Containers - What's Working And What Is Not!

This is the time of year I go into a funk about my garden, but this year it is not so much the garden as it is my containers.  I am not in despair over all of them but some that I thought would be wonderful, like my hayracks on the shed, I have already replanted.

The insects, slugs, japanese beetles and who know what else have really ravaged some of the plants along with the heat and rain.  Well, it kind of gives me a road map as to what I will try next year - not dahlias, the earwigs have had a feast. 

Front Concrete Planters

Those great petunias have weathered the storm and they will definitely have a place in my containers, not bocapa, all green and no flowers.  I can always count on impatiens, no damage, just need lots of water, fibrous begonias a winner, lobelia (laguna), ivy and geraniums all going great.

Bubble Gum Supertunia

Blue Ceramic Containers

I will use more moss next year to protect against evaporation on the top of the containers.  It already seems to be helping on the ones I have recently mossed.

My tropicals have been stunning this year, crotons, sedums, etc., have all put on a show.  The hanging baskets have struggled to stay alive with the heat even though they have been watered every day sometimes even twice.  My hayracks were been planted with dahlias (big mistake) get mushy from rain, dry up from heat. 

Agave, Red Rosie Hens and Chickens, Creeping Jenny and the mystery yellow (also a succulent) plant that I didn't think was going to do much.  Now I wish I knew the name!

The Rooster pot has come back!

 Oh, what would we do if everything was perfect? 

Cast Iron Containers

Irish Pots in the border with Pineapple Coleus

Pink Impatiens and Orange Reiger Begonia on patio

Fushia Autumnale spilling from the cast iron containers.  It is a bronze and green colored leaf and it really blooms.  I think I would pinch it next year to fill out more rather than getting so long.  However, it is lovely!

Reincarnation In The Garden

This is the time of year we begin to get a little down when we look at some of our plants in the garden. First, the incessant rains, producing huge plants, then the heat shriveling them up.  No matter how much we fertilize and water some plants have not done well. 

Dahlias are not blooming and even though watered daily are drying out.  Some of the plantings are burned.

I am going to concentrate on just one area, my hayracks on the garden shed.  Last year they were beautiful, but I did make a few changes in plants this year which could be the problem.

Last Year

Well, I couldn't imagine looking at them for the rest of the summer and into fall, so I decided to do something I have never done before - redo the hayracks into something totally different.  It has always been my rule that by the middle of June, I am done with container gardening, not worth adding anything else or even replacing plants that did not live up to expectations.  I just merely yanked them and lived with what was left.

If I am going to spend the time doing this in 93 degree heat, I am going to do it right, adding new moisture control soil, along with some soil moist and some moss on top of the soil for protection.

I will even out the verbena, mix in the soil moist with some new potting soil.

The dahlias have not done well in any container this year, only in the vegetable garden and in the border.  All the container dahlias are going into the vegetable bed when I cut down the Ice Carnival Daylilies.  We will

see if they come back to life.

       Replanted dahlias in veggie garden between trimmed daylilies.

Does anyone else have plants that need a reincarnation this year?  I am seeing lots of beauties on the web, but not much that looks like some of my throw aways. 

Replanted Hayracks

This poor thing certainly needs some help.  It is scorched even though it was watered every day.  I will cut it back, fertilize, and turn it to a better side that had more shade.

A little better!

Dahlias planted in the veggie garden in spring

Trimmed my Costco containers, daisies and petunias

 I mossed the inside of my containers that  face that wicked west sun.  It will cut down on the water evaporation.

Home Depot had a  fresh shipment of annuals, so there must be many who do this each year even though it's a new venture for me.  Not only were people loading up on their great perennial sale, but several were walking out with baskets of petunias and carts of annuals. 

As I walked out with my fresh new annuals and moisture control soil, the person behind me had a cart full of mums.  Yikes!  In another few weeks, I'll be thinking pumpkins?

Around The Garden

I can't believe another week has gone by in the garden.  I have been playing around with the technical aspects of my blog because it was taking me so much time to post, moving photos around, etc.  Since I am not in close proximity to anyone who blogs, or even knows what a blog is, I took off on my own to figure this out.  Even my husband who is a computer person from way back said, "I don't know what you are talking about."

I want to show you a plant that I was turned onto by Larry from Conrad Art Glass and Garden.  It is Marble Arch Salvia,, very delicate, but looks lovely behind other plantings.  I started this from seed the hard way - husband threw out multiple 48" grow lights.  I am going to have to purchase a small freestanding grow light set up for next year.  We just don't have room for my 1,000 seedlings anymore.

Marble Arch Salvia

Nutcracker Suite Daylily is a very heavily scaped daylily, a delicious color and very strong, a highlight in the garden. 

Chicago Apache is also a very strong scaped daylily, a deeper color than Chicago Rosy, not as full flowered, but a striking addition to the mid season garden.

Chicago Apache Daylily

David Phlox

Franz Schubert and Laura Phlox

Dahlia Mystic Beauty

Campanula Alba

Beefmaster Tomato In Dura Cage

Burpee Pepper Mariachi

Dahlias and Nasturtiums in the Veggie Garden With Imagination Verbena

The dahlias have done much better in the vegetable garden than in the hayracks and containers.

This is my new cucumber trellis.  When I first received it from Gardeners Supply, I thought no way was I going to be able to use this in my very small garden.  Well, it turned out that I can use it but not both sections.  It is very large with metal supports under the grid.  I think it will work to keep the cucumbers off the ground and over the chives and green onions.

A Chance To Show Off As A Xeric Garden

Well, this has been the year for my alley garden to step up and perform in the intense heat we have had the past weeks.  It has been fortunate that rain has also been in the picture along with the heat and I haven't had to drag the hose out to the back to water.  However, last year I think I only watered a few times all summer in the alley garden.

The Alley Garden

It has really grown this year and, of course, I am always concerned about the garbage trucks wheeling over the  plantings.  So far, this has not been a problem, and my neighbor in back of me has planted grasses in her alley space.  This could be catching and if it is, this alley could be a great place to take a stroll or a garden walk.

Centranthus Alba

Panicum Northwind

The Panicum Northwind looks great, along with the sedums and nepeta Walker's Low.  I am not sure yet about the Gaillardia Mesa, but it is the first year.  This is not an eye-popping color garden, but is very wispy and muted as far as colors.  That's okay with me as it looks sort of meadow like and is certainly carefree.

Gaillardia Mesa

The Agastaches have a licorice smell when you brush by them or bend down to take a sniff.  All of these plantings are waterwise, meaning they require less watering than most other perennials.  I do not use mulch around these plants but have them surrounded by river rock so that the soil does not wash down the alley in a rainstorm. 

Agastache Blue Fortune

Agastache Rosita

I will revist the Alley Garden when the sedums begin to bloom.

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/

Chicago Rosy

As you have probably noticed, I have several dayliles that have Chicago in their name.  I have a favorite Chicago daylily and it is Chicago Rosy.  It is tall, it is large and it blooms for a long period of time.  I don't enjoy dividing daylilies every year, like Stella D'Oro, so I appreciate it when maybe every three or four years I can share my daylilies.

Chicago Rosy is probably a four or five year division candidate, but it is a great performer during this time of multiplying.  The flower is large, orange-red in color and has strong scapes that show in all directions.  It grows 25 - 30 " with 6.5" flowers.  http://seasidedaylily.com/ I have ordered from them several times.