by plantswomandesign | Nov 23, 2013 | gardening, plants, Plantswoman Design
Smoke is rising from the chimneys, fog rolls down the bay, frost falls softly, quietly like snow on bare branches and dying leaves. Fall’s relentless march is fast fading into the dark misty morning and winter is close on it’s heels pushing its way in. The fabric of the garden changes dramatically overnight. Brilliance replaced by soft muted wheat colors, dusty purple, faded reds and oranges. Bare branches and stark silhouettes edge the once lush pathway. The time has come to tuck those tempermental, (temperiennials) into the garden for the winter.
As many of you know I love the huge foliage and exuberance of tropicalissimo. Every year I anticipate the window of time when I need to get them ready for the winter. Many of them can take the cold but can’t take the wet, many need mulch mounded around the base of their crowns to make it through a cold snap. There are many methods for doing this and I will share what I know and what has been successful in my garden.
I usually wait for the first quick frost to set the dormancy in motion. Sometimes we have great growing weather even in October and this year November. I have several plants that have already come into the greenhouse for overwintering that can take no frost. These have been in the greenhouse about 3 weeks now. A quick frost would kill the burgmansias, bouginvillas, and red bananas. The other things in my garden that are zone 8 can be successfully wintered over with help.
I have grown agaves in my garden for several years with only one making it through the winter. That winter I had a shrub growing nearby over hanging the plants. I had forgotten to cut it back during the summer and it was too late to do it by the time I noticed it. That next spring I found that where the shrub’s branches had covered the agaves they were alive and came through the winter fine. In the same bed where the branches didn’t reach the agaves they were dead. Ah Ha lesson learned. Now I use cut back pieces of my tall gingers to lay over the agaves. Their large leaves create air space and by waiting until they are nipped by frost they are not too heavy and full of moisture that they turn to mush on the ground.
The Gunnera in the lower garden gets the same treatment. I use the leaves of the plant itself to give it protection. I cut them off and turn them upside down. The Gunnera signaled it’s dormancy early with curled dead edges on the leaves. This Gunnera is hardy here but by protecting the crown of the plant it takes less time to come back from dormancy and puts on fantastic growth each year.
Sometimes you can protect plants that are new to your garden for the first year in the same way. I put a Fremontodendron californicum (wooly flannel bush) in this year. I protected it with cut bamboo over the branches and crown. Because it has a branching structure already and is not completely herbaceous I didn’t want to lay anything too heavy to weigh down the branches. It hates water and is planted in gravel here. I’ll let you know if it survives. (If you want to read something interesting look up this plant on the internet. It has so much conflicting information published about it! One site says frost tender zone 8 and another say hardy to negative 20)
After the first frost I do cut down the gingers, cannas, and dahlias. I spread a thin layer of dry mulch over the top and also add fallen leaves over that. I use washed cow manure because it has nutrients to add to the soil as it decomposes. I leave these bulbs and temperiennals in the ground. They multiply and come back each year. My soil has lots of organic material in it and drains freely.
Tuberose begonias get to come inside after the frost as well. They have been still growing and filling the spaces with fabulous oranges and reds until this frost. Prolonged freezing of these bulbs will result in death so don’t leave them outside. Again the frost helps the bulb know dormancy so the bulbs can be stored for winter.
It’s time to put the garden to bed. Stay tuned for our next post with more helpful information.
by plantswomandesign | Nov 14, 2013 | gardening, plants
Autumn is a time when everything starts to die back. The fun fluffy perennials, crazy growing annuals and lush trees change and start to go dormant. One of the best things about grasses is they begin to really put on a show. As they enter fall they look the best of their entire season of interest. The wonderful greens and infloresenses blend into a mixed bed but when the cool weather hits the other plants bow out and the grasses take center stage.
Many people have a love/hate relationship with grasses. Some designers think they should only be used in full sweeps relegated to grass gardens and not integrated into garden beds. Others think they can be used in any situation and can translate into any style. I do like to use grasses in many situations but not in every situation. Most grasses are happy in full sun and bright areas with long vistas to view them at a distance. There are also lovely shade grasses available, usually showing up as bright spots in a dark area.
hakonechloa macra aureola in a shady bed
The scale of a grass can sometimes overwhelm their surroundings become the dominate feature. Using them where they are happy and can maintain their upright sunniness will reward the gardener. Note how the Hakonechloa is balanced with shrubs that can maintain their own space in the garden with this, sometimes aggressive, grass nearby.
