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Showing posts with the label container diary

Front Porch Large Container Inspiration - Shade Containers - March 2024

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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.    

Container Juniper in Zone 6A - Winter Bronzing With Silver Tips - January 2024

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Planted all the way back in 2019, we have a Juniper shrub planted in a large yellow, upright container on our patio.  It has been there for five (19, 20, 21, 22, 23) growing seasons and is something that just sort-of exists on the patio.  At least...that's the way I think about it - meaning...that I do virtually NOTHING to it all year long. Here's what it looked like in the Fall of 2020 - when it was green and the tips of the juniper were emerging around the edge of the container, but not by much.  All Summer and Fall, it is a nice green color.   But, come Winter...something happens to this shrub that (at first...) I thought was decline.  It turns an almost rusty-red color.  The first time that happened - in 2020 - I figured the shrub was done .  But, come Spring...it green'd right up. In every subsequent Winter, it has done the same.  Green in Summer and Fall.  Rusty-red in Winter.   Here's what it looked like a little over a year ago - December 2022 .  In that photo,

My First Faux Bois Piece: Plant Stand - Christmas Haul 2023

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I'd say that the first time that I read the phrase "faux bois" was probably twenty years ago in and it was in a Martha Stewart magazine or on her blog.  I've thought about the idea of faux bois planters and what-have-you ever since.  But, thanks to Nat's Mom, I now have a pair of handsome faux bois pieces.  The first of which - this plant stand/pedestal - is pictured below. It is small, but works perfectly to elevate a pot when situated amongst a series of containers.

This Year's Amaryllis Bulbs - December 2023

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'Tis the season for indoor Winter gardening.  It wouldn't be the Christmas season around here without growing some Amaryllis flowers from bulbs.  I've worked with the kids for a number of years to plant and grow some Christmas flowers.  Here's a look at last year's Amaryllis bulbs .   We picked three bulbs out at Wannemaker's Holiday Open House in November and planted them up.   The three varieties we selected were new to us:  La Paz - a Spider Amaryllis.     This La Paz is a Spider Amaryllis or 'Cybister'.  This post details how they're different: Over the last decade, Cybister Amaryllis have become increasingly more popular. Originally hybridized in South America, Cybister Amaryllis have narrow, somewhat spidery flower petals that appear more species-like than their big saucer-shaped cousins. La Paz has upper dark coral petals, while the lower petals are greenish-white edged in dark coral with darker midveins and a starburst green throat. Gardenia

Mounted Staghorn, Ummm, Mounts A Comeback - September 2023

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Here's a truth:  Staghorn Ferns take work.  I said that as #19 on my 2023 to-do list and while I've had ups-and-downs with my Staghorn Fern collection, I'm sharing a small win today.  In terms of Staghorn inventory, I (now) have two mounted ferns and one container fern.  One of the mounted ferns is troubled, but the other one?  It seems to be doing well.  Why do I say that?  Because I'm seeing shield fronds emerging.  Some?  Yes.  Two of them.  See below for both of the shield fronds on a mounted Staghorn Fern: I haven't had much success with the growth of these shield or basal fronds, but earlier this year the Staghorn in the container threw up a big, green basal frond .   I have one empty board as the Elkhorn Fern that I mounted last Winter didn't make it through the dry conditions inside.  

Firesticks Succulent - Five Years Now - August 2023

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Earlier this Summer, the small Firesticks succulent (is it a cactus? I think so?) made its annual migration from indoors to outdoors.  First...staying in the shade for a couple of weeks.  Then, moving to a little bit more sun.   This container-grown cactus lived in the basement all Winter and seemed to come out the other side in decent shape.  I barely watered it and it barely grew.  But...When I moved it outside and gave it some water, it started to take-off again. The last time that I captured a photo of this Firesticks succulent was more than a year ago - February 2022 .  It continues to grow and the current state is below: It is easy to see that there is a ton of new, fresh growth.  Those yellow-going-on-red tips are the tell.   It seems happy in this small container and I'm not in a hurry to move it to something bigger since I'm seeing so much growth.  I suppose that's something that I need to start to look at and figure out if it would benefit from a larger home.   It

