The weather has finally stabilized in a warm stream long enough so that it is safe to plant annuals and seeds without risk of frost killing all of my hard work (and money!). After numerous trips to the local greenhouses, scoping out the plants to create the container "recipes" I poured over during the early spring months (and going back to some old favourites), I finally managed to buy everything I needed....I'm just not telling my husband what it all cost!
I was planning to pot everything on the May Long Weekend, but, as usual, the weatherman is predicting rain all weekend. Even as I write this it has clouded over and some large droplets of rain have begun sprinkling down. So, I spent yesterday's sunny afternoon potting everything in my lovely backyard, with Diefenbaker, our 12 year old yellow lab, "helping".
I have been container gardening for over ten years now. When I was a renter for so long I always filled my balcony with numerous containers, as it was the only way to satisfy my gardening appetite in the city. Now that we have our own house and backyard I find that I still plant just as many containers. I love how the colourful annual flowers brighten up our patio space. We love to dine al fresco, and being surrounded with lovely flowers adds to the atmosphere of the experience.
I always save the soil from the previous year's containers in storage over winter. When it comes time to plant new containers I empty the old soil into a wheelbarrow, add compost and new potting soil, and mix it all up really well. (You have to get dirty!) It's a great way to save a bit of money.
Before I begin planting the containers I lay everything out in "the plan". The plants I intend on putting in each container are layed out next to it in the design plan. I then step back and take a look to make sure that it looks balanced and appealing to my eye. If it doesn't I switch things around. It's easier to change things up before all the plants are planted in the pots, so taking a couple of minutes to evaluate my layout saves time and potential damage to the plants if I decide to do it later.
I think part of the appeal of container gardening is the ability to play with the endless options. It is a bit boring to only have a single specimen in a container. Having a variety of plants in one container is really fun to play around with. I love to try out different combinations every year. This year I have used a lot of pink flowers, with a few deep purple and burgundy to break it up. I also like to add plants simply for their foliage and vining/trailing habits to add some interest to the mix.
The Results...This spot in our backyard needed some colour, but it is so shady under the big pine tree that nothing will grow there other than the lovely ferns. I placed two pots of impatiens under the trees, and I think it makes a big improvement to the area:
These planters are filled with a variety of flowers. Petunias, calibrachoa, salvia, geraniums, ivy, coleus, verbena, sweet potato vine, and diascia are mixed throughout the three white planters I have lining the patio area:
I made two identical pots like this one. These pots I just bought at HomeSense this spring, and I think they are just lovely! Each pot has one purple African Daisy, two blue fan flowers, and one silvery helichrysum:
This set of blue pots sits on our front steps. The large one has a Persian Shield, a pink geranium, pink calibrachoa, and a coleus plant. The mid-sized pot has a euphorbia plant and a burgundy calibrachoa. The small one has fibre optic grass--one of my favourites! I plant one each year. I love the texture it adds to the mix:
After last year's big disappointment with a ready-to-go hanging basket, purchased at my grocery store's garden centre, I decided to make my own hanging basket this year. I purchased the willow basket for about $12 at a local greenhouse. The plants cost about $20 total, so compared to a ready-made basket it is very reasonable, and I can reuse the planter again. This "recipe" I took from a magazine. There is a Purple Knight Alternanthera, two calibrachoas (dark purple and burgundy), two wave petunias (pink and purple), and three vincas (white, deep pink, and pink) in the middle to give a "mounding" quality to the top. I think that it will look stunning once the plants begin trailing:
Here is my Canna Lily plant! This is sitting at the corner of our patio area. The bright fuschia flowers will bring back memories of Belize this summer!
Finally, this photo is not much to look at right now, but it is my seeded vegetable garden! We made a 10 x 10 foot plot in our yard last summer, as the house did not have an existing vegetable garden. We like the idea of being able to pick fresh veggies from our doorstep. Last year we had lots of tomatos, cucumbers, and lettuce. This year I planted those three again, but also added some corn and some herbs (chives, basil, and rosemary). I also like to put in some rows of flowers for cutting. I love to have fresh cut bouquets in the house all summer long! I seeded some dwarf sunflowers and have cosmos and zinnias waiting to be transplanted:
My husband is building me custom window boxes this weekend, so once I have them painted white (to match our shutters) I will be ready to plant those as well. I'm thinking lots of trailing plants and geraniums, reminiscent of visits to France and Germany. Every European home has beautiful window boxes. I always wonder why it hasn't caught on in North America...it adds so much to the character and charm of the home. It makes me happy knowing that there is still more to do, and more reason to visit the greenhouse again!
