On the new patio this summer I thought I would try a Perle dOr rose in a big ceramic pot...
I didn't realize how hot it would get there during the heat of the Texas summer.You know the kind of heat where you can't walk on the patio in bare feet or you'll get a burn on your toes.Even though I kept it watered, it struggled,fried and I almost lost it until I took it out a few weeks ago and put it in the ground. It's already putting out new leaves so I think it'll make it. I have a plumbago in the pot next to it and while it didn't exactly flourish, it lived and gave me a few blooms. Hopefully it will do better next year.
So, what suggestions does everyone have for a plant that would do well in those conditions?
Also I have access to some 1/2 inch styrofoam sheets. Would it help to take out some soil and put those sheets between the pot and the dirt?
Well, my idea didn't work, do you have any?
I would try the styrofoam sheets inside the sides of the container - and maybe on top of the soil, too - like a collar?
I grow a lot of stuff in pots and found that I have to work on how to position things. When I kept the pots/roots shaded, the rest of the plant does a lot better.
I have to keep moving things around to group pots so that the sun isn't hitting the pots/roots for very long. I mulched the soil with pine shavings on some plants to help them along until they bushed out enough to shade their own roots.
I grow a lot of pots of basil and annual vinca - both of them get a lot bigger than their pots so they shade their own roots and those of skinnier plants nearby. Next year, I will do a lot of pots of marigolds, because they're more pest repellent. And pots of that lime green ornamental sweet potato vine, just because they're so pretty.
With the big containers, you can just set smaller pots on top of the soil next to the rose's trunk, or you could put the "mulch plants" into the same container.
Hope your rose recovers - it sure takes a lot of trial and error, doesn't it?
I find that putting a mulch on top of the soil and a saucer under the pot, is a great help.
I mulched heavily, I think it was just the extreme heat and the fact it is full Texas sun that was too much. I'm trying to think of something that loves the heat.
In my yard yellow bells did really great this summer. Can you grow that in a big pot?Will it get as big as it does in the ground or can I trim it frequently?
I think I heard Duranta like the heat. Has anyone tried that in a pot?
I have tried both Yellow bells and Duranta in pots and they do just fine.
Thanks Josephine, That's great info. I don't have a lot of experience with containers so it's a lot of experimenting so far.
Hi Teacup754,
I have lots of plants in pots in the heat as well. They get watered twice a day during the summer months. I also use moisture crystals when I put the plants in the pot which help to retain moisture better.
Some of the tropical Hibiscus take the full sun well. My red capitalio didn't mind, butterfly weed and turks cap wouldn't either. I'm pretty sure you could do either in pots.
tropical hibiscus is a great suggestion.It would be pretty in that area. Do you have to replace them each year? The pot is too heavy to move indoors to protect them from our occasional freezes.
I have mine in containers that I move to the garage each winter. Some people say that you can wrap Christmas tree lights around (the big kind, not the l.e.d.'s) and that they can be left out. I've never tried it. I have a dolly to move the containers. I cover them with blankets if I can't get them moved early. I keep a lamp and a couple of space heaters in the garage for them. They make out just fine.
teacup754,
cannas also do well in containers(esp the ones without holes). when winter comes, you just stop watering them. when spring comes, start watering and they will come back to life.
I've put some succulents in pots because of the same problem you're having. I also have some angel wing begonias, firecracker yucca, devil's backbone, hen & chicks, mother in law's tongue, purslane and torenias. All these make it through the summer without a problem. The purslane reseeds, but isn't invasive. I don't move anything inside, it either lives or dies where it's at. So far all these haven't had a problem. Oh, the torenias are annuals, they don't overwinter, but everthing else is perennial.
Hope this gives you a few more ideas.
Crow
I think what you ran into was your patio added to the intense heat by radiating more from the hard surface. Also if your pot was darker, it would absorb more heat. I've not grown roses in pots but many other plants and the main requirement in water, lots of it and regular fertilization too. Perhaps you could provide some type of shade, either cloth or lattice that also may help.
In my experience, most of the plants that can endure the heat in containers are also tropical and will demand winter protection. Hoyas for vining, Brugs for standards, Hibiscus are free to share their blooms and I also have a sweet olive (osmanthus) which doesn't mind container life although it will do fine in ground. It is nice for fragrance. I also like the succulent suggestions. Smaller succulents would be a pretty green mulch under a standard.
Crowelli ~ do you have the angelwings in the sun? Mine seem to prefer morning sun, evening shade.
My angelwings are all over the place, some in pots on the patio and some in the ground. Some in full sun, some get a little shade during the day. The one in the ground is the one I mentioned a while back that a lady driving by my house stopped and rang the bell to ask what that flowering tree was. I told her it was a begonia. She said "no, the big tree by the corner of the house". I walked over with her and she pointed to the anglewing begonia. She couldn't believe how big it was. That one has been in that spot for about 3 years now and is about 7 feet tall. It gets pretty much full sun. I also have a large one potted under the angel trumpet. It's backwards in that it gets morning shade and evening sun, but it's still happy.
Crow
Oh, Pod, the crimums you sent are doing great in my "flood zone" area of the yard. Some of them even bloomed this year, which surprised me. Finally, something that's happy in that spot! Thanks again.
Good! Glad to hear they worked out and amazingly bloomed already too. Good for you!
Need to take AW begonia cuttings and leave some in sun next summer. Worth a try.
This message was edited Oct 4, 2009 11:51 AM
One thing helped me with my potted plants is drip irrigation. A cinch to set up, put it on a timer and there you go.