Container Renovations! (smile)

Well I suppose the word "tall" was an understatement here. I lost a couple of sago palms to scale that I had in these planters a couple of months ago and was talking to my Landscape friend about something I should replace them with. I mentioned that I probably need something tall. Came home from work tonight and there were 2 beautiful 7' Giant Birds sitting on my lanai. Of course, I had just replanted these planters Sunday with a bunch of annuals! haha.

Didn't take me long to plant these giants and actually replant the petunias/calibrachoa I had previously planted. Hate the fact though that I only have about an hour of light when I get home...but HEY, I can't complain as many of you out there don't get to plant anything for a while! Shame on me!

Kat

These Plants are really incredible. I've never had blooms from the one's that I planted in the front entrance of my house, but they're in shade all day. The foliage is gorgeous though. It will be interesting to see what they do in filtered sun. This one has almost doubled in size in a year.

Kat

Very nice! Wish I could put mine in the ground. It's root bound at the moment and needs repotted. I will try to repot it in the next few weeks.

I love your new plants. They're just the thing for flanking your doors.

Kat....mine are in the ground, and primarily in the shade and bloom like crazy. It DOES take them a good long time to bloom (as in several years!) but they're worth the wait. Mine are probably 15-20 feet tall now, but also a good 15 years old. There is a rule about each stem needing to have 6-7 leaf stems before they will bloom(?) Perhaps someone can fill you in better. If they are the large white/blue ones, they take the longest. If they are the smaller orange ones (which they don't look like by their size already) they will grow and bloom faster.

I've been trying to start to collect heliconias of different colors. They grow smaller than birds, bloom faster, and blend in with them (and the tropical look) very well.

Good job!
:)

Thank-you so much for the info MerryMary..Mine are the white-blue variety also. I just love the leaves though so if I get blooms, that will be a bonus!

Well, I've got tomato plants and flowers I bought last week to plant but just didn't have the time or energy this weekend. Talk about Lazy! I have this new diversion...A "Daybed on the Dock"!!! It's going to be the ruin of me and my garden...hehe

I seen this item on Home Depot's 70% clearance site online...regular $900 for $276. I'm like what??? I never get a bargain like this! Too good to pass up. It came last week and I also ordered a matching coffee table (regular $150 for $47). Very easy to put together and unbelievably well constructed. The comfort of this outdoor day-bed is incredible.

It was the most incredibly beautiful day today, a little on the cooler side, a slight breeze, my two little dogs with me, a stack of magazines and catalogs I haven't had time to look at, a soft pillow to lay my head on, a Bloody Mary, quiet boats going by, birds I've never seen before venturing out from under the mangroves...I don't know what could be more relaxing.

I'm laying there and thinking...this is like being on a boat in the middle of the water, but without the motion! It was a fantastic afternoon!

Reality set in though - NOW I need containers full of flowers on the Dock! HAHAHA. It just never ends.

Thanks Rev! They've done good with the transplanting and the 2X uprooted petunia's and calibrachoa have gone crazy.

You know...You've gotta love petunias. Maybe because they're so common and low-maintenance, you don't hear so much about them. I don't know too many annuals though, that work so hard to look so pretty and smell so good! I sure love them for our Florida cool-off season. :)

Kat

Kat, that is gorgeous! What a deal!!!!!!!!! You've been working really hard, and certainly need the rest! What a day!

Your're right....it definately needs containers, or beautiful Majesty Palms planted around it. If you put containers out there you might want to anchor them into the cement for safe keeping.

That is a really nice day bed! WoW!!!!!!!

Jeanne

Yeah, I've been thinking about that Jeanne! Sad isn't it? I still haven't anchored down the Daybed but figure a chain attached to the base and piling of the dock will probably do it. However, it is kind of big! But Hey...I've had bigger things stolen! (an entire housefull of appliances)

I know...I could just see a beautiful big container disappearing in the night. I just put soil in the ones I bought in October for the front...I actually ran out of planting soil and had used 10 bags. Made sure that they were where I wanted them to be as there is no moving them after because of the weight.

Maybe some big urns on the dock...with chains to the pilings. I just hate to have to do that...but I know what you're saying! Any other ideas? Dock is trex, so it can be drilled into.

I don't like to be paranoid about these kind's of things, and even though I live in a usually relatively low-crime community, time's are very tough around here right now and I cannot believe what people are stealing. I'm a General Contractor and I've had 3 new A/C units stolen or vandalized for $50 worth of copper! Cost's me $1,500 to replace them and I feel like just taping an envelope to the unit with $50 bucks in it and a note saying - Take this and leave the a/c equipment intact!!!

What are you going to do???

It's ridiculous around here, esp on new home construction!

Several churches in Houston have been on the news where they had copper stolen, and one church had a whole room of computers stolen!!!! It's sad!

When we were young you could sleep with a window open, or a window fan in the window.......No More!

If there is a way to anchor it down, better be safe than sorry!!!!!!!!

Jeanne

Jeanne...still haven't chained things down yet, but so far, so good. The thing is huge. You would need quite a large boat. A bolster pillow blew away the other day! Would you believe somebody must have found it floating around and put it back on my dock and tucked it under the main pad so it wouldn't blow away again. I thought that was really nice!

It's such a gorgeous morning around here...I've been out taking pictures. Last week I started getting some things done for Christmas. Found some nice inexpensive Norfolk Island Pines and Poinsettias at Sams Club and planted them on my front porch...

Those are gorgeous Kat! Beautifully done!

