Category Archives: Container Ideas

Container Ideas, Shade Gardening

A Little Sophistication for Shady Planters

Leave a comment

There is nothing quite in your face as a bodacious Begonia bedecked with blossoms.  But is just doing Begonias a tad boring? May we suggest you up your game and add some new textural and colorful foliage plants to sophisticate your Begonia combinations.

Pictured above in the tall scalloped edged planter is a new  combination this year: ‘Tweetie Pie’, one of the  new Iconia hybrid Begonias that we’ve been really impressed with, Cordyline ‘Mocha Latte’, and Callisia repens ‘Gold’. In the foreground are other foliage options, including Pilea microphylla in the center, Callisia ‘Pink Lady’ to its right., and  below the variegated form of Pilea microphylla and silvery Pilea glauca.

 

 

 

Container Ideas, Featured, Garden Musings, Succulents

Fall Container Report 2021

4 Comments

As we approach October, it’s time to evaluate which planters held up well in this surprisingly wet year. Perhaps my favorite planter this year was an afterthought…what to do in a 36″ bowl that gets less and less sun each year. It was in an area that doesn’t get much attention to boot, but as you can see it didn’t suffer at all.

This combination of different Snakeplants (Sansevieria) and Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon nigrescens) with variegated ivy and Dichondra worked astonishingly well. Sophisticated in a way, but totally unfussy! Will have to consider a future repeat performance.
It’s been 20 years since we’ve grown Brugmansia (Angel’s Trumpet), but since we have had so many inquiries recently,  we decided to give them another go. (I vaguely remember that they were a magnet for whiteflies, and banned them from the greenhouse.) In June I ordered 5 different varieties from Logee’s, (yes, a late start for a summer display, especially starting with 4″ pots), but with regular doses of the  miraculous Neptune’s Harvest fish/seaweed fertilizer, they all took off. The mystery selection shown above differed from the name tag description, but it sure was quick to flower. In fact it is in its second flush right now.

This is what we learned: Brugmansia grow very fast in tropical weather conditions (we’ve certainly had  heat, humidity and a fair amount of rain this season).  We know that hybrids of the species versicolor have flowers that first appear yellow then age to shades of pink. Two of the 5 selections grew to large proportions but as of Sept 27 are only now forming flower buds.  Two others provided flowers within  3 months time.  Logee’s ‘Pink Champagne’  (pictured above) has a subtle coloring that is best enjoyed up close. The larger proportioned  ‘Angel’s Lemon Zest’ (below) has also rewarded us with repeat flowerings.

I should say that this year we’ve enjoyed simply growing on specimen plants in individual containers, and either arranging little groups or featuring  on pedestals of their own. The little Goldfish Plant, Nematanthus  gregarius, is an easy “succulent” for shadier spots. Consider it an indoor/outdoor plant..most of us have a windowsill that will accommodate this little guy for the winter,  and then next year it can renew itself outdoors again all summer.

A 20 year old pot of Haworthia reinwardtii and a 3 year old Aeolinanthus repens spent the summer outdoors, and will return to a western window inside for the winter…super easy plants to keep happy!

And now for the before and after pics.  All in all, plants held up well, although this was the year the Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ really sulked. It didn’t die, but it didn’t luxuriate as in previous summers…too humid?A few succulents exceeded their bounds and needed a cut back.
Here the Dichondra was cut back in Sept. when it got dingy looking.You can never go wrong combining succulents with Phormium.Abutilon ‘Harvest Moon’ likes to be fed a lot, and it will  reward you with blooms all summer. Begonias may have liked the humidity but not constant wetness. Begonia ‘Art Hodes’ above, one of the best, never complained. Begonia ‘Escargot’ , below,  survived, but was more challenging to keep  happy.

Please tell us…how did your containers fare this summer? Still looking good? Which plants impressed you the most?

