Wednesday, September 3, 2008
GOOD CONTAINER COMBOS
I found this picture on one of the retail gardening sites. I just love it. This container features white sweet alyssum, purple-leaf fibrous begonia, and pink tuberous begonia. Don't you just love the old bread box?
Here are a few suggestions they gave for good container planting combinations.
SPRING: Hellebores, with tulips and ferns. When bulbs die down replace with pink impatiens.
BEGONIAS: Mix rex begonias with their colorful foliage with tuberous camellia-flowered begonias in colors to blend with the rex leaves.
SILVER: Helichrysum petiolare (licorice plant) trailing under annual dusty miller. Add pale pink or red geraniums depending on the effect you want. Or try it with purple heliotrope.
SHADE GARDEN: Trailing ivy and ferns with nicotiana, impatiens or pansies.
FOLIAGE: Palace Purple heuchera with Bowles Golden sedge and Margarita' sweet potato vine
SUCCULENTS: Sedum `Vera Jamieson' and `Bertram Anderson' with Sedum sieboldiana.
BLUE AND YELLOW: Yellow daylilies (Penny's Worth, Stella d'Oro) with Campanula carpatica `Blue Clips'.
PINK AND PRETTY: New Guinea impatiens (bright pink flowers) and pale pink verbena and pink zonal geraniums.
DRAMATIC: Black Dragon coleus with Ipomoea batatas `Blackie' and Helichrysum petiolare `Aurea'.
I love containers but sometimes I can end up with things that just didn't grow the way I thought they would. I have had things that should trail, grow straight up. LOL. But I keep trying. These all sound so pretty. I am going to try the foliage because I started a sweet potato vine that is yearning to be potted up in some sort of arrangemnt. All I need is some purple heuchera and Golden sedge. That sounds so pretty to me. I like purples and golds together.
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16 comments:
Hi Eve,
I love using unique containers .
Makes it more interesting .
Hope youre having a good week.
Blessins'.Lib
Containers are something I am going to venture into soon. Thanks for the info!
I enjoy container gardening a lot. I'm always on the lookout for some different or unusual container. The one pictured was unique. Purple and golds always make a statement to me. Really pretty together!
Eve, those are really cool and unique containers. I've never had much luck with container gardening. I don't know why but my plants never have much success.
Plant groupings are great. I have a few but need more for next year...
I love that picture! Too bad for me that summer is winding down. Next year.
One of my all time favorites go to's with purple is orange. I love how they compliment each other.
That photo is both nostalgic and cozy-looking. I think I had one of those once that likely ended up in a garage sale years ago! I love various arrangements in the same pot. Gives some interest.
Brenda
That's a really cute container. I am always looking for something that is good to plant in and going to my husband could you drill some holes in the bottom of this. Right now I have a big galvanized tub with mums in it. Fall is approaching here in the North and flower season will soon be over. Keep yourself safe from Hanna and Ike.
I love purples and golds together too. Those are some great container ideas. I'll have to file this away for next year.
Eve,
I have to admit, I rarely do mixed containers. I am not any good at picking out the container! maybe it's time to try them!
Gail
I love experimenting with container planting. But even when I've planned it very carefully, not everything turns out as well as I had expected. Sometimes, though, something will really surprise you!
I just tried more foliage planting this spring and find it does very well.
I'm always looking for new combinations--thanks for some good ideas!
Unique containers really can make a container combo special. I currently prefer to put one type of plant in each container and then grouping them together in groups of 3 or 5. Makes a big statement to me. The combinations you listed sound pretty good though. Love the bread container.
That is a pretty container. I like the unusual. I'm trying a container mix called Daddy Pete's Mix. It is the best I've ever seen. I got it at my local nursery. I did notice it was made not far from where I live.
Part ot the success I have with containers is mathching the plant size to the pot size. Give the roots plenty of room to grow all season. Container plants usually need a regular feeding and flushing of extra salts because of the feeding.
So--it's the mix, the size of plants per pot, and regular feeding. Watering every day or more than once a day is vital also. I almost always use Proven Winners plants in pots. They just do better for me.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Forgot to say, glad you are safe. I think Hannah is coming my way. We need the rain.
flowergardengirl..thanks for the good advice. I like the proven winner plants too. They just seem to develope a better root system.
Hi Eve - I like the combinations that you mentioned - especially the pinks. I like doing containers but by the end of the summer I'm exhausted from having to water them so frequently!
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