I love working with texture in the garden. Leaf color and shapes add so much more interest than just flowers. One area I really like to use grasses is in a beach garden. The color of the light near the water and scope of vision is fun to play with. I also like to play the soft light grasses against hardscape. The summer brings contrast between sun warmed rock surface and cool lush grasses while the same area becomes contrasted between the now cool gray surface and warm autumn tinted grasses in the fall.
pennisetum ‘red head’
Some of my favorite grasses are:
Panicum virginitum ‘Shenandoah’ Sheanandoah switch grass – Grows to 3-4 feet hardy from zone 5 – 9, Interest from July to February. lovely green soft colors and brilliant red tips and yellow in the fall. Panicles are red tangling with orange bits held above foliage. Winter color is wheat color with seed heads persisting through the season. Good in any soil, loves good strong light.
Panicum virginitum ‘Shenandoah’ Sheanandoah switch grass
leaf color on Panicum ‘Shenandoah’
Chionochloa Rubra – Red Tussock Grass – A drought tolerant evergreen grass with interest all year long. grows about 3 fee tall in my garden by about 4 feet spread. soft green in summer with color change to coppery wheat color in winter and back to green again. zone 7 – 9 grown in full sun with little water is when it looks the best!. Thin leaves and panicles dance in the slightest breeze.
Chionochloa Rubra – Red Tussock Grass
A dwarf miscanthus called ‘Little Kitten’ is also a favorite. I love Miscanthus but it is often too big for a normal garden bed and they don’t typically mix well with other plants when they are 6- 8 ft tall and very dominate. This gem is 3-4 feet in height. Has the typical miscanthus inflorescence on top. They stay upright and turn a fabulous fall color with all the colors of fall on the same plant Full sun, any soil, good drainage and not too wet are its best conditions. Zone 5-9.
‘Little Kitten’
I usually leave the grasses up until the late winter or even spring. If we have a snow I will cut them back after they are laying over. Birds use the seeds and small animals will overwinter in the dry area beneath the leaves. I will leave you with a border from one of my beach gardens. This has a lovely mixture of perennials, sedums, grasses, and small shrubs for a border that looks great all year long.
by plantswomandesign | Nov 6, 2013 | gardening, plants, Plantswoman Design
It is a beautiful day here on the west coast. It has been spectacular weather for fall color and feeling. Nippy in the morning with a tinge of wood smoke and fallen leaves in the air. Afternoons are sunny and you can see the sun on the horizon moving away to the south of the garden. Sunrises are coming up later and later with more awesome colors than I can describe.
These days I spend about 1 day a week prepping for the Northwest Flower and Garden show. I’m ordering plant material, picking it up and nestling it into the greenhouses that will hold our plant material until February. I have already ordered many flats of bulbs for the show that will be forced at their location and brought to the show blooming (hopefully). It is not an exact science so we do our best and have a plan B.
I always like to feature different types of plants in my show gardens. That is one of the reasons I first started coming to the flower and garden show all those years ago. I wanted to see something new and learn about what others were growing. Many times I saw something I had never seen before and I learned about it at the show. Now I guess I am a little jaded since entering the horticultural world. As a designer I get to see a lot of new plants and now say ‘I have one of those’ instead of ‘I want one of those’ and sometimes I have to say “Yep, I’ve killed one of those’.
- White Bouquet, Candy Club
iris reticulata natascha, fritillaria meleagris alba
As I prepare for the show I know I want some different types of bulbs. So on to the Van Engelen site I go and order some bulbs. I found these great (I hope) things called bunching tulips. They have multiple stems coming from the bulb with multiple flowers on them. I had never seen them before so I called my grower and asked about them. He said they had been around for several years and didn’t really sell well so they stopped growing them. Hmmm… Of course that means I have to try them. I ordered candy club and white bouquet.