Container Ideas, Featured, Succulents

Early Summer Container Report

10 Comments

My goal each season is to plant containers that are easy to maintain and will carryon summer through fall. For sunny areas, I’ve come to look at succulents as such reliable performers. They always oblige… often looking even more fabulous at season’s end. For areas with more shade, I lean towards Begonias and other plants with great foliage. This season I’m starting to play with Bromeliads more.
An older  28″ cast stone bowl on a pedestal mixes up various  larger succulent specimens with trailing Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’.The intriguing dark finish on this ceramic pot from Campania has nuanced tones of lavender and light green. The Echeveria ‘Dusty Rose, Mangave ‘Inkblot’, Trailing blue-green Sedeveria and String of Pearls pick up this coloring….and for fun, (because I just cut them from the bed behind), dried allium stalks add a little height.This blue salt glazed version of the previous pot has been planted with succulents which pick up its color tones. Senecio (now Curio) cylindricus is usedfor height, with Aeonium , Echeveria, Pachyveria , Othonna ‘Ruby Necklace’ and Sedum album.

This tall gray cylinder pot mixes up a large specimen Aeonium ‘Blushing Beauty’, with dark leaved Echeveria, Kalanchoe, Sedeveria ‘Sorrento’, Senecio cylindricus, and trailing Dichondra.Our pair of iron urns now get dappled shade much of the day. Here I used some succulents that can take less sun: ‘Aeonium ‘Kiwi’ and Rhipsalis. Other plants that like the same conditions are Iron Cross Oxalis and Coprosma ‘Evening Splendor’.A non-succulent ensemble similar in coloring (it is right near the Iron urns) has a Cordyline ‘Cha Cha’ with the everblooming Abutilon ‘Harvest Moon’ ,yellow leaved jasmine and dark leaved Begonia ‘Ebony’. A specimen of Mangave ‘Mission to Mars’ keeps it company in a classic rolled rim pot. This spot gets morning sun and afternoon shade.In a different part of the garden is this cast stone urn that gets morning sun for a fe w hours.  Begonia ‘Art Hodes’ is backed by the bromeliad  Vriesea (Flaming Sword) and has Maranta (Red Prayer Plant) skirting its base.Bromeliads make great  shade plants in warm climates. This is the first time I have used  them in mixed containers. In the is large Grecian style urn, the showy Aechmea fasciata comes into spectacular bloom paired with a Begonia ‘Escargot’ (which I hope doesn’t become a problem). Trailing Callisia elegans and Dichondra (it does well in some shade) spill over, and for added fill there’s a couple of small Athyrium ‘Pearly White’ ferns.Not all of our pots are large and busy… this old 14″ terracotta bowl has a simple pairing of Abutilon ‘Harvest Moon’ with Tradescantia ‘Sitara’s Gold’ hidden behind.Finding the perfect plant that works with the personality of the pot is always fun. Here the ruffly leaved Echeveria ‘Topsy Turvy’ (curiously called Mexican Hens and Chicks) fits the cavity of this cast stone Chicken Planter.The always popular clamshell container features plants that have that under the ocean feeling: Crassula undulata, starry little Sedum album,  and trailing Rhipsalis which does kind of resemble Kelp…

Yes, I always come back to succulents since they are so easy and reliable. The various tones of the succulents chosen match the coloring on this 13″ ceramic pot .One challenge using succulents is finding complimentary plants which tolerate the same conditions that can add height. The colorful linear leaves of Phormium work well with this mixed composition of Echeverias, Graptosedum and Sedum tetractinum

There are more pots, which you will see if you visit. Look for the End of the Season blog post to see how they look in late September.

Container Ideas, Succulents

Aloe, Haworthia, Gasteria and their hybrids

5 Comments

Some of our Aloe, Gasteria, and Haworthia collection. Yes, those red tags mean they are stock plants and not for sale…but we may have babies coming along!

It’s no surprise that as your plant obsession grows,  you begin to find the more exotic, curious and sometimes bizarre selections the most interesting, and perhaps most beautiful.  Aloe, Haworthia and Gasteria fit that bill us.

Miniature Aloe ‘Blizzard’…4 year old clump

A number of years ago, we visited California succulent breeder Dick Wright (now in his 90’s)  in search of his famous Echeveria hybrids. Dick’s new obsession was miniature Aloe, and he turned us onto this whole new group of succulent hybrids. He, along with other CA hybridizers such as John Bleck, Kelly Griffin and Karen Zimmerman, were hybridizing many Aloe species resulting in selections as minute as 1″ to up to 2′ in height, in a vast array of foliage colors and textures. Their small stature makes them more suitable for container culture than in the landscape, and since they do not winter over outdoors here in MA, that was just fine with us.

