I have 12 large containers 18" and 6 smaller ones 14" and under.
It takes a long time to plan the plants and color combos so I started duering the week before Christmas.
What a great way to spend the winter.
Have you started the Container combos for 2009 yet?
Last year there were too many flowers and some choices I wouldnt repeat.
I decided to make the containers mostly coleus.
I have spent a lot of time with Rosy Dawn and ordered 60 plants in 40 varieties.
Had help from Pirl.
I've got a collection of combinations on a Power Point show I'd be happy to send to you as a link. It's a reasonably big file, but it will sure get you motivated for Spring, if this lousy weather hasn't done so already. I've got cabin fever and it isn't even January!
Good thread, ge! You did 99% of the work yourself so look in the mirror and give credit where it's due.
Yes! Cabin Fever here as well. Time to go searching dahlias, lilies and back to coleus again.
How about sharing your collection? or do you keep your gems a secret. I realize some gardners like to keep their secrets.
I will post my combinations with each post so as not to bore anyone.
Thanks Pirl but you have more influence than you know.
Your incouragement was valuable.
This is the Felix combo
This message was edited Dec 26, 2008 8:15 PM
I guess I don't take enough photos of them, ge.
No secrets on my part.
I'm not sure what my deck planters will look like yet, although I did get some pretty geranium seeds, a couple of petunias, and Sanvitalia to fill in the gaps... so maybe I've got an idea or two for my railing planters at least.
I know what I'll be growing for my mom, though! She has 3 redwood stained planters along the brick wall of her quite shady back porch. The two smaller ones will get red trailing tuberous begonia and yellow/red African impatiens -- Mardi Gras! She loved the green & white polka dot plants last year, so we'll do them again in the longer planter, perhaps with a couple of Gingerland or white caladiums and some sort of trailing foliage.
I never did the geranium seeds... but got a bunch of them.... got to look up when to start them
I need to check too, but I think they're a "sooner rather than later" if you want blooms all summer. :-)
wow depending on what kind... 8 - 10 weeks before frost... but this one says 14 - 16 weeks
http://www.tmseeds.com/product/2092.html
mid winter
http://www.tmseeds.com/product/1699.html
black velvet says 8 - 10
http://www.tmseeds.com/product/7698.html
GE: You can see the collection by clicking this link: http://fertisorb.com/homegardeners/containercombinations.html
Enjoy
oh boy that powerpoint can get me in trouble
Pretty nice thanks for the link
Give yourselves over to the dark side of the Force; get those catalogs out right now!
LOL... don't worry I am already on the dark side
One large container I made last year that I will for sure repeat this year was an alocasia and papyrus. Made for a really neat container. I have alo bulbs up the ying-yang, so was looking for something to plant with them in some 20 inch pots. I had a couple of leftover petunias I put around the bottom, but I won't do that again. Didn't really 'work" with the combination.
Petunias do have a frilly look.Hard to make them work with big dramatic plants.
They work well with coleus, though -- even big dramatic edges. Maybe that's because the colors and edges on coleus make them just a little "frilly."