Last year I forced Allium shubertii. It was difficult because they are a summer blooming bulb but I had about a 50% success rate. If the bulb blooms early in the year it is easier to force. If you plan on forcing bulbs you can count on at least a 12-14 week chill factor. That means you would place the bulbs into a dark 40-45 degree place in moist soil. Then add the actual blooming time and you will have a fairly good idea when to expect them. The folks at Van Engelen can help you with guesstimating if you are unsure. I received the order and put them into the shop refrigerator that has drinks and snacks for the crew. They had to put up with the boxes of bulbs for a couple of weeks… small price to pay, right?
Today I mixed up a fast draining soil mixture and added some bulb food. I placed the several bulbs in containers with the soil. I pack them together because I want the pot to be full and bursting with color. I don’t usually do that in the ground especially if they are naturalizing bulbs.
I also potted up some iris reticulata natascha, and some white blooming fritillaria meleagris alba.
I think maybe you can guess what color scheme I’m going for the show. I’m excited to do a more formal limited color palette this year.
I also could not resist adding some Christmas color into the forcing planting. I potted up some Amaryllis ‘nymph’ and amaryllis ‘white nymph’ for the Christmas season. I soak the bulbs overnight if the roots are dried out at all. Then I put them into the same bulb mixture as the tulips with fast draining soil and bulb food. I like planting the amaryllis in a soil mixture instead of plain water because I think water can stagnate sometimes and the bulb will rot. These are in my greenhouse now and not chilled. They will stay here until they start to bud. If it is close to Christmas they will go into the house. If they start too early I will move them to a cool frost free place to save the blooms until closer to Christmas.
I’m excited to see how these work into the Christmas scheme. Let me know if you have tried forcing bulbs before and how they turned out.
www.plantswomandesign.com | copyright 2013
by plantswomandesign | Nov 6, 2013 | gardening, Plantswoman Design
It is a beautiful day here on the west coast. It has been spectacular weather for fall color and feeling. Nippy in the morning with a tinge of wood smoke and fallen leaves in the air. Afternoons are sunny and you can see the sun on the horizon moving away to the south of the garden. Sunrises are coming up later and later with more awesome colors than I can describe.
These days I spend about 1 day a week prepping for the Northwest Flower and Garden show. I’m ordering plant material, picking it up and nestling it into the greenhouses that will hold our plant material until February. I have already ordered many flats of bulbs for the show that will be forced at their location and brought to the show blooming (hopefully). It is not an exact science so we do our best and have a plan B.
I always like to feature different types of plants in my show gardens. That is one of the reasons I first started coming to the flower and garden show all those years ago. I wanted to see something new and learn about what others were growing. Many times I saw something I had never seen before and I learned about it at the show. Now I guess I am a little jaded since entering the horticultural world. As a designer I get to see a lot of new plants and now say ‘I have one of those’ instead of ‘I want one of those’ and sometimes I have to say “Yep, I’ve killed one of those’.
White Bouquet, Candy Club
iris reticulata natascha, fritillaria meleagris alba
As I prepare for the show I know I want some different types of bulbs. So on to the Van Engelen site I go and order some bulbs. I found these great (I hope) things called bunching tulips. They have multiple stems coming from the bulb with multiple flowers on them. I had never seen them before so I called my grower and asked about them. He said they had been around for several years and didn’t really sell well so they stopped growing them. Hmmm… Of course that means I have to try them. I ordered candy club and white bouquet.
Last year I forced Allium shubertii. It was difficult because they are a summer blooming bulb but I had about a 50% success rate. If the bulb blooms early in the year it is easier to force. If you plan on forcing bulbs you can count on at least a 12-14 week chill factor. That means you would place the bulbs into a dark 40-45 degree place in moist soil. Then add the actual blooming time and you will have a fairly good idea when to expect them. The folks at Van Engelen can help you with guesstimating if you are unsure. I received the order and put them into the shop refrigerator that has drinks and snacks for the crew. They had to put up with the boxes of bulbs for a couple of weeks… small price to pay, right?
Today I mixed up a fast draining soil mixture and added some bulb food. I placed the several bulbs in containers with the soil. I pack them together because I want the pot to be full and bursting with color. I don’t usually do that in the ground especially if they are naturalizing bulbs.
I also potted up some iris reticulata natascha, and some white blooming fritillaria meleagris alba.
I think maybe you can guess what color scheme I’m going for the show. I’m excited to do a more formal limited color palette this year.
