I know I’m getting ready to move house, but I can’t help it. Yes some of my current garden will come with me and many things are already out of the ground and into pots but there are always new plants out there waiting for me to buy and grow. Things I’ve been searching for for years that suddenly become available. But what to do with them? I shouldn’t put them in the ground just to uproot them gain in a few weeks. I got it! I’ll clean out my containers that I usually fill with annuals and plant my new little finds. It is easy to tuck the small starts into spaces in the garden and just as easy to tuck them into containers too. With a little effort they will look just as great as the annuals and be easy to move.
This is a container on my deck that had an upright evergreen chamaecyparis in the center with two heuchera frosted velvet on both sides. I left those in place, removed an astelia ‘westland’ that did not make it through the winter and added Gladiolus tristis for a little height, Bergenia Tubby Andrews, a variegated pig squeak (hate that name), and trailing snapdragon Asarina procumbens. These make a nice contrast to the Heuchera. There is a small white heather also left in the mix that will continue to grow and be there again in the fall adding texture to the fall container.
This container had a Cimicifuga Hillside Black Beauty in it. I added another bergenia Tubby Andews, a Corydalis ochruleuca, (one of my favorite corydalis white blossom, ferny blue tinged foliage), and Aurinia saxatillis “Dudley Nevill Variegated’. The combination of White and Black with a little Variegated White Yellow and Green make a fun combination. The Aurinia is a variegated ‘basket of gold’, often planted as an annual, liking dry rocky soil it probably will be an annual in the container. Once I get to my new place I can tuck it someplace more suited to its growth habit and see if it survives.
This container has a sedum ‘Black Jack’. I added a Tancetum hardjanii (the silver leaved spilling plant), Honey Bells, (Hermannia verticillata) the orange bells hanging on side. and Sisyrinchium striatum ‘Aunt May’. This variegated iris relative is so great but hard to find and hard to keep growing. It is hardy to mid teens but needs divided when it gets to be a large clump so it keeps growing. The honey bells plant is a sweet smelling annual.
Here is a picture of the blossom as it starts to bloom.
Succulents are very popular right now and I have several containers with succulents. I could not resist this happy little Jovibarba heuffelii ‘Xanthoheuff’ . Wow what a big name for a sweet little hardy, bright green succulent. It is already spreading. I can’t wait to see how it grows.
I love the small specialty nurseries in my area. Their selection of unusual things is better than any big nursery you will find. Their will to survive must be based on their love of plants not on the big income they get. They sell mail order and have open days to sell to the public. I’m looking forward to doing a post on small specialty nurseries soon. In the meantime check out these links for just some of the ones I love.
Sequimrareplants.com, farreachesfarms.com, sundquistnursery.com.
