, I don't have pic to post quite yet as my containers aren't quite there yet. I think you have the same cobalt blue pots that I have. I have them in a couple of sizes and shapes, sitting out by my front entrance. The caladiums I plant in them are just coming up so there isn't much to look at yet.
Hart, your chicken planter is adorable.
Isn't she cute? Joyce and I went to the half price sale at Kims last year and she liked the plants that were planted in it, I liked the planter. So I said, okay, let's get it and you keep it this year for the plants, I'll get custody of it next year for the planter. LOL
BTW, that variegated plant coming out of the side is a new variety of ice plant, believe it or not. It gets some typical ice plant flowers but not many in dark red. I found it at Lowes and just love the foliage.
I like the foliage on the plants too. My great grandmother had a rooster planter, great reminder of childhood memories. Thanks.
I noticed that ice plant I had two of them that I have killed off variegated leaves with a pinkish flowers. I don't think the ones I had were hardy, not that I had them outside anyway. I did get new ice plants at the swap that are hardy and put them in my wall. They should do very well there.
These aren't hardy, Holly. I'm going to take some cuttings in the fall and see if I can save them inside, though.
Finally got some photos of the other planter. My mom got this concrete planter back in the 50s. She gave it to me earlier this year. I have a dahlia planted in it and you can see I got another one of those variegated ice plants to drip over the side, haven't planted it yet, though.
You can see the plants better here.
I like the dark foliage against the white pot.
Hollyann I may have asked to early. I have more pots to post but we can't seem to get a sunny day around here.
Wisdomskr, These aren't exactly containers, they are my living wreaths. I have posted them over in the garden art thread so you may have seen them already.
This one has mini Hosta Hope and Blue Mouse Ears, Impatiens, Squill, Ivy and a couple of other small vining plants. They were only planted a couple of weeks ago so they have a lot more filling out to do. I pinched back the Impatiens so they should start blooming soon.
This is the other one it is a sedum mix. I might add a few more sedums to this one if I find some interesting ones.
I consider them containers and very beautiful. you will definitely have to post some pictures as they get fuller. How do you make them?
Not sure if you are early or I am late. Well I know I'm running late, I usually have my boxes and pots planted by Mothers Day and some things like the Caladiums are usually started much earlier than that. This year I just didn't have house space for all the plants I like to start earl and with the strange weather we had this spring I couldn't put them outside when I usually do.
This is how I did my wreaths.
You buy a special wire or plastic frame that comes with a liner. Some have a fabric liner and some have a sphagnum moss liner. You sit it upside down and put in your liner I like the moss liner best. If you have a moss liner soak it till it is soft enough to bend into the frame then soak it for a bit longer in the fame molding it to the shape but not too long that it will fall apart. Then fill it with potting soil use damp soil and pack it in really tight. You want it very full. Then hook the back of the frame in place, flip it over and then cut through the liner,if your liner is sphagnum moss you can just stick a finger or a thick screwdriver to make a nice hole. Then push small plants in the holes. Keep the wreath laying flat for a week or two so the plants get well rooted and then you can hang it or use it lying flat like a center piece. The special wreath frames are a bit pricey and hard to find. You can make your own using chicken wire but I have been told it's a bit of an effort. You can use all kinds of different plants to make them. Ivy's work well as do the sedums but don't limit yourself. I have seen some very nice ones done with herbs and hanging near a back kitchen door. I am hoping that one day when the GH is up and working that I could try one using orchids and bromilads.
This is one of the few pots that are coming along, I have two of these one on each side of my front entrance. They have impatiens, vinca major, blue lobelia and maybe some bacopa.
My pot of Callas, there are 3 different ones in this pot. Not sure which one without going outside and pulling the tags.
I really like that hanging pot, Holly. You did a great job with it. Nice hanger too.
pretty calla lily, I have window boxes with the moss. Such a great idea especially doing some with herbs for the back door.
Hart, That metal back drop is a very small trellis (for lack of a better description) it is staked into the pot which is hanging on the wall. They use to be brown but last year when I restained the wood they didn't show up so good, so I had to spray them black. I had to bend the stakes inward to make it fit the shape of the pot. They came from The Pottery Factory in Williamsburg. I'll get another pic of the whole thing.
Wisdomskr, This is my first year for Callas, thanks to another DG Co-op. LOL
i usually shy away from callas (even though I think they are beautiful) because of how quickly they spread. Maybe next season I will try them in one of my pots.
Hart I was wondering if you had ever been to Viette's nursery or their daylily festival? I have a mid-atlantic gardening book by Andre Viette. Nursery is in Fishersville...not sure how close that is to you. I would like to attend a festival or display garden in this area to get a truer since of color for the lilies. I have attended one in Tennessee and some of my lilies I purchased did/do not look near as stunning as the ones planted in their beds.
No I haven't been to the daylily festival but it's not for want of whining to go. LOL It's probably 1.5-2 hours from here.