I also could not resist adding some Christmas color into the forcing planting. I potted up some Amaryllis ‘nymph’ and amaryllis ‘white nymph’ for the Christmas season. I soak the bulbs overnight if the roots are dried out at all. Then I put them into the same bulb mixture as the tulips with fast draining soil and bulb food. I like planting the amaryllis in a soil mixture instead of plain water because I think water can stagnate sometimes and the bulb will rot. These are in my greenhouse now and not chilled. They will stay here until they start to bud. If it is close to Christmas they will go into the house. If they start too early I will move them to a cool frost free place to save the blooms until closer to Christmas.
I’m excited to see how these work into the Christmas scheme. Let me know if you have tried forcing bulbs before and how they turned out.
www.plantswomandesign.com | copyright 2013
by plantswomandesign | Oct 7, 2013 | garden food
I’m just finishing up my plan for the 2014 Northwest Flower and Garden Show, this will be my 5th year being involved. My first venture was doing a patio garden called ‘Living it up‘. I was very nervous. I made two containers out of recycled roofing and planted them with edibles. I went down to Raintree Nursery and picked up two varieties of cordon apples, The Scarlet Sentinel and North Pole, to put in the containers. Cordon apples are not very popular in the U.S. but in the U.K. they are very popular for small gardens. I didn’t really pay much attention to the varieties as I just wanted to have something blooming. After the show I put them in the ground at the bottom of the garden and didn’t pay much attention to them until last year. I reworked the space above the vegetable garden next to the compost bin and there was a little space there to put the apples. They have been very happy there quite possibly because of the compost pile next to them. This year they have produced some of the biggest apples I’ve seen on a tree let alone on a tree with the small stature of the cordon apple.
As I have collected my harvest I have made applesauce and apple crisp, both were gone in a flash. The Scarlet Sentinel tastes a lot like a honey crisp according to my granddaughter. I know they are sweet and juicy.
Here are the apples ready to make into applesauce.
Here is the same group with an egg to show the size of the apples.
When I make applesauce I do it different than when I was young. I made lots of applesauce for my kids using the old method of washing and cutting up the apples, cooking them with the peelings and cores, then sieving them to remove all the bits. This made a smooth sauce with a slightly pink or brown color. Now, I like my applesauce with a little character –lovely and golden with bigger chunks of apple left inside.
Here is how to do it. Start with a good flavorful apple (no broken down, mealy ones). Put a little water in the bottom of a decent size pan, just enough to cover the bottom, on medium heat. Now it’s time to start chopping apples. Wash and peel your apples and remove the core. Cut into chunks straight into the pan. Go ahead and let these start cooking while you start working on the next apple. Cook and add apples a little at a time to get a good sauce going. You can add sugar to taste (I will usually add about 1/4 cup of sugar because that helps bring out the juice of the apples). Don’t add anymore sugar until the sauce is done so I can just add what is needed, sometimes you don’t need any more. I cook it all until it is mostly soft. Make sure the last pieces of apple added are soft but not mushy.
And voila! It does take a while but nothing is better with grilled pork.
The way you care for cordon apples is similar to regular apples. I do some pruning early in the spring (Feb here). I look for fruiting spurs and make sure to leave them alone. I like to bring any really long branches back towards the trunk. I have staked my apple trees with rebar stakes because of the weight of the fruit. I usually have to tie them in as they grow and support the fruiting branches. As they grow I keep an eye on the branching structure. If there is a branch that is putting on a lot of lateral growth I prune it back again, usually in June. The fruit is already set by then so it is easy to get rid of extra branches and leaves that are not needed for fruit production.
I will include this last picture of the North Pole apple. It is on a smaller scale and the apples are still really good. The fruit is really red and the branching is not as full as on the other ones. The cordon apple is easy to grow and will fit into a very tight spot.