More Aloes…’Christmas Sleigh’, ‘Swordfish’, A. ramosissima, ‘Delta Dawn’, (Sedum clavatum interrupts the lineup ) one of the mini dark numbered selections from Dick Wright and a variegated Aloe brevifolia

Our first acquisitions were species hailing from Madagascar, Kenya  and Tanzania, as well as the more well known hybrid selections ‘Delta Dawn’, ‘Christmas Sleigh’, and ‘Firecracker’. We also brought home other forms which had not been introduced and were distinguished only by initials and numbers, like the little dark Aloe above.

Aloe “AJR” in the foreground with Aloe ‘Firecracker’ behind

Gasteraloe x ‘Midnight’, Gastworthia armstrongii x limifolia, Haworthia retusa, Gasteria bicolor v liliputana (BG), Gasteraloe ‘Green Ice’ and Haworthia concolor.

We also began paying attention to the closely related genera Haworthia and Gasteria, since they are known to be more tolerant of low indoor light conditions. There are many species and hybrids of both, and you will likely come across names like x Gasteraloe and x Gastworthia, as these genera are often crossed with each other, resulting in even more diverse selections.

Gasteraloe ‘Green Ice’, sporting darker leaf coloration, and flowers!

Blooming time for Aloe, Gasteria and Haworthia is primarily during the winter months and early spring usually with strikingly colored flowers. A number of the Aloe selections also bloom intermittently throughout the summer for us and are a hummingbird favorite.

20 year old Gasteria bicolor v. liliputana in bloom….you start with a baby, and suddenly they are all grown up.

Consider growing these easy care plants for your fall and winter plant “fix”.  They ask for so little: provide a sharply drained soil mix,  a bright south or western exposure for Aloe, an eastern or northern exposure will be fine for the Gasteria and Haworthia.  Water only as needed. The frequency will depend  on how warm and arid your home conditions are. In fact, a cooler home is perfect!

Container Ideas, Featured, Succulents

Container Report: late September 2020

6 Comments

Two words sum up this summer’s weather here along the coast of southern New England: hot and dry.  Here at the end of September, our parched gardens are still waiting for the rain predictions to materialize.  Sigh.

The gardens are looking tarnished  but the container plantings held up better since their watering needs are more easily met. As in previous dry years,  our containers planted with succulents were the stars. (Check out the recent article NY Times garden writer Margaret Roach covered on succulent containers).

You may recall the June report post  which shows the “before” pictures. Now I’ll show you what some of these look like 3 months later, chewed up, cut back foliage and all.

The Drum Pot: Melianthus major grew taller and the Helichrysum ‘Limelight’  (Licorice Plant) needed to get cut back after the American Lady Butterfly caterpillars made dinner of most of its foliage…what we do for the butterflies…The Jewels of Opar didn’t show off as much as I hoped, and was cut back a few weeks ago. The Tradescantia sillamontana did fine, but this planter combo won’t be repeated.

We have a pair of these iron urns that are always planted to match. They are in dappled shade most of the day. One of the pair really was over by the end of August (the one that I photographed in June). It did get a bit more afternoon sun. Its complement held up better…. here the Helichrysum took off after an early cut back, as did the Copper Glow Oxalis. The Oxalis ‘Iron Cross’ is now fading, Begonia ‘Ebony’ bloomed well and its dark foliage added height and contrast, but the golden Moses- in-the-cradle (Tradescantea spathacea) just couldn’t hold its own, and is in hiding.

Another shady spot. Begonia thurstonii grew well, but held off putting out any flowers (not surprisingly). I used two 6″ pots in this vase, and probably should have used just one. The  mostly gold Plectranthus ‘Limelight’ is not a strong grower, and wouldn’t cascade down the pot as  hoped. The Oxalis ‘Zinfandel’ always does well and the ruby leaved Alternanthera did fine until some critter nibbled  its trailing stems.

No complaints with this shady ensemble…Phlebodium aureum is my go to bold foliage shade container plant. Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ is providing an end of the season supply of blossoms as is the Gold Leaved Mexican heather Cuphea hyssopifolia aurea. The golden jasmine vine’s foliage simply glows.

A pair of these hypertufa bowls, in the shade of our giant oak tree, were planted with ‘Moonglow’ Snakeplant (Sansevieria), Dichondra Silver Falls’, Pilea glauca and Liriope ‘Okimo’  (all selected for durable attractive leaves. The white flowered form of Black Eyed Susan Vine was the flower power plant, and it bloomed well until a  couple of weeks ago.  Figured a few mini pumpkins could add a little fun now.

And now, for the sun and heat loving succulents! This beautiful container, in itself, is eye candy….the foliage colors of the succulents were selected to complement it, and all did fine except for the tall Aeonium that had a mishap and lost it’s tallest stems. Blue Senecio talinoides and beige-pink Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives’ obliged by filing in much of the horizontal space.End of day light and cooler night temperatures bring out the glow of Sticks on Fire, Euphorbia turicali, with the Mangave ‘Desert Dragon’ added dark contrast. Graptosedum ‘California Sunset’ on the far left, yellow leaved Sedum mackinoi ‘Ogon’ and blue gray pink Graptosedum ‘Francesco Baldi’ filled in the foreground.  This will look good right up until the frost. (Please, frost, wait until November.)

Someone purchased the seashell planter shown in the June post, but we did another version for a client.  This image was taken at at the end of August, but the ensemble is still looking fabulous.Succulents can play with other plants that  tolerate the dry well drained soil…Here Coprosma ‘Pink Splendor’ (Mirror Plant)  works well with Sedum adolphii,  Sedum mackinoi ‘Ogon’ and Pachysedum.

Our tall cylinder pot, each year planted with a different  array of succulents, caught visitors’ eyes when they entered the parking area. Everything did extremely well with just an occasional watering, although some creature nibbled and pulled out some of the trailing Othonna capensis ‘Ruby Necklace’.  The tallish green succulent with the arching branches is the large leaved form of Elephant Plant, Portulacaria afra macrophylla. Adding an array of pumpkins helps carry this container into the fall season.

In summary, we had a hot and extremely dry summer, and one group of plants, the succulents, met this year’s challenge beautifully.  I realize this blog post reaches folks in all parts of the country, and your area may have benefited from  more summer rain. If so, what plantings were you most impressed with this year ?

Container Ideas, Fall Interest, Perennials and Annuals

Abutilon ‘Dwarf Red’

Leave a comment

Are you looking for something different for a fall display in your containers? Check out Abutilon ‘Dwarf Red’...it celebrates autumn with multitudes of dark orange flowers, and can, if brought indoors and kept in a sun filled space, will continue to carry on the show.

We grow a number of Abutilon selections  in containers which we bring indoors once the cold sets in, but if we were asked which  form to grow,  Abutilon ‘Dwarf Red‘ tops the list. It stays bushy and compact  ( it has A. megapotamicum in its lineage) when grown in 4-6 hours of sun and blooms continuously  with the biggest show in late summer and fall.  We have been caught off guard when a frosty night  has brought temperatures below 32F, and  found that  ‘Dwarf Red’  came through unfazed.

Some things to know about Abutilon. It is  commonly known as Flowering Maple,  and is a semi-tropical shrub with lovely pendant bell-shaped flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds. The flower display can continue year round when grown in bright light and temperatures above 45F, but in our experience,  the flower display in autumn is most generous. Often listed as winter hardy in zones 9-10, we have been hearing that hardiness in zones 7b-8 is not unheard of when plants are grown in a protected spot with good drainage.

CARE: Abutilons like to be fed regularly for good flower output  We use a fish emulsion/seaweed blend (Neptune’s Harvest 2-6-4 blend) every 2 weeks. allow the soil to become somewhat dry between waterings.   Purchase online.

Other posts discussing fall containers:

Rethinking fall containers

Plectranthus ciliatus

End of the Season Container Reports

Container Ideas

Container Series 2020

8 Comments

Here we go…the first of a series of container ensembles for 2020. If you’ve followed our postings from previous years, you may remember that our goal is to plant up  containers in June which will be easy to maintain and still look fabulous in September.

Start with the pot. When I design a container I try to select plants that work well with the chosen vessel. Consider the container’s shape, color and texture. In the design above I have used Melianthus major, hardy to zone 9, as the main feature in this multi-hued green drum pot. I tucked in Golden Jewels of Opar and Helichrysum ‘Limelight’ to add light and drape, and the petite form of silver Tradescantia sillamontana. This container is located in a spot that gets 6-7 hours of sun.

