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Showing posts with label Container gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Container gardening. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Spring Plants and Porch


I started gathering plants for my pots several weeks ago.  I planted most of the pots two weeks ago and they are looking great. 

I have a lot of green plants that stay outside year-round.
 But, when the weather begins to warm up, I am ready
to plant my pots with flowers that I will enjoy until late fall

Here's the planter that I have on my front porch. 
  


Here's what most of my pots looked like a few weeks ago.
The pansies worked hard this winter, but it was time for them to go.


Here are some pictures of my back porch and side patio.





I often use the plants (above) in larger pots, but I'm going to try them
on a small table pot and try to keep them pinched back.  I am
also trying some flat leaf parsley in this pot.  If it does well,
I'll try it in some other pots next year.


Lately, gardeners around here have
been using a  "recipe" for their planted pots.

The recipe is pretty easy.
You need:

1. A thrill (a showy plant)
2. A spill (a plant that trails down)
3. A fill  (the other plants that fill up the rest of the pot).

In this pot (above), you might be able to spot my three "ingredients."
1.  A larger coleus named "Kong
 It's a little small now, but it will get bigger and
 really look nice.  It is in the back right with the
green and red leaves.
2. I love creeping jenny and I love to use it in my pots. 
It is the plant that is trailing out of this pot.
 I love the color and it holds up well in our Alabama heat.

3.  I have some splash and begonias as my fill plants.

I have found that these plants work well on my porch and in our long hot summers.









The little white purplish flowers in the bottom
 of this pot is alyssum (Easter basket variety).


My baker's rack looks like this almost year round. 
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I use a lot of pinks in my pots as a general rule. 
But there was something appealing about making this
pot with lots of green foliage and little flowers in white and purple.






This pot has some variety in it.  Verbena (pink blooms), the darker purple below the
verbena is Joseph's Coat (it comes in a bright green, too).  It stays low and doesn't
 flower.  The bright green in the front is sedum and it can take the summer heat. 
I save the little identification tags for the plants that I am least familiar with.
 That way, I'll learn their names and also, so I'll remember them next year
 and if I want to use them again.




I still have a few plants left over and I will make a couple more pots to enjoy.

 Here's a sneak preview of our next outdoor project!!


Have you done any spring planting?  I'd love to know!


Joining the party:


Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special



Nesting Place's








Sunday, May 22, 2011

Green with Envy


I love plants and receive so much joy in planting them and watching them grow. For the past ten years, I've mostly been using terra cotta pots. However, this year I made a change. My friend, Teresa, loves plants and has several blog posts featuring some of the potted plants that she has created. The pots were soooo pretty. I decided that I wanted some, too. I was inspired! I started looking in February without too much luck. As things got warmer, I had better luck...not at the two home stores in town, but at Ross, of all places! I found some good ones at T. J. Maxx, too. I'm not sure, but I think I heard those two stores telling Teresa "Thank you" for stimulating the economy here. Here's some of what I found.



I quietly collected my pots and then waited for the warm weather and the spring plant season to catch up with me.


The stores finally began to get in their spring and summer plants and I was there ready and waiting to make my selections.







I was busy for several weeks. I was planting, looking for additional plants and enjoying the process.


Here are a few pictures that I took along the
way as I started the spring planting process.






It doesn't take too long to plant the pots if you have all your supplies ready and assembled. This pot only took about fifteen minutes to plant.












I should have know that I was headed in the right direction when I decided to leave the terra cotta pots behind. Most of the pots I selected were made by the same company....Green with Envy! I think Teresa would be proud!


Check out Teresa's blog at BloomingonBainbridge
She'll be happy to see you there!


I'm linking up with the party: