Obviously, they need to fill out quite a bit. I'll be interested to see what they look like in a month or 2. Tamara
My newly planted containers
Container #2:
Container #3 (my favorite so far):
This is a bulb only container...only the Allium and Anemone bloomed. Once they are done, they will be put in the back with the other "spring time" containers.
Container for light shade:
Tamara: I like your color combos. They're gonna look great! (Well, they already look great - but you know what I mean.)
:) Good work! I'm getting ideas from you.
Deb
Thanks, Deb! This is the first year that I'm really trying to do cool containers. Last year most of my containers were just a single plant type (all coleus, all mums, etc). I'm trying to be more creative this summer. Now I'm trying to figure out what to plant in my "autumn" containers. ;-) Tamara
Noticed in your container for shade a Heuchera. What do you do with it in the winter? I'm always afraid of leaving a nice container outside when it freezes in the winter. Had forgotten one once and had it crack. Or are you just treating it like an annual?
Lots of pretty combinations; great ideas!! I love them. Jean
Thanks, Jean! I will most likely plant them in the ground in September along with the hostas. I will try to overwinter the Rex Begonia. I'll dump the potting soil into the compost pile and bring the pot inside. Tamara
These are a big contribution to this forum.....thanks so much zone5girl.....I love all of them,especially #3 like you do......
I have never seen an all bulb container planting.....quite nice
WOW! Tamara, they look great!
I think they all look beautiful, but I really like #3 and also your Bulb container. Is that "Diamond Frost" that you used in Container #3? I just bought a bunch of that today...it's so pretty.
I have a bunch of plants to put into containers tomorrow. I started container gardening about 6 months ago and I am so addicted it's crazy! Just love them though, as they can be changed often, are virtually weed free and are fairly low maintenance. Also with the heat here in Fla., it's not easy keeping something lush that's planted in the ground. I'm thinking that I might be reaching my quota though. I started out with 3 and tonight I counted the planters I have on my lanai - I'll be up to 45 with these new ones!!!
I found 3 beautiful tall planters at Sams today and will be filling them with elephant ear (focal), diamond frost, Angelonia, and this cool plant called Guara. I'm also being lazy and am going to try that Miracle-Gro moisture control potting soil for these.
Good luck with your containers...they are looking great. Please post some pics of their progress.
Kat
pic: I bought 3 of these for the focal point of my new containers...
Thanks everyone so much! It makes all the hard work worth it! (I used tapla's potting mix recipe, which takes a while to mix batches of it:) http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=1608726
KatG--yes, that is Diamond Frost! I almost passed it up, but P. Allen Smith raved about it, so I decided to give it a try...now I'm glad I did.
GessieGail...I had 6 large containers just for spring bulbs--tulips, hyacinth, crocus,daffodils, etc--all interplanted by color. The problem is that they didn't even come close to their potential because I didn't plant them until January, and many of the bulbs had started to get moldy. I peeled off the moldy layers, and planted them anyways. The full effect would have been awesome so I'm going to try it again this fall with fresh bulbs and potting mix and then I'll store the containers in our unheated garage until early spring. Tamara
You'll be glad you did. I love my spring bulb containers! None came up this year because of our crazy winter weather, but usually they do come up and they're such a joy to see so early. Be sure to plant some tulipa humilis or kaufmanniana, the earliest tulips to bloom. I'm always out there in March looking for the first signs of tulips.
zone5girl,
Very nice work. Your partial shade is along my idea for a shade garden in a small bed. I've put hostas, ferns and one Easter lily there. Recently added a small huechera, but am encouraged to put more huecheras. Learned the hard way last summer they do best in the shade. So do the hostas. The bed stays moist, so the ferns feel right at home too. Thinking I'm on the right track.
Please identify the green tufty grass in your post below. Also, regarding the purple spike in the middle. I have one of these and several greens ones. Is it possible to divide these, are is it just one plant? I'd love to save some $$ by dividing instead of spending!
Thanks.
Linda
http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=3539554
The green grass is Fiber Optic Grass 'Livewire'. It can be used as a bog plant, so it needs constantly moist soil. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/154320/index.html I bought seeds off of ebay and did get 2 out of 5 to germinate. The one in the container I bought as a plant at a local nursery. The purple spike is burgundy Dracaena, also known as spike. Here's some more info: http://home.howstuffworks.com/dracaena-spike-plant.htm HTH, Tamara
Zone5girl those are great containers. I agree, number 3 is a winner. Also love the one for the shade. I found one of those fiberoptic grasses too and planted her up. Did not know it needed a lot of water, it didn't specify this on the label. Thanks for the info.
Anybody out there got a Torenia planted in the shade? If so, would you post a pic? Thanks in advance.