This Iron urn gets dappled light most of the day. I’ve used Oxalis ‘Iron Cross’ to pick up the tone of the urn, plus Oxalis ‘Copper Glow’, Helichrysum ‘Limelight’ for lightness and Begonia ‘Ebony’, which will give height as the season progresses. Note the Begonia has the same coral pink flowers as the Oxalis ‘Iron Cross’. I had hopes for the golden Moses- in-the-cradle (Tradescantea spathacea), but it is beginning to dissolve…and I don’t know why.

This large Grecian urn is in shade most of the day. Plants featured are Begonia thurstonii, with its glossy bronze foliage and pink flowers, Oxalis ‘Zinfandel’, Ming Fern (Asparagus retrofractus) in the back, which you cannot see much of yet, golden Moses- in-the-cradle in the foreground and Plectranthus ‘Limelight’ which will hopefully trail to disguise the iron stain on the vessel.

This urn gets the first hours of morning sun, then dappled shade the rest of the day. It’s a variation on what I did last year, with a few updates. For height I’ve used Blue Rabbits-Foot Fern (Phlebodium aureum),  accented with Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’,  little Cuphea hyssopifolia lutea, Tolmeia ‘Cool Gold’ and Jasmine ‘Fiona Sunrise’.

Playing with contrasts here: white and black, rustic and elegant.  A rustic hypertufa bowl in dappled shade has Sansevieria ‘Moonshine’ adding a vertical thrust along with smaller Liriope ‘Okimo’, and to spill over the sides Pilea glauca,  Thunbergia alata alba (Black Eyed Susan Vine) and Dichondra argentea.

This gorgeous pot with its salt-crackle finish of turquoise over bronze called for succulents. A tall Aeonium arboreum adds height, with additional rosettes from  tawny toned Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives’ and Echeveria ‘Autumn Flame’. Senecio talinoides picks up the blue tones. For sun to partial shade…

Just potted up  hours ago, this 28″ brown terracotta bowl showcases my new fav, iMangave ‘Desert Dragon’ , in the center. Sticks on Fire (Euphorbia turicalli v. rosea) adds height, with Graptosedum ‘California Sunset’, Pachysedum, Haworthia, Sempervivums, Crassula lycopoides and Echeveria nodulosa acting as fillers. Small leaved yellow  Sedum mackinoi ‘Ogon’ is repeated around the container’s edge, where it hopefully will spill over the sides.

A new version of a seashell planter with Echeveria ‘Dick’s Pink’ in the spotlight. Pale sea green Graptoveria ‘Moonglow’ fills either side, with bronzy Sedum tetractinum and Senecio ‘String of Pearls’ cascading down.

This tall lightweight gray cylinder pot is in area that is seen by everyone almost daily. It’s important that it looks good and needs little care, so of course succulents come to play. In the past I’ve used a lot of silver and blue toned succulents…this year I’m playing with green, bronze and gold. The tall green succulent is a large leaved form of Portulacaria afra that we found at a specialty shop in LA.

You may wonder, and the answer is yes, I do like flowers, but I do try to avoid flowering plants that need constant deadheading or are very thirsty. This pair of freshly planted white ribbon pots (for a client ) have 3 easy long-blooming tender perennials that will give a show all summer: Blue Plumbago, Gomphrena ‘Fireworks’ and Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’, with a variegated ivy  that will spill over the sides.

Check back in late September when I post the end of season photos in the final  review of which ensembles worked well and which did not. I do have more pots to do, and if time allows I’ll post images. Click this link for previous years results.

Container Ideas, Featured

End of the Season Container Report

7 Comments

Shady Planters with Mini Spider Plant, Pilea glauca and silver Sanseveiria...the white begonias  originally planted pooped out, and were replaced with white pumpkins a few weeks ago.

It’s October 20th, and although we’ve flirted with temps in the low 30’s…we haven’t had a frost yet! We had reasonable summer weather, although not much rain in August and September. The containers we planted in June have held up well, although a few plants had to be edited out or cut back midseason. Once again, the containers based on foliage plants and succulents fared the best.