Elephant Ear Foliage Emerges - July 2023

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Like (almost) every previous growing season, I planted some Elephant Ear bulbs in our containers in an attempt to add a (slightly) tropical vibe to our patio.  These bulbs come from Longfield Gardens and are carried by Costco each Spring.  This year, I put a couple in both the wood box at the corner of the patio and the larger, glazed container.  And, both of them have put up leaves that are getting bigger by the day.  See below for first the wood container followed by the glazed one.  I'll monitor these for size - here's the mark to beat leaf-size-wise (from 2021) .

Front Porch Container - Pansies and Ranunculus - April 2023

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Nothing like a deadline to get you to fill your containers, right?  We were hosting a little Easter party earlier this month and that meant that Nat wanted our front porch container full of something.  What's that something this time of year?  Normally...pansies.   Like these:  When I was at the orange big box store, I also saw something more interesting:  ranunculus.  In a spectrum of colors including orange, red, yellow and pink.   I was, naturally, drawn to the orange ones.  Here's how things ended up:  12 pansy plugs in purple (let's call it blue, ok??) and six five-dollar ranunculus interplanted.   Last Summer, I went with pink and green .  

Mickey Mouse Topiary Setback - February 2023

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One step forward, one step back.  So it goes with indoor, container gardening it seems.  Just yesterday, I posted an update on my oldest Staghorn Fern and how it was putting on the first basal frond since I've owned it.  Today...showing a photo of a setback:  my Creeping Fig Vine Mickey Topiary took a hit. It seems that I let it dry out and the vine has gone dry across a huge amount of the face of the frame.  I THINK that I caught it just in time and watered it to keep the vine alive.  In part.   See below for the current state: You can see the dry parts of the vine with dead leaves.  But, also..what seems like a little bit of new, growth (the lighter green leaves).  I brought this inside back in October and it was THRIVING.  Look at this photo to see the post-Summer flush growth of Creeping Fig Vine .  I've been trying to keep the topiary watered in since the incident, but this really is a product of my plants being sent downstairs to the basement during the Christmas season.

Staghorn Fern Basal Frond Growth - Winter - February 2023

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The basal frond (or shield frond) on my oldest - and only potted - Staghorn Fern continues to grow.  And, that has single-handedly gotten me BACK into the Staghorn Fern game.  I first shared a photo and an update on this new (to me) experience of seeing one of our Staghorns put out this basal, shield frond.  Today - three weeks later - the frond keeps growing and is starting to cover quite a bit of area.  You can see the current state of this, original Staghorn Fern in the photo below.   It has been grown in the basement under a two-color (purple and blue) grow light for the past few months: I have left this one in the pot as a sort of hedge against the mounting stress.  I'm not sure what to think about this one putting on a basal frond vs the mounted ones not doing anything but really declining while under my watch.  I'm thinking that - right now - I'll just leave this one as-is and move it back outside this Summer.  At the same time, I'm really trying to baby the two

Why Winter Rose Poinsettias Are All I'll Buy Now - January 2023

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In early December, I p icked up a 6" Winter Rose Poinsettia for $9 at the orange big box store and brought it home for the season .  We have - typically - bought a Christmas poinsettia, but when we came across the Winter Rose, I did a quick Web search to learn a little bit about this specific variety. By now - late January - our typical Christmas Poinsettia is usually looking pretty ratty.  Leaf-drop, leggy stems, etc.    The Winter Rose promised a longer shelf life and that's turned out to be true for us - in a big way.  See below for the Winter Rose Poinsettia that is sitting on our kitchen table today: I'd call this plant being in 'full bloom' - but I know it isn't blooming.  Those are leaves, not flower petals. But...still....look at it.  It is thriving.   What's not to love about this pop of color well-past Christmas?  January and February are hard, hard months for growing, so seeing this thing do so well has really affirmed - for me - that the choice

