I finally was able to buy a camera this morning and can now snap snap snap away with the pictures. It's not the greatest digital camera but at least it takes reasonably decent photos. I thought I'd share with you all my back porch. I love it so much. I spend much of my time on the porch in the evening after work and weight lifting. I usually eat my meals out there too unless wind/rain prevent me from doing so. I live in a townhouse apartment so I am limited on what I can have. I actually own about an acre of ground in the country about 16 miles from where I live and hope to one day soon get a house built and then I can go crazy with gardening again. Anyway, hope you all enjoy...............
Views from the south:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/porch02.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/porch05.jpg
Tidal Wave Silver Petunia, I think this is my absolute favorite. These suckers have not stopped blooming yet. Does anyone know if they are sterile? They have never set any seed at all. But they bloom bloom bloom:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/porch04.jpg
View from the north:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/porch01.jpg
Close up of an urn with my 'Cypress Gardens' Brugmansia, 'Dragonwing Red' Begonia, and variegated spider plant. I love the combination...the brug gets bigger every day (was actually ripped to shreds from a nasty storm and had to regrow again), the begonias never stop and the spider plant I think is a great addition to the red begonia:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/porch03.jpg
And one of my little friends hiding in the petunias. I love those little moths. I'm assuming it's a tobacco (tomato) hornworm, but I've never seen them so green and colorful. I have only ever seen brown patterned forms. If I could, I'd plant an entire planter full of tomatoes just as a larval food:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/mothra.jpg
Hopefully I loaded these right.
My porch
Glen, I can see why you spend a lot of time there - it's beautiful. And your photos are great!
What a nice set-up you've made there!! Tropical beauties surrounding you and all. Your pictures are very nice.
very, very nice
Glen,
Lovely pictures! My experience with Tidal Wave Silver petunias is that they will eventually set seed. I grew them in a hanging pot the year before last and was very surprised the next year (last year) to find they had seeded themselves. So, I had another year's worth to enjoy them.
Carolyn
Wow, Glen, what a lovely little paradise!
Beautiful! Those petunias are fantastic! Love the urn with the begonia, nice combination.
Thanks for all the nice comments folks. Back in May that tree in the background was much larger. As such, I planted impatiens and New Guineas in the soil below the pots. The impatiens responded vigorously to the shade from the planters and the elm overhead. But then landlord complained to the clinic across the fence about the tree so they cut it all except one large branch. The doctor actually told me he left it so it would offer me a little shade. Nice thought indeed, but the impatiens melted and I ended up pulling them out. It was the first time in my life that I was able to grow impatiens and they were so wonderful. But my container plants actually responed happily to the increased sunlight I think. All are full sun plants so they have been growing just fine. I'm hoping the two brugmansias I have will give me a little teaser of blooms this year.
What a relaxing spot you have - I can see myself sitting back with some lemonade :) I've never been a petunia fan, but I think you've inspired me to try the waves next year.
As far as impatiens (one of my favorites, too) have you tried the Viva brand Sunpatiens? I moved from a shady yard in Michigan to full sun FL and have been using them the past few years. They truly live up to their hype! I believe they're only available at Home Depot as of yet.
Nope, we don't have a Home Depot anywhere in this area. I'll likely use the 'Tidal Wave Silver' Petunias as a mass planting next year. I'll have to see what lives and dies inside this winter and go from there. But I've also wanted to try mass planting white, yellow, and lavender lantana. But those petunias are so easy to grow. Due to plenty of rain this year, I hardly ever water, I fertilize maybe once or twice every two weeks and that's it. Even my elephant ear collection (which I had to restart this year after a complete and total loss 4 years ago) is doing wonderfully. I've never had better luck than this year. Brugmansias are growing into trees faster than I can blink and even those dragon wing begonias never stop blooming. The only thing I miss is my Thunbergia grandiflora I bought this year at walmart. It grew quite large and aggressive and the constant blooms were gorgeous. But alas, with the storms, the support was not strong enough and the planter and all toppled over and snapped the vine at the base. I pulled it out and I'm waiting for a red oleader to replace it. SHould be here tomorrow too! I can't wait.
You like the lantana? I used them one year and they made my DH break out in a rash every time he touched them, which was too bad 'cause they were really pretty and all intertwined through the perennials. They're hard to find around herre though!
They're hard to find around here too, but I'm hoping to get down to Cottage Gardens next spring and pile up my Jeep with "green things." I have 'New Gold' Lantana this year, that I found at Wal-mart, but they were a little pricey. However, they have bloomed and bloomed and the moths and butterflies love them. Fortunately I don't break out in a rash with lantana. Now Alocasia x portora is another story. That juice so much as sprays on me and I rash up for an hour or so. But I love that EE so much I'll deal with the occasional scratch and burn.
Wow, from EEs? That's a shame. Have you ever done Lantana from seed? The only seed I ever saw was for the shrubby style not the spreading style.
Nope, it's easier and cheaper if I buy plants. I wasted so much money this year on morning glories, zinnias, sunflowers, and a few others, and I don't have anything left except a few embarrassing morning glories. I thought about starting some cuttings this fall before cool weather hits, but I'm afraid the plants would be too large to handle by December. I'd like to get cuttings from my petunias and lantana, but I expect I'll just buy new plants next year. I'll already have so much coming inside this fall that I doubt I'd have room for cuttings anyway. Those bananas are going to take up a lot of room themselves.
Have you tried winter sowing? For some annuals it truly is not worth it - by the time you get a bloom, the season's over, but for others, especially ones they don't sell in stores, it's very satisfying!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/coldsow/all/
Here is Clarkia wintersown by me.
Nah, never done that except for foxglove, columbine, hollyhocks, and knifophia, but that was years ago and at my old residence. I am only able to grow a few things since I live in a townhouse apartment now. Plus, the things I normally grow are too tender to start cold from seed. They'd be dead for sure. My problems with the seeds I sowed wasn't germination or growing. They grew quite well and were hardened off and growing crazy. My problem was late frosts, continuous cold temps, and heavy rainfall. What didn't die, I simply pulled up out of disgust. I wasn't going to wait till August/September to get blooms. I'm one of those "I want blooms now" sort of person. It's easier and less costly for me to buy plants. Maybe one day I'll sow seeds again. But not anytime soon.
BTW, I loved those clarkias. I have never seen them growing locally.
No, with winter sowing you leave the seeds outside all winter - they can handle late frosts, cold temps, and heavy rainfall. Gives you something to think about all winter. I still buy petunias, snapdragons and pansies, but I definitely fill in with stuff like the clarkia and godetia and another couple I can't remember.
Thank you for the sweet complement - I doubt you'll find them growing unless someone grows them from seed.
Here's a few new photos taken in the last week. As you can see things have really filled out nicely.
Ah, it's easier if i just post the hyperlinks. saves space too!
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/planter1.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/planter2.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/planter3.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/planter4.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/porch2.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/darthtykey06/brug2.jpg
Glen your oasis looks gorgeous. Looks like a tropical paradise. I really like the trillis with the red flowers and your Brugmansia is beautiful!