Don't you just love honest neighbors? :-)

Planted 2 containers full...need a little white flower to tuck in such as diamond frost/impatience...

Oh absolutely UT!

My Christmas Cactus is starting to bloom...

I just can't get over how well these elephant ears have done in containers...The diamond frost and Angelonia have really hung in there as well...

Newly planted White bird of Paradise seems to be enjoying it's new home...I think they'll do well here as they wont get so beat up by the wind...

Kat, everything looks lovely! I like your Santa! Sounds like you've got a good start on your Christmas decorating!

Beautiful container displays, thankyou!

Jeanne...I'm not usually into big Santa's in the house, but this one I just couldn't pass up! Found him at Sam's Club last week and it was the last one so I thought I would grab him. Unfortunately when I "grabbed him" I pulled my back out as he weighs a ton and could hardly get out of bed the next day. I hated Santa last week! haha...I like him now though! Great buy at $198. including "Chucky" looking Elf! LOL

Thanks TerriC...

The only problem I'm thinking I'll have with Santa is storage...Do you think I should leave him there and dress him up for various Holidays? I'm wondering how he would look with a diaper and Bow and Arrow for Valentines? Dress him up as a Rabbit for Easter! Hahahahahahahahahaha

hahahaha! Sure why not!!!!! We left our Christmas tree up all year......

Jeanne: I did that for a couple of years...used to re-decorate it for every occassion. Even decorated it for "Kentucky Derby" with horses and little paddocks...It was so cute and a real conversation starter...Friends told me I need to get myself a life???? hahahahaha

This is one of my favorite planters. It never photographs well because it's so sprawling and huge. It's about a year old now - Ribbon plant, crown of thorns, a little artillery fern tucked in as well as some Periwinkle (the only thing that gives any color in the summer here). It need's some renovation!

This is not the prettiest plant...but everytime I walk into the "Lizard Lounge" I'm reminded that it's there because it has the most incredible scent...morning, noon or night! I've had it for about 8 months now and it's in constant bloom...

Chinese perfume plant...

I think my DD thinks the same that I need to get a life. She even said she'd come over and help take the tree down after this Christmas!!!!!!!!!

Kat, I sent you a Dmail.

This message was edited Nov 25, 2007 11:32 PM

I hated to put my 2 Stephanotis plants outside of the screened lanai...I moved them out there a couple of months ago and they seem to be loving it...

OOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPsssssssssss!

Wrong photo...that was a pic of my Plumeria!!!

Here's the Stephanotis!!! OMG!

It was such a gorgeous day today in Fla. Had a couple of little critters following me around all day! hehe. I Love my little critters!

Your little critters are adorable!!!! Kat, you have Dmail!!!!

Well thank-you Jeanne...

I'm still decorating! I put some lights out in the planter also, but they look like Crap! hehe. I've got about 50 people coming on Saturday and between cooking and decorating inside and a job, I just don't have the time to be arranging outdoor lights! Wah, Wah, Wah!

It's not that bad...It's going to be such a fun party! I'm really thinking though that I should get my "head read"...I'm like way NUTS. I decorated 7 trees inside?????
It looks pretty, but I'm a mental case. I have to say though "I have a lot of balls", didn't even have to go out and buy anymore! LOL!

Here's a pic of my guys in their Christmas outfits...Ziggy is usually such a ham, but wont even look at me if I have a Camera in my hand! He's embarrased or something! I use all the good words "Treats, Go in the Car, Squirrell, Go"..Nothing works! He's just indignant and such a very strange little soul! My little Angel Zara is a little more cooperative! hahahaha.

OOOOOH Kat, that is so adorable!!!!!!!! hahahahahaha Too Cute! Ziggy does seem a little annoyed at his being in a costume!!!!!! That is soooo cute!!!!! Zara is an Angel!!!!!!

Seven trees??????? I barely have room for one! LOL!!!!!

Do take care of yourself so that YOU can enjoy the party as well!!!!!!!!!!! Merry Christmas and hope your party is lots of fun!!!!!! I am sure it will be!!!!!! You are quite the Hostess with the Mostess!!!!!!!!!

Jeanne

This message was edited Dec 7, 2007 4:00 PM

Well it's been a couple of months since my last container update. We had a couple of very cold nights in December that really put things back a bit...did cover things up though to try and save them.

I haven't done a lot of renovations lately, but some things just keep growing like crazy. I just love my ferns. These foxtails are amazing and need to be divided soon. They really keep a nice shape and seem to love a container.

I planted a couple of these huge urns in the front of my house about 3 weeks ago. Sunshine Impatience and petunias. They're doing not-too-bad.

The Lanai has become a mini-jungle. My stackable planter needs to be totally re-done, although I've had a constant supply of parsley, rosemary and oregano. Maybe I'll just re-do the top as it's gotten out of control...still looks pretty though.

I planted some Super-petunias around the base of the white bird of paradise. The scent is incredible. My dwarf elephant ears (aren't so dwarf anymore) have hung-in really well and the diamond-frost (euphorbia) I planted underneath, has far outdone my expectations as I never expected it to last for months. It just gets better.

I had a brainstorm today!

I have this fountain that my staff bought me one Christmas. It's gorgeous, but the pump doesn't work and my electrician obviously didn't understand the whole idea of it, as everytime I want to use it...I have to go outside and plug it in?

I'm thinking that this fountain would make an incredible planter! Don't you think???

Kat

A close-up of the stackable-planter. It's looking very un-ruly these days, but I still love it.

You have been very busy! It all looks good! I think the fountain makes a great planter! Brilliant! You Go Girl!