Plants on Solar Screened Porch?

The photo was taken shortly after I planted what has turned out to be my second failed attempt to grow plants in two Talavera pots on my WNW facing, solar screened, back porch. My first attempt was Zinnia's and Verbena which was a miserable failure. These succulents are just about gone. I am beginning to wonder if the reduced air-flow caused by the solar screening is the culprit.

Has anyone overcome this problem? Any suggestions as to what might grow successfully under these conditions in the Houston area?

Morning ~ Greersfolly (like the name) and the pot ~ very pretty! Tell me what plants you have growing in it this time?

I am not familiar with solar screening however if you think it is air flow, you can set an fan to circulate air. Many greenhouse growers do that. OTH, I might suspect the solar screen filters out something the plant needs perhaps? pod

Mornin' Podster; Thanks for responding. I do have a ceiling fan on the porch, but have not been running it consistently. The only plant name I remember is the Ice Plant, which are the little trailing plants on the side pots. The center plant produces tall, slender bloom stalks with tiny yellow flowers at the tip. I have seen them growing in commercial beds.

Solar screen blocks out some of the harmful rays of the sun; much like polarized sun glasses.Perhaps I need to consider shade tolerant plants.

greer, have a small "strawberry pot" myself and have never been successful with anything in it.
I have ice plant in a hanging basket and it just goes wild. I have tried several kinds of suculents and sedums which I see in magazine photos.....well I think the photos were staged in the pot just before the camera snapped. It is a beautiful pot. Might consider taking it to a nursery and having them plant it for you.

Thanks, Lou. Good idea. Come to think of it, I, too have tried strawberry pots a couple of times over the years without success. Perhaps it is the design of the pot and not the plant material that is the problem. Never thought of that. Interesting........

Thanks again.

Let me know how it works out. I am still trying to grow in my pot. Have some kind of ground cover in it now and everything has died except the top part and it is sparse.

I threw away my strawberry planter ages ago. I could never keep the plants in the side pockets moist enough without killing the plants in the main section. Bad design! I've also discovered, after losing several plants, that the soil in pots receiving direct afternoon sun get too hot, even with daily watering. That heat is transferred to the rootball damaging or killing it. If you could find a way to shield the pot itself from direct sunlight, the rootball would stay cooler. Also larger pots stay cooler.

Arghhh ~Moisture is indeed a problem ~ didn't give that a thought when you mentioned succulents. I had a pair of strawberry pots. When I planted them, I took a piece of pvc pipe, capped one end and drilled holes on the bottom half. Planted one in each pot before adding the soil. Then I could water thru the pipe and it would soak the bottom half of the pot.

It did help but I have since emptied them, scrubbed them out and put a candle in each. When lit, they are pretty on the front steps or patio...

Hey Pod. Best idea yet.

It really is pretty ~ I did have a photo or two but wiped them out... sorry.

Okay, I am convinced. The pot itself is the problem. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. You saved me from throwing more good money after bad on yet another batch of new soil and plants. As soon as it gets a little cooler, I am going to empty and clean the pots. Now I need suggestions as to what to do with them then. They are too pretty to not use in some fashion, besides I have collected several Talavera Sun & Moon faces to hang on the walls of the porch........sort of a Mexican Fiesta theme.

So pretty. I also love lots of color. We need to get Janet and Wuvie over here. They always know alternate uses for things. Depending on the size , a column candle like Pod said.

This will give an idea of the size of the pots. Note the original plantings. :~(

They are pretty deep and have only four side pots.

The candle is a cool idea but I can't take credit for it. I saw it somewhere... It is safe though ~ I worry about fire living in the rural woods.

As I rethink the candle. Is the pot ok for heat? I no longer do open candles because I had a container explode when it got too hot. Only ones that are poured initially in a jar, fireproof glass of some kind...these usually have a top that can be closed to put the fire out.
Just a thought.

These are open enough the pot doesn't get hot. The only problem I could see would be if the candle burned completely up and the base broke from the heat. But I have the pot sitting on concrete or bricks so I don't worry too much. And try not to let that happen.

right. and Greers is on a stand that would keep air flow all around.

I will certainly try the candles in them after I get them cleaned out. Will put a non heat conducting barrier of some sort between the candle and the pot.

