Container Gardening

Need a little inspiration for your summer container gardening?

Click here 👇

CONTAINERS/ANNUALS - SPRING/SUMMER

 

It's Not Nice to Rhyme With Ice

Have all the poppies perished? 

Are the columbines soon to croak?

Winter became reality,

the icy forecast was no joke!

March 2nd ice accumulation at my entryway

Have the roses come to ruin?

Oh, the salvias look so bad!

Will they live to bloom another day,

when now they look so sad?

The catmint looks all crinkled

The spiraea lost its buds.

Will they have a second flush of growth,

or are they merely duds?

Triumphator Lily June 2013

Will the Triumphator lily rise again

to toot its lovely horn?

Or will this winter be its end

and leave me so forlorn

The day the icy precip fell

and temps began to drop ...

 The daffodils once stood tall and bright...

Ice Follies the day before the ice

...then froze and took a flop

The pansies and the kale in pots

I fear are finally toast.

No containers full of color this year

about which I can boast.

Colorful containers February 2013

 About right now the warmth of spring

would really hit the spot. 

I'm so ready for winter to cash it in;

I just hope my plants have not!

A few buds remain to comfort me

Maybe spring's about to start.

A little sign to bring some hope

for my winter-weary heart.

I wrote this poem to lift my spirits

after a winter filled with ice.

And even though the words may rhyme,

this winter's been all but nice! 

Take care...and stay warm!

Toni :-)

'Fireworks' on the 4th

How about some fireworks on the 4th of July!

Here's a variegated purple fountaingrass I tried this year in a container.  

Its official name is Pennisetum setaceum rubrum (wait for it) 'Fireworks'

I love the brightly colored variegated foliage.

And the soft fuzzy purple plumes.

I put it in a container by itself this year, but I think it would look great paired with sweet potato vine, purple heart, periwinkles, or pentas.

This is definitely a thriller that will add sparkle to any summer container garden.

'Fireworks' is an annul in my zone 7/8 garden, but it is no dud!  It takes the Texas summer heat with ease and makes me go ooh and aah as the plumes shoot up above the colorful foliage.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!  

I hope you get to see some great fireworks :-)

Toni :-)

Blooms Among the Foliage

I've been a little distracted the last few days with planning a little DIY project for my backyard (more on that later), so I missed Garden Bloggers Bloom Day on the 15th and Foliage Follow-Up on the 16th.  I did manage to take a few pictures of what's blooming among some fabulous foliage, so I thought I'd share them with you...just a little late.

As I showed you in my Bare Bones post, there's not a lot blooming in my perennial or shrub beds, but I use containers for adding color in the winter.

A pot of cyclamen, oxalis, ivy, and sedum sits by my back door which is a shady spot where pansies would not do well, and it's close by in case I need to give it a little extra protection on the chance our temps dip into the low 20s or teens.

 Pansies and kale are really foolproof 

and can take just about anything our Texas winters dish out.  

Pansies are not pansies!

Here's a grouping in a side planting topiary.

I also mix curly parsley in with pansies for added texture 

and bright green color.

A new pansy companion in my containers is bok choy.   I am not sure how it would do if it got down into the low 20s or teens, but in the high 20s and low 30s, it has done great.  I hope to use more of this next year.

Oh, no!  It looks like I've got a worm on my bok choy!  

 I got this cute little rock caterpillar for Christmas :-)

In the veggie garden I've got some cabbage that is beautiful, but it is extremely slow growing.

And here's my broccoli.  I am so proud of this broccoli.  I know it is small, but this is the first time I have actually been able to grow broccoli that is even remotely respectable.   I tend to grow mini veggies.   In fact, my grandson was at a salad bar one time, and they had some of that baby corn (you know the corn you see in Asian food?), and he said, "Hey, it's Mimi corn!" 

Here are a few little side broccoli shoots.  

Once I cut the main head off, I expect these little side shoots will grow too.

And one new perennial in my backyard shade bed caught my attention this month.   This is Heuchera 'Southern Comfort.'   I just love the coppery shades of the leaves.  I have not had huge success with heucheras in the past, but I couldn't resist this one at the nursery last spring.  But, hey, it survived our brutal summer last year, so in my book, it's already a winner!

 I hope you've enjoyed my January blooms and foliage.

If you're running a little behind this month, too, and haven't had a chance to check out Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, click here.  And for some other great gardens of foliage, click here.

As I mentioned at the start, I can't wait to show you the DIY project I've been working on (planning and dreaming, planning and dreaming).   I got some inspiration online, drew out a plan, took all the measurements (10 times!), got the lumber cut today, we've got all the screws, and the drill is charging as we speak.  Tomorrow, Lord willing, is the day.     If this thing turns out like the one I've got pictured in my mind, I will be so excited!     I can't wait to show you.

Stay tuned...

Toni :-)

The Alphabet's Journey to July (P)

And we continue our journey through the garden alphabet...

I have so many pink flowers that I decided to devote this post to just one letter, so without further ado...

"P"

is for Pretty in Pink

Summer Phlox (Phlox paniculata) top the list as they are in profuse bloom
(when they are not drooping from heat exhaustion!)

Another Phlox, called 'John Fanick,' is a variety found by Greg Grant at a home in San Antonio.  It is designated a Texas Superstar because of its mildew resistance and heat tolerance (which is certainly being put to the test with these triple digits lately!)

Hydrangeas are pink in our alkaline soils

Crape Myrtles lift pink up to about 15 feet

And pink Katie's Ruellia grows only to about 3 inches tall

Salvia greggii saves its best show for autumn...
but doesn't disappoint this month

Loosestrife puts on its best show in the heat of the summer

Purple Coneflowers are always happy to pose for a picture
(I don't know why they are called "purple," because they sure look pink to me)

And finally, Pentas, Begonias, and Caladiums add pink
to my container plantings this summer

Wow, that's a lot of pink!

Please come back on the 15th for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day so I can show you the other colors I've got blooming in my garden this month ...

and maybe just a little bit more pink :-)

To view previous alphabet posts, click on the letters below

A-D

E-H

I-L

M, N, O

Happy gardening in God's colorful creation...

Toni :-)