We have the worst, piddly little half you know whated PBS station out here but they did used to have a weekly garden show with Mark Viette, Andre's son. Mark was great, the moron from the (see above) PBS station was, well, a moron. It suddenly disappeared. And of course I cut my gardening teeth listening to In the Garden Radio with Andre years and years ago. Was that on WTOP? I forget.
Are you talking about daylilies or lilies? I know soil and amendments can make a lot of difference in the color of daylilies. And some fade really quickly in the sun.
Here's two to try, guarantee lots of really colorful blooms that don't fade out. They're both older ones and pretty easy to find at a reasonable price.
Dragon King.
South Seas
Daylilies. I have never had a problem with asiatics. I just bought south seas this year from one of the classified ads early spring. It has it's first scape. I like the color and form of Dragon King. My son would love the name and insist it be put in his garden. LOL (He is seven) I have noticed some hold up really well in the sun and rain while others tend to lose the color or have watermarkings all over.
The area is about 2.5 to three hours from me but maybe I can talk my hubby into it. He drove alot farther to take me to the one Tennessee.
South Seas is actually brighter and darker than that photo. I love it. Dragon King is my absolute favorite daylily. It's gorgeous and it just blooms and blooms and blooms.
I just realized I said that show was weekly. It was monthly.
I will have to send out a pic when south seas blooms. I have five out of 52 daylilies which do not have any scapes yet. I check every day. Frans hal, forever redeemed, paper butterfly, swirling water (for the third year) and one I am not to sure what it is but I think it Decataur cherry smash. I have another( I just got this spring) which I can't seem to find and I think I may have sent it up to my sister in Michigan by mistake. I sent her some daylilies for her birthday.
I am going to be on the lookout for Dragon King.
I had no luck with Asiatic lilies in containers, but at least they came up and I was able to put them in the ground where they lived to grow and flower. I saw some coming up today and remembered them..."oh, yeah, that's supposed to be a nice plant.." lol we'll see.
Last night I spent hours reading old threads about containers, painting containers (rcn's thread), and staging containers, which I have yet to do this year so they look like something besides a bunch of pots. I did buy some huge pots at ollie's yesterday but I'm waiting for the agway to call and tell me the "turface" stuff I ordered is in. I want to make sure the drainage is good, I hate having to re-pot large plants any more than I have to.
So, just a sneak peek picture so far, Cannas 'Tropicanna' and 'Praetoria', ornamental sweet potatoes and 'Black Pearl' peppers and scraps of sedums here and there. We need some sunlight !
Claypa I believe I grew those peppers last year. I received them during a local garden exchange and gave some to my dad. I neglected to tell him they were ornamental and he put some in spagetti sauce and basically was drinking alot of milk and water the rest of the evening. He did say if you could stand the heat they were not bad tasting.
I have more containers but need to get pictures. Here is one on my front porch, I have a pot of caladiums, Gingerland in it now. The pot was a birthday gift from a co-worker this year. She forgot I like frogs until another co-worker commented on her perfect selection.
Claypa, I started a combo pot with Black Pearl, Sweet potato Blackie and a black coleus. I call it my dark pot. Got the Black Pearl from the swap, can't remember from whom, but sending them a happy gardening wish.
Gosh, I just knew somebody would put this thread up before I got my pots done! Lack of clear skies and too many rainy days is really putting everything behind.
Beautiful Daylilies Hart. I guess we're all in the same boat with being behind. I have tons of annuals to put in pots. Just have too many projects going at once and not enough time off and good weather.
This was the first pot planted this year. All begonias.
Here's one I finished yesterday. I dug a whole bunch of sedum out of here to move to outside of my tree line, so thought I'd put one of these concrete dishes here. It's all purple and orange pansies.
Wisdomskr, Those Petunias look pretty with that sage.
I just love this Begonia Bonfire.
Holly, I had read about some Hardy Calla Lilies, but have never been able to find the thread again. I love your pot. I'd sure like to plant some Hardy ones.
Here's the concrete planter by my door. There's also another of these four steps down where the walk way turns.
Claypa, I never thought about growing Cannas in pots. What a great idea. This past winter finally did in my marginally hardy ones.
The Betty Boop Begonia!
Lady, I love that pot. What a nice gift! Those are really nice Caladiums.
Here's Rex Begonia and Lobelia.
I love that Bonfire begonia too, Stormy. It's just gorgeous. You did a great job with the front door planter. Nice mix in there. You sure do have a lot of beautiful containers.
The combo pot between the garage doors.
Thanks, Hart. Lady, That is one gorgeous combo you put together there.
Beautiful, Chris. Another great combo.
stormy you may feel like your behind but what you have done is gorgeous. Love the red table and chairs and planter.
Here is a pot that is on the front porch.
This message was edited Jun 23, 2009 9:16 AM
Here is my "Black" container. Coleus, OSPV and Black Pearl Pepper, (from the swap,can't remember the gifter). This one is just getting started.
This message was edited Jun 23, 2009 9:21 AM
ladyg I really like the pot on the porch and the combo of plants. VERY pretty!