Why I Oughta...

A little over a month ago, I planted a pair of small quart-sized containers of a dark-red coleus named Flame Thrower in a patio container .  I had not grown this variety previously, but I liked the the shape of the foliage and having planted some Inferno coleus in the corner patio bed, I thought this would help with a little bit of 'garden legibility' via repetition.  Of colors and plants.   This container sits on our back stoop and gets full afternoon sun.  Being close to the house, it isn't until about mid-day when the sun arrives, but it sticks around here for just about as long as anywhere else in our backyard.   How is the coleus doing?  Very well, I'd say.  Below is a photo showing the current state of the pot.  A lesson learned for me:  coleus as a monoculture works well in a container like this. See that bright green next to the coleus?  I'll post about that tomorrow. 

Number 22 on my annual to-do list was to " do better containers ".  That largely meant the back patio containers that I've filled with various annuals over the years.  Most of the time, I've done it on a budget and without taking chances.   This year, I wanted to do them 'better'.   Over the years, I've watched dozens of videos talking about new hybrid annuals like Superbells and such that require no dead-heading and provide big pops of colors, but I've never used them.  Until now.   Last week, I posted a photo showing container that is planted as a mono-culture of Superbells Coral Sun - from Proven Winner s.  And, recently, I posted about the Cosmic Violet Crazytunias that I planted in two different containers on the patio .  They're dark/dark/dark purple.  I came across another new (to me) Superbell - Double Orange.  I'm a sucker for orange blooms, so this one naturally came home to find a spot in one of the patio contai...

#7 on my 2024 to-do list was to 'do better containers' this year .  That meant doing DIFFERENT containers than I've done in the past.  This goes back to that whole 'get out of your comfort zone' thing that I confronted with flowers in the beds last Fall.  I told myself to resist early Spring and resist the Big Box store.  But, also...lean-in to what I liked about last year.  That 'what I liked' in our containers last year started and stopped with Euphorbia.   Last year, I bought one Euphorbia plant and tucked it in with some Zinnias from Northwind Perennial Farm .  Loved it.  I also saw that the Morton Arboretum used Euphoriba in one of their beds in the Fragrance Garden.  Lovely .  (That's also where I spotted Cardoon, too.) We have two large rectangular containers - one on back patio, one in the shade on our front porch.  Then, we have a large round planter on the patio and a couple smaller companion planters that sit on the ...

I came across this TikTok where this professional gardener was talking about a shade container she was putting together and it caught my attention.  It features a long, rectangular container that is very similar to the one we have our on front porch .  I've tried that container a number of ways and have never been thrilled with it over the years.   Carmen Johnston Gardens shows a dead-simple approach: @carmenjohnstongardens Party ready for the SHADE ♬ original sound - Carmen Johnston Here's a screenshot from that very TikTok (in case it disappears and the embed stops working: Source Now...I won't do the blue hydrangeas.  But, the simplicity of a large fern in the middle, flanked by white begonias on either end and the white Caladiums in front seem like something we could do.  Add some sort of cascading item to replace the hydrangeas and we have a winner.    

Yesterday,  I posted a photo of my first faux bois piece; a plant stand . Today, I'm showing my second;  a Faux Bois cache pot: This one is decorative, too, as it doesn't have a drainage hole.  The pot that I have stuck inside this isn't the right fit as it is a bit too tall and shows far too much interior container.   Seems like I have two choices:  keep it as a cache pot, or take the plunge and try to drill a hole in the bottom.  I've watched a bunch of videos on YouTube about 'how to drill a hole in bottom of a pot' and I still lack the confidence to actually give it a try.  A tile/glass drill bit seems to do the trick along with some moxie and... a little help via the Rehbinder effect .  

I had to pick up one of the kids at the Morton Arboretum recently had had a little bit of time to get some steps in and decided to go see the Fragrance Garden up by the Thornhill Center on the West side of the Arboretum .  It is a spot where you can park pretty close and get to see some beds and containers on a quick little, easy walk.  A couple of years ago, I was in this same garden and posted some thoughts and photos here .  At that time, I was struck by the bedding plants and combinations they had in what felt like a very shady garden (which...is a lot like our own garden).    It was from that experience that I said (to myself) that I needed to think about using annuals beyond the container - as bedding plants - in the shade.  In fact....that was one of my 2023 to-do items and the push behind all of the annuals that I planted this year including some Lobelia, Begonias, Impatiens, Polka Dot Plants .  The beds at the Morton Arboretum have inspired me...