Thanks again for the advice. You gals are so friendly here. I posted a question on a different DG Garden Forum last week and it was frosty and even a bit sarcastic over there. I won't be going back.

Lou, where is Desoto?

Bonnie

Bonnie ~ you might try a layer of sand as a barrier. Hadn't thought about that but what a great idea!

Thanks, Pod. That would be decorative, too.

DeSoto..... north-14 miles from downtown Dallas.....south-14 miles from downtown Waxahachie....right off 35E. There used to be lots of land any which way we looked.....now there is no open land anywhere. Dallas/DeSoto/Waxahachie....one big continuation.....further south is Hillsboro, then Waco, etc. We are in Dallas County....3 more miles and we would be in Ellis County and our taxes would about half as would our car insurance.

Lou, I have heard of Waxahachie, I believe. Is there a radio ministry that broadcasts from there late at night talking about the Knights Templar and the Illuminati?

I picked up the station in Destin, FL one night while I was on a "secret shopper" visit to an all night fast food location.

Are you near the Fitz & Floyd outlet in Lewisville? Is it worth the trip from Katy? They opened a storefront here two years ago for about two months. It was fabulous. We found so many Fall and Christmas items at greatly reduced prices, but they never came back to this area.

Katy is building/growing by leaps and bounds, too. It is on the most Western edge of Houston just South of I-10. The growth right now is North and South. I have only lived here two years. My development is part of a large parcel known as Cinco Ranch and property taxes are high here, too. Especially for the schools which they cannot build enough of to keep up with the influx of families.

Don't know about the radio. Ten years ago our illustrious government spent billions of dollars digging a hole in the ground that they called the "Super Collider". People poured in here from literally all over the world. When the administration changed, they closed it down over night. I will not go into it because Terry will have to shut me down. Anyway, Waxahachie became a word everyone heard on the news all the time. The pronounciation is nothing like it appears. It is a native American word as it was a settlement before the interlopers. That is the reason I give it as a point of reference is because the recent history. I am on the south side of Dallas on 35E......Lewisville is on the north side on 35E. It is a good 50 miles or more across the metroplex. DFW sprawls everywhere. Lots of off-price areas around but nothing that is not in Houston. I find Fitz & Floyd at Tuesday Morning fairly often....especially around Christmas. In that I have shopped both places.....TM is cheaper than F&F.....go figure. I would make a wild guess that F&F is/or will be somewhere around Houston again. That was probably just a Christmas promotion.
Check their website or use your cellphone to call headquarters.....the website may even have an 800 number. Think I'll just check it out myself.

www.fitzandfloyd.com


Now you've done it. I am a dishes nut. Don't want to cook my DH does so that works fine.
Not only do the have a website but there is an outlet on it. In the regular dishes I have found salad plates that have enlarged flowers of every kind. ooooooohhhhhh.....where could I put them?

LouC

I am kinda late to answer, but I planted a terracotta strawberry pot in the spring. I planted a little agave in the top, Vera Jameson Sedum in one slot, mexican sedum in two spots, and another sedum, which I was told is truly Texas tolerant, in two other spots. It has thrived and the VJ Sedum has bloomed. I have watered it no more than 3 times all summer. Rain has provided the rest of the water. The potting mix is about 1/4 builders sand and 3/4 good potting soil. And I mulched it with very small pebbles that I sifted out of builders sand. Do you think it's getting enough sun? You also may be watering it too much.

I will try to remember to take a picture of mine and post it.

Sweezel, just when I had given up all thoughts of growing something in my pots here you are with a ray of Hope. How exciting!

Would love to see a photo of your plantings.

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/16090.xml

Greer, I am on a list with Better Homes and Gardens weekly newsletter. Today they have an article about planting in strawberry pots. Maybe there will be something there to assist you. Hope the link works.

Thanks, LouC. Will check that out.


Bonnie

LouC the link worked very well and the information was inspiring. I particularly liked the sedum varieties in the pot and also the ferns and ivy. The ferns and ivy could withstand the shade and the potential dampness. I just may try planting those pots one more time :~) Thank you for thinking about me.

Sure.

Here are some pics of mine...

2nd pic....

Sweezel, your pots are lovely. I notice they are in full sun. Mine are inside this porch. They get a heavy dose of afternoon sun, but at an angle. This is what they look like today as compared to the photos above when the plants were new.

This is the porch:

These are the poor, pitiful plants.