Pots with Personality.......

Red Dragon Wing Begonias

Our mild Winter glided right into this beautiful Spring and I have hardly blogged about gardening!  In my defense, it is partly because I have been outside working - a lot.  Still so much to do out there but as always, it will all get finished up..... eventually. 

I want to visit about container gardening.  We used to think that meant putting a tall lanky tomato plant in an ugly clay pot.  Today, the possibilities are endless!   Containers run the gamut from Shabby Sheik to upscale modern pottery.  Pots are everywhere.  Hardware stores.  Big box stores. Garden centers. Mail order catalogs. If you are fascinated by the old tin and distressed look, you can entertain yourself with trips to the second hand stores, auctions, flea market etc...  If it holds dirt, it can be your next container garden.  



Iron chair with a seat full of assorted succulents.



Who ever thought that cement blocks could make this statement?

Old chicken feeder on a sawhorse.

Something new has caught my eye this season.  Fairy Gardens. Have you seen them? On a recent trip to Arnold's Greenhouse in Leroy, I looked at their huge fairy garden display.  It was approx 6ft X 4ft and looked like the "land of enchantment".  There were miniature "living" trees, tiny flowers and plants, little cottages and barns and Fairies. Of course, the tiny miniture plants were offered for sale there.  IF I talk myself into doing this it will be on a much smaller scale and it will be when my grand daughter is old enough to appreciate it with me.  

Good use of a cracked pot and a "doable" Fairy Garden.



Larger scale Fairy Garden beneath a shade tree.  Wouldn't our Kansas wind just wreck this?!

 I have been experimenting with some pot plantings at our house.  I have started some good looking succulents in my patio pot.  They are an agave plant, a varigated paddle pland and a rose succulent.  Reportedly, they will grow to be very large so I am looking forward to seeing how this looks later in the season.   I also filled a strawberry pot with succulents. 

Recently planted succulents.  Hopefully, with a little TLC they will grow into something with a Wow factor!

 A couple of years ago, my son-in-law Justin hollowed out a maple stump for me.  It's on the east so I had been putting shade loving plants in it and it hasn't done much.  This year I am going to put Margarita sweet potato plants and a bubble gun putunia in that stump. 

This isn't my stump.  Ours is about the same size.  At present, it is empty.  Stay tuned for my end result.

I have a huge red pottery pot in my north bed.  Last year I planted it totally to purilla.  It likes sun or shade.  It was georgous all summer!  I am planting it to purilla again this year. 

Purilla

This wash tub has one bubble gum petunia growing in it.  It doesn't always take a ton of plants to make a big statement. 

One Bubble Gum Petunia

The great thing about container gardening is that anyone, anywhere can have some fun with it.  Whether you have pots sprinkled around your yard or have one container at your front door, have fun with it.  Give those pots a little personality! 


Draws your eye right to this opening in the wall doesn't it?
This was picture was taken along the River Walk, San Antonio



Ornamental cabbage in a shade garden at Nell Hills, Atchinson