So tell me, what are you doing with your garden harvest? Do you have a recipe to share? Please, do tell!
by plantswomandesign | Oct 2, 2013 | gardening, plants
Tropicalissimo in the Pacific Northwest. It is hard to imagine my garden without my huge wonderful tropical plants. I did not grow these lovlies when I first started gardening. I would not have even attempted. Then I went to Hawaii. On the garden island of Kauai I fell totally in love with the lush big bold textures of leaves, bright colors and glorious earthy scents of a tropical garden. I went from an dabbler into a dunker and just had to have anything big and glorious. I have killed many things that were ‘marginally’ hardy in my garden. I once tried an imperial dahlia known to grow large in my area but never flower (it was as advertised). The princess flower overwintered successfully one year and not so successfully the next year or the year after with a new plant. While these were great to experiment with the foliage wasn’t enough for me, I had to go bigger. Next I put in a Tetrapanax p. ‘rex’, it has lovely huge leaves that were spiky and toothy. I still have it but have to chop the baby shoots off every year so it doesn’t devour the rest of the garden. The hardy banana beside it comes back each year stronger with more stems coming up from the ground (Musa Basjoo).
hardy banana Musa Basjoo
Near by there is a whip of a magnolia tree that at first struggled to produce even 3 leaves. After 5 years I saw it’s first bloom and the leaves are now enormous. The flower only lasted for about a week but I would go out every day to see it and smell it.
magnolia
magnolia flower worth waiting for
I have several hardy Gingers. Here is one as seen from the entrance to my pond area with it’s hornbeam hedge. Sometimes it’s fun to come out of a formal area into wild, lush foliage. This Ginger (Hedychium coccineum ‘Tara’) is reliably hardy in my garden. It spreads each year and does bloom in the late summer. Last year our weather was so bad that I only got a few blooms in September. This year the heat has really brought the blooms. I also dedicated a sprinkler head to it so it gets plenty of water in the summer.
Hedychium coccineum ‘Tara’
It is unusual (I think? maybe not) to build a greenhouse to house one plant. I purchased this red Banana several years ago now. Most people said don’t worry you can just buy another and throw it away but I was determined to try and keep it. With much persuasion I convinced my family to create a little greenhouse under the decking by my bedroom. That year I brought in my red banana, ensete ‘maurelli’ several echevarias, burgmansia, and Queens’ tears . I already had many orchids so now they also have a place to grown with higher light and humidity. The first year it survived, the second year it pushed to the top of the greenhouse
ensete ‘maurelli’
Each year I struggle with algae in my pond. The combination of warm water and fish waste creates the perfect situation for algae bloom. I’ve put floating plants, lilies and other plants in the pond to combat the algae but the fish really like them (and by “like them” I mean in the ‘I’m a vegetarian’ way). They eat the roots off of most everything I put in there and nibble the leaves off emerging plants. This year I decided to try to throw some common water hyacinth in the pot fountain. I thought maybe it would keep the major source of algae down. It succeeded beyond anything I imagined makes the whole pond area look magically lush and tropical. The wires you see are my Koi pond animal deterrent system. This keeps heron, river otters, raccoons and the occasional dog from getting in the koi pond.
common water hyacinth
This canna from Plant Delights nursery in North Carolina has been in the ground next to the pathway for 4 years. The first year I thought it was dead after winter but it struggled back. It has increased in height each year but not that much in width likely due to the pathway in front of it or lack of water in that area beneath the edge of the deck but it doesn’t seem to mind. The pods on this canna are so cool too. I love to bring them in in the fall and dry them out.
canna
The tropical look extends into the vines too. I have the hardy Kiwi, actinidia, down in the main garden where it can vine everywhere and it has fruit each year!! Up in the tropical area of my garden I have a passion vine that likes to throw itself around. It vines between the fence, a palm tree, and a manzanita. While the manzanita is outside the hedge it still wants its tropical neighbor to climb on it each year. I mulch the roots in the fall, it looks dead in the winter through early spring, then suddenly it is sprawling around. By the time August and September come it is blooming with its other worldly flowers. Fabulous!
Let me know what you think about tropical plants in a non-tropical place. What do you grow in your area that is not quite the norm?
by plantswomandesign | Sep 22, 2013 | garden food, gardening
As you may already know, if you are following the blog, I have a great harvest of Walla Walla Sweet Onions. I planted 50 sets and I’m sure there are at least 50 nice size onions. I have been experimenting with what to do with them beside eat or cook with them so I stored some of them and they are doing fine. To store them I wrapped them carefully (they bruise easy) in shredded paper and stacked them carefully in a wire basket. Tucked away on a shelf in the garage they are doing just fine. While researching storage suggestions for onions one website suggested putting them in pantyhose and tying knots between them to keep them separate. When using them simply cut the knots to get an onion. Ok… I’m having a generational gap I think. I don’t have panty hose… Oh maybe one pair in the back of my closet to wear with my short black evening dress but in my line of work I don’t exactly have them just lying around. And, if memory serves, the last time I bought them they were very hard to find and not cheap (around $10 a pair). I think the shredded paper is a better solution for me with no surplus pantyhose.