One of our go-to combos: Phormium, Echeveria, Aeonium and Silver Falls Dichondra

Pelargonium tomentosum overwhelmed one side of the drum pot, but we didn’t mind as we love to rub the minty scented leaves as we pass by. The Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ held its bracts all summer.  Plectranthus neohilis ‘Gary Hammer’ added its own aroma.  And Erigeron karvinskianus received a cut back a few weeks ago and has decided not to perform anymore.

Phlebodium aureum (Rabbits Foot Fern) is an easy solution plant for shade containers. The yellow leaved jasmine ‘Fiona’s Sunrise‘ trailed about, the purple Oxalis triangularis carried on as did the Tolmeia ‘Cool Gold ‘.

This planting received ooh’s and ah’s when I shared on Instagram back in June….then everything grew out of scale quickly;  both the Abutilon and Coleus were pinched back regularly.

Phormium ‘Evening Glow with Sedum ‘Firestorm’ and various Echeveria and Kalanchoe planted at its base.  Looking just fine in mid October.

This was NOT the best pairing this year…..the Eucomis never bloomed and we knew the Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender ‘ would bloom late, but it proved rather lackluster when it finally did. We used last year’s stock plant and it never kicked in the way a fresher, young plant does. The yellow-leaved jasmine did its thing well, though.

The tall cylinder container with succulents put on a show all summer…the Sticks on Fire did get rather tall and we discussed but could not decide whether to clip it back or not. Love the lacy Rhipsalis that trails in the front!

This collection of greenhouse foliage plants in our Zen bowl did well, (except for the Begonia boliviensis that succumbed to a bad case of fungal leaf spot and had to go). Synadenium grantii put on some height . Light conditions: mostly shade except for 2 hours of mid-late day sun.

I really liked this Euphorbia turcalli , Begonia kellermanii, Oxalis combination. It is situated where it received 2-3 hours of the midday sun, and then its all shade. There’s also a Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’, a Ming fern and Echeveria tucked in for added from and contrast.

What combinations did you try this year? Which plantings would try again?

Container Ideas, Featured, Garden Musings

Quick Container Rehab

5 Comments

Nothing stays the same, and this is especially true with gardening. A container planting can look great for 2 months and then an issue arises…a focal point plant gets leaf spot or melts with the humidity, or it just stops blooming.  This doesn’t mean you have to ditch the grouping. You just need to edit.

Blame it on the humidity or uneven watering, or gardener’s neglect (I’ll be honest) but the showy orange Begonia bolivinensis just began to look awful with leaf spotting. Spraying with a fungicide would only prevent new leaves from being affected, so the only thing to do was to remove this sad plant and find a worthy replacement. Sad because the hummingbirds sure did visit frequently.

This spot gets a few hours of the afternoon sun, and we’ll have summery weather for at least another 6-7 weeks, so I decided on using orange flowered Cuphea ‘David Verity’ (for the hummingbirds) which never disappoints and will flower until a hard frost. I also had enough space to tuck in a dwarf variegated papyrus  (Cyperus albostriatus) , (you can always count on foliage plants). Although it likes moisture I’ve found it can tolerate dryish conditions.

I am guilty of overplanting a container, in case some plants just don’t perform, figuring I can always thin out the planting later. This pot with Verbena bonariensis, Lantana montevidensis, Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’ and Euphorbia Diamond Delight needed editing. The Angel Wings Senecio candicans really started to go downhill once the humidity arrived in July.First  I brought down the height of the Verbena bonariensis by removing the tallest stalks. I cut back the Lantana and the Gomphrena to allow the Euphorbia to own more space. And out came the Angel Wings…lesson learned…not a plant for southern New England summers. Next, I fertilized with fish emulsion to give a nourishment boost to the planting.

Later, I’ll post how these containers fared when I do the end of September evaluation.

Container Ideas, Featured

Containers 2019…The June Images

8 Comments

A shade tolerant planter that gets its zing from foliage color, with blossoms as a bonus

My goal, when designing containers, is to come up with combinations that are easy care, not too thirsty and will look fabulous right through September. As followers of this blog know, I am a big fan of succulents which you will see featured in many combinations.   Here are some of this season’s ensembles.
An older black cast stone urn features a new plant (for us) Angel Wings Senecio, with Phormium ‘Shiraz’, Aeonium, Echeveria ‘Afterglow’ and Dichondra Silver Falls. Yep, I’m mixing succulents with other drought tolerant plants! This urn receives more shade every year, but it does get strong afternoon sun.

Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’, a Coleus relative, has dark green leaves with purple undersides and lavender-blue flowers. She’s paired with the Pineapple Lily Eucomis Oakhurst, Oxalis triangularis, Foxtail Asparagus, and yellow leaved Jasmine.

Nearby, in the teal green drum pot, I’ve used Pineapple Lily again with Phormium ‘Evening Glow’ , Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’, and the ever so sweet Santa Barbara daisy Erigeron karvinskianus plus Peppermint Geranium.

This rather wild planting in a 20″ cast stone bowl includes Feather Grass Stipa tenuissima with Gomphrena ‘Fireworks’, Gaura ‘So White’ , Ornamental Oregano and the Santa Barbara Daisy again.

This basalt gray trough is about 28″ x 10″ wide by 7″ deep. Perhaps it’s overplanted…we’ll find out. Cardoon Cynara cardunculus is the centerpiece, flanked by Luzula ‘Solar Flare’,Pelargonium sidoides , white Lantana montevidensis ,Santa Barbara Daisy and Dichondra.

A large brown terra cotta bowl is planted with a variety of succulents and Phormium ‘Evening Glow’ which adds height to the center.

The Martini pot makes an appearance again, featuring, of course,  succulents

Found this great pumice rock planter at Snug Harbor Farm in Maine! Black Mondo Grass adds dark contrast and texture to this succulent planting,

A 20″ dark gray stone bowl is planted with succulents which pick up the coloring of the stone wall in the background.

Visitors to Avant Gardens are greeted by this tall planter featuring some of my favorite succulents. Super easy, so reliable, so drought tolerant!

A closeup detail…featuring a choice Echeveria,  powder blue Sedum clavatum, and amber Sedum adolphii and Rice Plant.

This arrangement, in front of our little summer house which is quite shady, plays with gold, variegated and burgundy foliage.  The perennials Tolmeia ‘Cool Gold’ and Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow’ contrast with Coleus ‘Dark Heart’,  and Abutilon ‘Gold Dust’ offers color with its melon colored blossoms. The Abutilon will probably need regular pinching. I can handle that.

A large urn , which now only gets a couple of hours of morning sun. I’ve had good luck growing the various Asparagus and Rabbit’s Foot Ferns, as well as the purple leaved Alternanthera in this spot. New additions for this year are Abutilon ‘Harvest Moon’ and the trailing variegated Bermuda Grass.

Another shady spot combo: Golden leaved Jasmine ‘Fiona’s Sunrise’ will trail and perhaps climb the cedar rail. Rabbit’s Foot Fern will add height, Oxalis triangularis adds dark tones while Tolemia ‘Cool Gold’ echoes plantings in the bed behind. Last year we had Begonia grandis in this pot, and it looks like seeds dropped and came up at the base of the stone wall. Maybe I should tuck one into this pot again.

I used to plant this huge 38″ bowl with succulents, but nearby trees have grown and shaded this area quite a bit. This year’s experiment is a mixup of shade tolerant plants that are not very thirsty. Here is a partial list:  Begonia boliviensis ‘Santa Cruz’ dominates with orange color, Begonia ‘Ebony’ adds dark angel wing foliage, Black Mondo Grass adds contrast. Rice plant Rhipsalis cereuscala,  Rhipsalis rhombea and Ming Fern Asparagus macowanii will trail, and  Begonia bowerea will creep and fill. I had to add a  gift plant from my friend Suzanne,  Synadenium grantii. Can’t wait to see it grow…it is a succulent Euphorbia with red infused foliage and will obtain some height…observe and learn, I say.

This embossed cast stone pot gets only a few hours of sun, but it happens right in the middle of the day. I’m using plants that can take the heat, and hopefully some shade too. Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ adds height and Euphorbia turicalli (Sticks on Fire) adds a warm glow, while Oxalis ‘Iron Cross’ will be filler, along with Begonia kellermannii and Ming Fern.  Echeveria agavoides adds some weight. Oh, and I tucked in a String of Pearls too! It doesn’t ask for much, and more is good.

Check back in early October when I report back on how well these containers carried on through the summer.