Winter Pots

I planted my winter pots this week, using greens from my garden and some winterberry and dogwood twigs I picked up in Pennsylvania last week. I make a grid with masking tape on the rim of the pot, and then just stick the greens through.  I wish I had some sparkly lighted twigs to stick in these pots for night-time--I just might have to look for those.  I don't do a lot of decorating outside, but I really like the natural look of these pots and the holiday color they bring to the front door.

Pot Shots, Mid-May

My pots are all planted, and they look so neat and tidy right now, before they start growing big and blowsy. They're the usual plants, angelonias, lantanas, sweet potato vines, heliotrope, scaveola, million bells, setcresea, 'Diamond Frost' euphorbia, Persian Shield, alyssum, succulents... Some pots are mixed, others have a single variety of plants. I have a lot of succulents, and some scented geraniums, and I also planted a 'Sweet 100' cherry tomato plant this year. Regular geraniums don't do well for me, so I don't plant those anymore.

I always plant a purple pot.

And a pink pot.

And a white pot.

I tried to limit the million bells this year--it's hard because their colors are just so luscious and tempting.

My lemon pot--with 'Lemon Slice' million bells and lemon lantana.

I have always loved sweet alyssum and always buy lots of it. I plant it all over my garden, sticking it in little crevices and corners and between pavers. This year I tried some mixed colors in a stone pot.

And a few succulents (I have lots more).

Great foliage on this 'Centennial' geranium.

Pot Shots, Mid-September

'Picasso' petunias

I went out this morning to take an inventory of my pots and see what is still looking good, four months after planting. The winners are angelonia, heliotrope, lantana (some), perilla, scaveola,  setcresea, begonias, and of course all the sweet potato vines. Some of the million bells are still hanging in, but looking a little straggly. Surprisingly, my vincas don't look that good, kind of yellowed and losing steam. They usually do great right up until frost. And I have been disappointed this year with the lantana, which is always a winner for me. Maybe I picked up the wrong varieties this year, but the ones I have in pots are tall and gangly, not very attractive in pots. It seems like the pink and purple varieties are doing well, but the other colors are not. Strange.

Angelonia, Perilla, Heliotrope, Sweet Potato Vine

Heliotrope, Sweet Potato Vine, Angelonia

Pink Lantana, Heliotrope, Sweet Potato Vine

Scarlet Vinca, Lantana, Million Bells

Scaveola, Setcresea, Sweet Potato Vine

Scaveola, Variegated Sage, Perilla, Sweet Potato Vine

Vinca, Lantana, Heliotrope, Angelonia

Perilla, Lavender Lantana

This pot of white vinca and euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' has never looked good. Why haven't I just pitched it?

I cut everything back in this pot a few weeks ago--pink scaveola, pink million bells, and some angelonia--but it hasn't really recovered. I think it was too many plants for the pot, as they never really flourished. Time to go. I also have a pot of 'Profusion' zinnias, which I couldn't even make myself take a picture of, they look so bad. They do awesome in the ground, but not so good in a pot (at least for me). I don't mind editing a little at this time of year...time for a few pots to go.

Pot Shots, Mid-May

Yesterday was my favorite kind of day in the garden. I had the whole day, after meeting a friend for tea in the morning, to work outside in my garden. Most of the major chores are done,  and I planted most of my pots last week after the plant-buying trip to PA, so I could take my time and organize and arrange pots, pull out my painted garden benches, and do some little tasks like putting twine along the fence for the hyacinth beans to climb on.  Not a lot different this year with the pots, a few new combinations like that new yellow and white striped million bells (Lemon Slice) and some white lantana. I also planted an orangey combination, an angel wing begonia, an orangey-red lantana, and a Centennial geranium. That's a new color combo for me.  Nobody bought much coleus this year--for some reason we are all tired of coleus. Some of our favorite annuals for pots are angelonia, Profusion zinnias, lantanas, scaveola, heliotrope, million bells, and the usual fillers like purple and chartreuse sweet potato vine, wire vine, swedish ivy, diamond frost euphorbia. I am doing more and more succulents in pots, and I always do a few scented geraniums--I love their textured foliage and scent.

I did some weeding of course,  edging,  and pruning. It totally amazes me how fast things grow at this time of year. We have had a lot of rain the past week and I think some of my shrubs have doubled in size, in particular a burning bush (Euonymous alatus) that is taking over a corner of my yard. It's way too big for me to attempt pruning it, so I will have to wait until Walt can get to it. I did do a light pruning on my new boxwoods (planted last year). We still have to clean our deck, but it looks like rain this weekend so that may have to wait. Overall, things are looking good in the garden in mid-May.

Still Going Strong

I know I've said this before, but this Mexican heather plant is amazing. It has bloomed and looked good every single day since June, even when I forgot to water it. Another pot that has been a real winner this year is my big pot with perilla, lantana, angelonia, purple sweet potato vine, and that's a variegated scented geranium next to it. I love the combination and it has bloomed all summer and fall, too. I keep thinking I should pull these out and replant with mums for fall, but I can't make myself do it because they still look so good. But their days are numbered, as the first frost is coming soon, I'm sure.

Pot Shots, Updated

I've been checking out my pots in these first days of September, seeing what has made it through the whole summer. For the most part, my pots have done really well. I have some winners and a few maybes, but I don't think there is anything that I wouldn't plant again. One of my favs, definitely, is the variegated scented geranium, above. It has looked great every single day of the summer and I just love the foliage. It does get small lavender flowers now and then, but it's the foliage that wins me over. I will get more next year.

Another winner, and no surprise here, is the Persian Shield perilla, and sweet potato vine. They are solid winners. 

A real workhorse is coleus. They are so showy and grow enormous and last the whole summer. These are sun coleus, 3 plants in one big pot, and they have been pretty amazing.

And this small sedum has done great since I planted it in my old green colander. It has bloomed profusely every day this summer and is still going strong.

Another favorite is this Mexican heather.  Eileen was the first to buy these up in PA and now we all snap them up for $1/plant.  I think there are 2 plants in this pot. It looks good every single day and doesn't get wilty when I haven't watered for a few days.

And speaking of sweet potato vine, the purple one is great too.

Another strong contender is angelonia, planted here in a pot. I did a pot of three different varieties of purple, pink, and lavender and I liked them mixed together.  They're still doing well.

This blue scaveola did great for most of the summer, but I've noticed in the past week or so it just looks tired and like it is just finished. I trimmed it up some this weekend and will see if it has any life left.

And my millions of million bells have just about lived their lives. It's hard to say anything negative about them, because I love them so much in the spring, with all their amazing colors. They are just so irresistible. But they just don't like our hot humid summers, and next year I will buy a few less (maybe). The same with petunias. I love them in the spring, but the only one I bought this year was the 'Picasso' petunia, and my one pot looked pretty good most of the summer, though it is dying out now. Petunias just get so straggly, and even when I cut them back, they just don't look as good. Another winner is lantana, blooms all summer and is still going strong. Heliotrope I buy because I love it, but it dies out by end of summer.

Planting Outside the Pot

I like to plant this old colander of mine with something, and I finally got around to getting some moss to line it so the dirt doesn't drain out of the holes. Sometimes I have used landscape fabric,  but I like the moss better.  I lined the colander with a nice thick layer of moss, put in the plant, and then stuffed more moss around the plant. I used some kind of flowering sedum and I think it looks pretty cute!