We are in the process of making two long planter boxes that are going to be fixed to the wall under our kitchen window, facing north. I want to be able to use some coloured pots that I've got on hand, they are about 16cm across the top, and about the same in height. They will be in full sun all day, but fortunately, right next to the tap, so I have a couple of options for keeping them watered. my thoughts at the moment are portulacca, dwarf zinnias, dward marigolds. when I decide what to use, it will be a mass of one flower and colour of most plants, except for the portulacca which of course come in multi-coloured punnets. Any other thoughts
samanya,
Oct 8, 6:59pm
Herbs/Vegetables? Just kidding, you want flowers, right? Why not do what the Europeans do . geraniums, petunias , lobelia (cascading) They have the most wonderful planters & hanging baskets etc.
colin433,
Oct 8, 8:00pm
I don't think our pots will be big enough for geraniums, plus I have already planted three large pelargoniums not too far away, and in two more raised beds we have petunias. this is partly what is making my decision more difficult. the other thing is that I think I need annuals in case they fail, at least it wont have cost a fortune. thought of lobelia, of course you're right, they cascade. In which case we'dneed two plants per pot. lobelia and ? any thoughts on that
vickyh1,
Oct 8, 11:26pm
Alyssum looks good with lobelia, if you don't mind that its almost a cliche.
colin433,
Oct 9, 12:37pm
yes, and it will cascade, I could well go with that combination Vicky, cheap and effective. Maybe I'll post a photo when they are growing well.
samanya,
Oct 9, 6:58pm
I haven't come across a cascading Alyssum. I have quite a few pots around my patios & most of them have a perennial as the centre point & I find pansies, violas, lobelia, alyssum & petunias are a good combination. As the pansies flower, I wait until they form seed heads, open them up & scatter them around my pots. lobelia & alyssum do it all by themselves. This year even the petunias don't need to be replaced as I cut them back & they are away again. Never had that happen before & the winter climate here is harsh. I don't know why I bother having pots because I have nearly an acre of flower garden, (a lot of lawn, fortunately) but they soften the hard landscaped areas, if I keep the water & fertiliser up to them. It's all a learning curve & doesn't need to be expensive . please post pics when you have it sorted.
colin433,
Oct 10, 7:12pm
Hi, when I said that alyssum will cascade, I was visualising it in the position where it's to go, it would have no option BUT to cascade to a degree, smallish pots, it would have to go somewhere, and downwards would be the easiest for it. Maybe cascade is the wrong word, I'm really just wanting something that will overflow the container and hang down a 'little'
samanya,
Oct 10, 7:49pm
Alyssum seeds like crazy so you will always have it . even if it doesn't always seed in the pot, it will pop up in the vicinity & you can transplant. I usually spend quite a bit on annuals for my pots, but this year the cost is minimal, because of the self seeding act & maybe because of a milder winter, I don't even have to replace last years petunias, just cut them back & they are flowering again. Any of those plants will hang over & soften the edges of the pots, even if they are not technically 'cascading'. I cram my pots full, but do keep the water & fertiliser up to them & replace the potting medium every 2nd year. I have a huge paved area in front of my double garages & it's the first area that anyone sees as they drive in & without pots, it's very drab so it's worth it, imo.
colin433,
Mar 8, 10:47am
today I bought lobelia (supposedly upright) plus white alyssum, and an alyssum in mixed colours. I'll put one of each in the pots, and see how they go this year. Tomorrow I'll get them all potted up, but I'll leave them in a sheltered area till they have made new roots. My bubblegum petunias that were only planted last weekend are full of colour already, as are the violet bouquet strain. Today I also bought three osteospermum in lovely soft colours and planted them where I had pulled out the common forget-me-not. A bit late pulling them, will probably have zillions of them next year. There are still several types of flowers in that bed, being a tray that was given to me as left-overs from the Rotorua Council gardens. The polyanthus are amazing. One ornamental variegated kale that can only be described as being as large at the top of my wok. plus a few antirrinums yet to flowers. Not a thing I usually do, but cound't bring myself to tear everything out for the osteo's.
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