Today I made onion marmalade. I started with a recipe I had for French Onion Marmalade and adapted it to be a little more me. I’ll show you the process as we go.
Onion Marmalade
1 KG (just over 2 lbs) of red or yellow onions, peeled cut in half and sliced thinly (yes I have a scale to weigh them)
100 ml olive oil (just about 1/2 cup I add it as needed)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 rosemary springs (wrap and tie in cheesecloth)
150g soft brown sugar (3/4 cup)
75 ml dry white wine (1/3 cup)
75 ml red wine vinegar (1/3 cup I used champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar)
25 ml balsamic vinegar (good size splash I used white balsamic vinegar)
Directions
1. In a heavy fry pan (I use non stick), heat up some olive oil and add the finely sliced onions – toss around to make sure they all have a coating of oil.
2. Cook over gentle heat until they start to color.
3. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaves and rosemary springs and cook for another 20- 30 minutes. until herbs have wilted.
4. add the sugar, wine and vinegars.
5. bring back to boil and keep stirring all the time. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20-30 more minutes until the liquid is all dissolved and the onions are soft and sticky. Watch carefully as this mixture may burn easily.
6. Pick out the rosemary and bay leaves (this is why I put the rosemary in cheesecloth but I’ve left some in and it was ok too) and spoon the marmalade into clean dry & sterilized jar and seal straight away. Ready to eat after 2 weeks but better if kept for at least 1-2 months. I store in refrigerator but could be processed for longer shelf life.
7. Makes one 300ml jar – but can be easily increased.
The changes I made make it a little brighter in color. As you can see it takes a lot of onions to make just one jar. I used the small jars so I can use just what I need and give away some.
Onion Marmalade is so fabulous on burgers, steaks, ham sandwiches grilled or cold, even put over cream cheese and served with baguette slices or crackers.
I still have beets, tomatoes, green beans, carrots, lettuce, arugula, leeks, broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, and zucchini to get creative with and the rhubarb is still producing. I will probably make some more Rhubarb Ginger Jam this year. Next week I’ll post about my apples. I planted cordon apples left over from a garden show several years ago. You will be amazed when you see them. Please, share with me any interesting way you are using vegetables from your garden!
>
by plantswomandesign | Sep 13, 2013 | garden travel
There is a lovely spot just between summer and true fall when the air is slowly cooling and the fierceness of the sun is less effective. It’s a great time to hike into the woods and see nature’s garden. I am inspired by what I see in the natural world time and time again. The suddenness of color interspersed into soft neutral tones of the woodland is so amazing. As I see these I think of artist, Andy Goldsworthy. He works with natural found items and creates lovely temporary sculptures in the same way. Sometimes he puts bright leaves into muted backgrounds by creating patterns that are visible from a good distance away. This punctuation or ‘shout’ of color is really very art worthy.
I came across these amazing fungi while walking in the Blue Hills just outside of Boston. I know that in just a few weeks the woods will be vivid with the blazing New England colors of fall but right now there is a subtle beauty to see. Even along the coast of Cape Cod there are signs that the fall is approaching.
Walking and touring around the countryside helps me remember some of the basics of landscape design. Repetition of plants to bring the garden together and make it cohesive. A focal point that brings a statement of color to view. Soft harmonies in plant material color and texture can bring calm into the space . These are sometimes called ‘naturalist design principals’ for obvious reasons.