Growing A Shield Frond On Staghorn Fern - January 2023

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My Staghorn Fern journey started back in March of 2021 with the purchase of a small, potted Staghorn Fern from the orange Big Box store.  As I learned a little bit (or...'got to know') Staghorns, I decided to just leave this one in the plastic container that it came in, but modified to provide for A TON of drainage/airflow with holes all over it. That first Summer, I put it outside and it seemed to thrive .  I brought it inside as the weather turned and put that Fern - along with other houseplants - under a grow light during the Winter.  Two years ago tomorrow (Jan 24, 2022), I posted some photos showing the first real 'Antler-shaped fronds' that the fern had grown .  This was a real milestone as the fern started to *look* like a real Staghorn Fern.  That small series of successes lead me to take on even more with Staghorns. I bought more, mounted some of them.  And...didn't really get the results I wanted.  But, I also gave away a pair of the mounted Ferns to folk

Two More Amaryllis Bulb Updates - No Blooms - December 2022

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Yesterday, I showed the high and low blooms on the Magic Touch Amaryllis that we grew this Christmas season .  We also planted two *other* new bulbs at the same time - a Flamenco Queen and a Sunshine Nymph.  Neither of these bloomed for Christmas.  But, both of them have tall, proud stems with a large bud on top.  But, neither have made any moves to open or bloom just yet.  Maybe by New Year's Day? Here's the Sunshine Nymph Amaryllis below.  First a photo of the tag and then followed by a shot of the tip of the stem: And, here below, is the Flamenco Queen Amaryllis.  This one is very tall and slender.  I've been watering them with an alcohol mix, but that didn't seem to slow this one down.  It started to lean a little bit, so I used this plant support to keep it upright. 

Mounted Elkhorn Fern - December 2022

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A few days ago, I shared a mid-Winter update on my Staghorn Ferns and mentioned that I was going to share a separate post on the lone Elkhorn fern that I mounted in October .  First thing though....I'm pretty sure that the name "Elkhorn Fern" is probably misplaced.  This is likely just a variety of Bird's Nest Fern, but that's ok.  And...not the point - right now.   This is a six-week update on the Elkhorn since mounting. And, it hasn't been pretty. Below is a look at the current state.  Lots of brown.  And lots of unhappy fronds.  But, a really nice cedar mount.   Not great.  See below: Not great - at first glance.  But...upon closer inspection, I can see some new, small, thin fronds.  New growth?   One note that I've observed in the past six weeks.  This Fern requires more water, more frequently than the Staghorns.  

Staghorn Fern Update - December 2022

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Currently, we have three Staghorn Ferns and one Elkhorn Fern (More on the Elkhorn in a separate post) that have been sitting in our basement windows trying to survive the long, dark Winter.  Two of the Staghorns are mounted to boards.  And one continues to be in the container that it arrived in from the big box nursery. First up, the one in the container.  This is the oldest Staghorn and seems to be doing fine .  Not great.  But, fine.  The shield frond is the original one that is now brown and dried out.  We have a few antler-shaped fronds, too.  See below for current state. This can use a repotting and/or mounting this Spring. The next Staghorn Fern is the original fern mounted to a pine board with a large knot hole in it.  I posted about this one in August when I talked about it suffering .  How is it doing today?  Not great.  But...I *think* it is growing.  There are some small, new, non-antler-shaped fronds that have emerged.  Here, below, is an overview of this mounted Staghorn s

Container Juniper Shrub Winter Dormancy - Zone 5 - December 2022

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For the past few years (planted in 2019), we've had a creeping/crawling Juniper shrub planted in a patio container out back.  I put it in this container and attempted to prune it a little bit and wire it up when I was focused on trying my hand at bonsai .   Two years later (Spring of 2021), I was seeing some wire damage and (for now) abandoned the project .  My thought was....let this thing grow a bit more, then let's revisit it for pruning and shaping as it is more mature.   On a recent walk in the backyard, I came across (or...really...'noticed') this shrub in the container and I was (temporarily) alarmed.  Look at it in the photo below.  It is maroon-ish/green.  Or, I suppose, one could view it as greenish/maroon-ish/brown-ish/grey-ish?  Is that a color? (That is a lot of 'ishes'.) I snapped that photo and then went looking back in the garden diary here.  I found this post from two years ago - December of 2020 .  Good news:  it was (then) the same color as to

