Winter Containers Are Planted

It has been a long time since I posted and with good reason.  I have been super busy designing, sourcing, and installing the little lovelies.  But the collection of plants are now gracing the many containers throughout Madison.  At this writing we still have no rain, which always makes plants so much happier.  But I can say that I'm pretty sure all the plants are just happy to be out of their tight little size 4" pots and into the wide open spaces of the 24" containers.

So what went into these containers this year.  As always with winter plants, the selection is limited to the hardy guys -- violas/pansies, parsley, kales, snaps, -- and a few more specialities that can handle surprise temperatures in the low teens.  One that I love to use is Red Giant Mustard.  It has such great color, texture and size, but it absolutely melts with the lows.  Not a pretty sight -- nor a pleasant smell when they wilt and rot.

I stayed with violas and in particular the Sorbet and Penny series.  Check out a couple here:

Sorbet Lavender Pink has soft colors that blend well with white snaps, blue kale or gray Dusty Miller

Sorbet Delft Blue is very tidy looking.  It married well with white snaps and Euphorbia 'Glacier Blue'.

I was bold this year and put in several camellias - "Yuletide".  In one gallon pots they are the perfect size -- not taking up too much space in either the roots or their foliage.  The ones selected were loaded with buds and are going into full bloom right now.  Would have liked them to strut their stuff during the Christmas Tour of Homes but, Oh Well.  The plan is to enjoy them for this year and move them on out to a garden setting when they outgrow the space.  Pictures on the next blog!  Gotta hurry though before the blooms fall off.

Also did more autumn ferns.  They are absolutely tried and true friends...loving either shade or sun.  The one gallon plants are ideal for the containers, only growing up to be "big boys" in two seasons and ready to be transferred into the garden.  A real win-win situation.

Be back soon with more pictures and updates on the containers.

More Cool Stuff

Was out grooming the containers today.  Well, actually I was whacking back those wonderful 'Red Giant' mustards and cutting out the seed heads on the kales.  This warm weather is great for us humans but the cool weather plants think it is time to go to seed and take a long needed rest.  No can do, guys.  I need you to look good for another couple weeks.  While I was out there I took photos of a couple knock-out containers.  Take a look at the 'Starbor' kale in the big containers on Second and Washington.  

The center plant is Juniper 'Gold Cone' and the viola is Sorbet 'Sunny Royale'.  This is a 360 container so the plant run all the way around.  

If you look very closely you can see a pansy trying its hardest to show its face.  Delta 'Premium Pure Yellow' is a good grower but it can't compete with the aggressive kale and the hard working viola.

There are four black urns inside the Town Park.  They aren't very big and I had hoped the plants that were in them would make it through the winter.  While the asparagus ferns in other containers did well, these did not.  But some of the other plants did good and some did great.  Check out the pansy that is in two of them.

This pansy is aptly called Panola 'Fire'.  The colors range from a brilliant orange to a deep burnt orange.  They nicely filled the urns and covered the space where the ferns didn't do as well.

The other two urns did not get any color this time but the Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' made up for that loss.  The flower heads are awesome.  Not sure how long they will last but I am hoping for a couple more weeks.

I know that I brag on my favorite viola all the time, and here I go again.  But take a look at Sorbet 'Lemon Chiffon' in this container.  

The snapdragons are trying their best to keep ahead of the violas and the poor autumn fern is going to have to wait until I change out the plants before it will get the sun light it needs.  Ah, but I'm not complaining....I love that viola.  

One last goodie to share with you.  I think I have mentioned the variegated erysimum before.  Well, here it is in bloom.  The foliage is interesting enough in the containers but that sweet little bloom is like icing on the cake.

There is is poking its head out among the viola Sorbet 'Delft Blue'.  Erysimum is a much under used plant.  Ask for it as your independent nursery now so they have it for you in the fall. 

If you are local to Madison, Georgia, be sure to walk around town and check out some of these neat plants.  They are at their peak.  Warm weather is here so they won't be as happy as they were in the cool weather of fall and winter.