I’d love to hear from you. How are you noticing the coming of Autumn?
by plantswomandesign | Sep 4, 2013 | gardening, plants
Oh no!. Here comes fall. My containers although still lovely are causing more and more maintenance. Deadheading, fertilizing, cutting back, etc. I’m ready for a change. I LOVE fall color, BUT not the traditional. When at the nursery I walk by the mum’s and asters, leave the pansies alone too. I don’t try to get something that will ‘survive’ into the winter but plan on changing out the containers for winter too. I get something that is all about the fall in terms of color but still has form and interest in foliage color and texture. I sometimes get plants that are not hardy in my area (zone 7, sometimes zone 8). These are often on sale at 50% off because they will not survive without a greenhouse. They will however survive until a really hard frost which we sometimes don’t get until November. The prices are about the same as annuals so why not.? I do have a greenhouse so I will try to overwinter them if I love them but space is often limited (by the size of my red banana). Just like shopping at the end of season sale at the local hardware store you can find great plant bargains.
These containers sit on the deck and they are very rustic. I love the neutral color that lends itself to any color palette in the plantings. They are in full sun and sometimes wind, with a forgetful water person that results in a dry soil.
This one has kalanchoe beharensis (Velvet elephant ear), Dicilptera suberecta, Kalanchoe orgyalis,(copper spoons), salvia discolor and a small callistemon pityoides ‘Corvallis’. (San Marcos Growers in California and Xera Plants in Portland).
This is the grouping with the medium sized container growing: Adenanthos Xcumminhamii, Hakea microcarpa, Kalanchoe beharensis ‘Fang’, Leonitis methifolia ‘Savannah Sunset’, and salvia discolor
The small cement basin has a single dasylirion wheeleri, and Sempervivum arachnoides var. pittonii both from Xera Plants and hardy in zone 7.
Seems like succulents are becoming more and more popular. I really like the colors and textures in these lovely little plants. They are fun by themselves and mixed with other plants. They are happy with little care (perfect for busy summers), and bloom too.
Fall wedding are a fun even to plan for. This total redo of a landscape for a fall wedding included containers for accent pieces.
The modern shape on one group of containers (light weight) was a great neutral foil for the foliage and flowers we did there. New sun loving coleus in red and green bring out the dark red of Canna black knight and Burgundy Rudbeckia. Accent of bright green heuchera lime rickey, and metallic sheen on the begonia ‘Silver Splendor’ pulls the pot color in.
The base on this container has a good blend of red/brick and gold. Orange Coleus, burnt orange coreopsis ‘Sienna Sunset’, Begonia ‘Bonfire Orange’, Crocosmia ‘fairy twilight’, and a burgundy rudbeckia all pull together to say yummy warm fall. the begonia and coleus are not hardy but the others are.
More of the metallic gray containers this time planted simply with Astelia 'Silver Shadow' The metallic looking leaves have both silver and bronze in the coloration. This brings out the bronze in the light fixture which also adds in the silver from the container. It is an arrangement that will help keep dogs out of this area. Rock mulch and a silver/blue ceramic bird bath top (from owners) blends the area together.
I suggest you go out and explore the nurseries now. There are some great things to add to containers now. Let me know what combinations you find. Just because it is fall doesn’t mean the garden has to stop.
The Gunnera in the lower garden gets the same treatment. I use the leaves of the plant itself to give it protection. I cut them off and turn them upside down. The Gunnera signaled it’s dormancy early with curled dead edges on the leaves. This Gunnera is hardy here but by protecting the crown of the plant it takes less time to come back from dormancy and puts on fantastic growth each year.
Sometimes you can protect plants that are new to your garden for the first year in the same way. I put a Fremontodendron californicum (wooly flannel bush) in this year. I protected it with cut bamboo over the branches and crown. Because it has a branching structure already and is not completely herbaceous I didn’t want to lay anything too heavy to weigh down the branches. It hates water and is planted in gravel here. I’ll let you know if it survives. (If you want to read something interesting look up this plant on the internet. It has so much conflicting information published about it! One site says frost tender zone 8 and another say hardy to negative 20)
After the first frost I do cut down the gingers, cannas, and dahlias. I spread a thin layer of dry mulch over the top and also add fallen leaves over that. I use washed cow manure because it has nutrients to add to the soil as it decomposes. I leave these bulbs and temperiennals in the ground. They multiply and come back each year. My soil has lots of organic material in it and drains freely.
Tuberose begonias get to come inside after the frost as well. They have been still growing and filling the spaces with fabulous oranges and reds until this frost. Prolonged freezing of these bulbs will result in death so don’t leave them outside. Again the frost helps the bulb know dormancy so the bulbs can be stored for winter.