First Three (New) Amaryllis Bulbs - Christmas Flowers - December 2022

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We're about half-way between when we planted our annual Christmas Amaryllis bulbs and the big day - December 25th - when I would (ideally) want blooms.  This is a (partial) progress report showing the three newly acquired bulbs .  Why just these three new ones (and not the bulbs that I kept from last year)?  Because these are the ones that are showing action on the stalk growth and the three that are furthest along.   All three of these bulbs were bought from Wannemakers in early/mid November and were planted up right around Nov 17th.  That puts these three weeks from their first watering.  And just over two weeks until Christmas Day.  Will any of them bloom in time?   First up is the Flamenco Queen Amaryllis .  This is what I think is the most unique of the three - with green centers and white-speckled red petals.  The leaves and first flower stalk are up out of the neck of the bulb, but not too much height so far.  Photo of the mid-growth Flamenco Queen Christmas Amaryllis below

Winter Rose Poinsettia - December 2022

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We typically have a few plants and flower projects around Christmas and this year is no different.  Most years, we do at least two kinds:  amaryllis and a store-bought poinsettia for the kitchen.  This year, we added a third thing:  Paperwhite bulbs .   We've had the typical poinsetta in most years.  Usually red, sometimes white or more interesting coloring.  But this year, we were at the orange big box store doing one of those kids projects when we wandered out into the nursery.  That's where we saw a rack of something that looked *kinda* like a traditional poinsettia.  But, was a little different.   The 'petals' (which...are really just different colored leaves) were curled under.  And were clustered on the top of the plant.  What is this?  Turns out, it is called a Winter Rose.  It is a poinsettia.  Just tweaked.  Here's a few photos of the red Winter Rose: I pulled out the tag of the plant and it read this:  Poinsettia.  Euphorbia pulcherrima.  So, it is a poin

Mexican Feather Grass Still Green Post-First Frost - November 2022 - Zone 5b

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I planted an ornamental grass in one of our back patio containers this Summer and seems that I failed to document what the variety was/is when I installed the rest of the flowers.  Here's a link to a Summertime post showing the labels from a bunch of the plants in the containers, but it didn't include the ornamental grass in the center of the large, round ceramic container.  Based on poking around online, I'm *pretty sure* that it is a Mexican Feather Grass - Nassella .   I'm posting about it, not just to document it in the [garden diary], but rather because of the state it is currently in - post frost in late November.  See below for a photo of the container including this Mexican Feather Grass still showing a lot of green blades: Nassella Mexican Feather Grass is hardy down to just Zone 7 , so perhaps I'm wrong with the identification.  Listen...everything else.  Literally EVERYTHING ELSE in my garden (aside from the Autumn Ferns) have shriveled up and reacted to

Pink and Green Shade Flower Container - Front Porch - August 2022

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That (above) is our front porch seasonal flower container for Summer 2022.   Earlier this Spring, we planted this long, rectangular container with pansies that were cold-hardy.  Last month, I finally got around to planting this with Summer annuals.    Last year, we went with a more bold and wild container , so this year, I went a little more subdued.   I don't love pink flowers in my garden, but when I was the Big Box nursery, I found a few pink things that I thought might work in our front porch box.  This is a pretty shady spot - it gets a tiny bit of morning sun, but is in the shade for 98% of the day.  What's in here?  First...there are a pair of Fiber Optic grasses.  I dug those out of the back patio container since they were being swallowed up by the Petunias .  They won't be missed.   Then there's a purple Sweet Potato vine, some simple shade Begonias and pink Polka Dot plants.   All the containers are below. The Polka Dot plants are something that I've wante