Starting Lineup

Starting Lineup

Welcome back to container planting season!  I spent last weekend scrubbing out pots and I'm not quite finished yet.  Unfortunately, I lost a couple of perennials over the unusually bitter Virginia winter.  That's all the more reason to pay attention to the hardiness zone information on plant tags. When I plant perennials, my rule of thumb is to plant those with a hardiness zone that is two zones lower than the official zone I live in.  For example, in my area of Virginia, the hardiness zone is 7.  Remember that plants in containers are more exposed than plants in the ground. So to be safe, I choose perennials that have a hardiness zone of 5, that is, if I want a fighting chance that they'll return the following year.  I planted a beautiful Butterfly Bush last year.  I took a risk knowing that the hardiness zone was 6. It did not end well.  Of course, I can always look at the bright side and remember how much I enjoyed having it in the garden last year.  

So get ready to start planting your containers.  I usually wait until Mothers' Day weekend. By that time, most of the cold nights are behind us so I don't have to worry about bringing plants inside--that's a lot of trouble and I really don't have the space for them anyway.  

Now that the season is underway, I'll be posting on weekends (occasionally more often).  I'll show you what I'm planting and offer helpful hints and lessons learned.  It's time to get dirty!

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

October Surprise

 It's mid-October and things are looking better than I thought they would.  I still see a few bees here and there and the occasional butterfly.  This one really seemed to like the purple coneflower.  It stayed long enough for me to take about a dozen or more pictures at fairly close range.  I did a little reading and apparently purple coneflower is one of the top butterfly-attracting flowers.  Others are phlox, verbena, and the aptly named butterfly bush.  Purple coneflower is perennial and likes full sun.  You can get it in a dwarf size, like this one, that's best suited for containers. It's not too late to plant perennials here in zone 7, in fact, you might still find some good deals at your nursery or local big box store.  Just make sure your container is large enough because perennials multiply in their second and third years.  You don't want to have to repot too soon. 

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Little Lime

Hydrangea "Little Lime"

Little Lime is the name of my newest hydrangea.  I've always been a hydrangea fan; their blooms make fantastic focal points for flower arrangements.  And there are all different types, including those well suited for containers.  Little Lime is one of them.  It's a dwarf version of a plant the produces lime green colored blooms that gradually turn pinkish as the cooler temperatures of fall arrive.  It's hardy to zone 4, grows 3 to 5 feet tall, blooms from July through September, and flowers on current year's growth.  

I bought this hydrangea at my local nursery.  I also know it's available by mail order through White Flower Farm (and probably plenty of other online plant retailers).  

Little Lime with Xanthosoma in back

I'm going the conservative route and won't prune it until the spring when new growth starts to sprout so I can really see what survived the winter and what didn't.  With hydrangeas, if you get too aggressive with the pruners, you may prune yourself right out of blooms the next year.  That would be a shame.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

More Visitors

Visiting Finch

It's been a great summer so far and a good season for Flat Bottom Flowers.  The bees were in abundance this year, which is always a good sign.  I had a couple of other frequent visitors as well including hummingbirds and finches.  The finch shown here took a liking to my basil.  I had to shoot it through the glass door because I knew if I opened the door, it would fly away.

I had another visitor as well though finding himself in my garden was probably never part of his plan.  I went to the garden center last weekend and bought some onions, lettuce, and a few cool weather annuals.  I also bought a couple of pots (like I need more--but there are worse habits; that's what I tell myself anyway).  I got home and put everything out on the deck.  A while later I went to sort everything out and found this guy in one of my newly purchased pots; he must have hitched a ride back with me.  I keep calling him a frog but I guess he's really a toad because he has a dry appearance.  The difference is that frogs have a wet, slimy appearance. Whatever.  Welcome to your new home.

Hitchhiking Toad

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

The Big Picture

These pictures don't show my entire container garden, but about two-thirds of it is captured here.  It's difficult to get everything in the frame and I didn't want to lug heavy pots from one end of the deck to the other just to get it all in one picture.  What's missing here is a huge Japanese Maple and a rose bush that gets bigger every year.  Also one of my most prolific cherry tomato plants is not shown--neither are various mixed plantings.  But you get the idea.  It's been a good season so far and I'm not finished yet.  I just planted some onions today as well as lettuce and annuals that grow well after the dog days of summer are behind us.  

Now is a good time to be on the lookout for perennials that might go on sale at your local nursery or big box store.  You can get them potted well before frost and while they may not look like much now, you'll be rewarded next season.  Just be sure you know what hardiness zone you're in and choose accordingly.  

Still lots of planting days ahead if you live in a milder climate.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

A Delightful Little Rose

Jean Mermoz

I lost two roses over the winter and decided not to replace them.  Roses in general are just too high maintenance for me; I'm a carefree type of gardener.  I don't like all of the attention roses demand especially when, in the end, they often disappoint you.  But this little rose has not been a disappointment at all this year, in fact, it's been just the opposite. I bought Jean Mermoz 5 years ago from Antique Rose Emporium and I think this has been its best year yet.  It's been in the same pot the entire time and I dig a couple of annuals into the soil surrounding it just fill out the space.  Jean started blooming in May and has not stopped.  In fact, today, I counted at least 25 buds ready to open up at any minute. 

Jean Mermoz has a low-growing, compact habit and likes full sun.  The bloom is less than 2 inches across and the plant is hardy to zone 5.  

Jean Mermoz

I'd say that if you want to take a chance on a rose, this one is probably worth the risk.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Thanks for Stopping By

Hummingbird and Agastache "Bolero"

My garden gets great visitors of the nonhuman kind.  Butterflies, bees, ladybugs, praying mantis, and on rare and special occasions, a hummingbird.  I think this one lives nearby.  Actually, his (or her) visits might not be so rare, it's just that they likely occur mostly when we're not home.

Anyone who's ever tried to take pictures of hummingbirds knows they can be elusive.  This one is no exception.  Plus, you've got to be fast with a camera at the ready.  With wings that flap an average of 50 times per second (and up to 200 times) and flight speed that can top 34 mph (forward, backward, and upside down, by the way), the hummingbird is not going to hang around for some slowpoke photographer.  

Summer visitor

I tried to plant a few things that hummingbirds like but it seems that this one is especially attracted to Agastache "Bolero."  I've planted Agastache before, but not this particular one so we'll see how it does over the winter.  It grows to about 16" high, likes full sun, blooms July-October and is supposed to be hardy to zone 6.  Because I have it in a pot, that might not be good enough--usually I'm safe with zone 5. But we'll see.

Meanwhile, this hummer is enjoying what Bolero has to offer right now.


Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books