Summertime In My Garden…The Graceful Gardener’s Containers…2013

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Even though I’m quite late in posting this, I still wanted to share some of my containers with you this summer.  I took many of these photo’s around the 4th of July, but to my surprise, many of my containers are still looking lush and full due to the unusual abundance of rain and lower temps we’ve experienced this summer (usually temps are in the mid-90’s this time of year), and of course, with the faithful application of Annie Haven’s Manure Tea.

Having designed and planted all my own containers for years, it’s truly still one of my favorite ways to be creative in the garden. This year I played around with lots of different colors and I even dabbled a bit in miniature container gardening this year. 

Hope you enjoy the photo gallery of just a few of my containers…


 Romantic white…

Ingredients: Sun Parasol White Mandevilla, ‘Diamond Frost’ Euphorbia, Lobularia ‘Frosty Knight’, Scaevola ‘Bombay’, Supertunia white, White geranium, Dusty Miller ‘Silverdust’, trailing Mezoo, ‘Silver Falls’ Dichondra.

 

 Burst of Orange…

Ingredients: Canna ‘Australia’, Canna ‘Tropicanna Gold’, Infinity Orange New Guinea Impatiens, ‘Hot Shot’ Orange portulaca, Begonia boliviensis Bonfire, ‘Orange Marmalade’ Crossandra, Sweet Caroline Bronze sweet potato vine.

 

 Nearly Black…

Canna ‘Australia’, Cosmos ‘Choca Mocha’, Heuchera ‘Obsidian’, ‘Black Velvet’ petunia, Creeping Jenny ‘Midnight Sun’, Iris chrysographes ‘Night Ruler’ (bloomed in spring see below), Scaevola ‘Romeo’.

 

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Iris ‘Night Ruler’

 

 Succulent Fever…

I turned a non-functioning fountain into a succulent planter.

 

Ingredients: Variety of Succulents- Sedums, Echeverias, Trailing Mezoo and my favorite-Kalanchoe ‘Fantastic’. Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ was also used in this planting.

 Cool Blues…

Blue and White Container Nook in my garden filled with: Plumbago, white scaveola, white petunias, Endless Summer hydrangea, lobelia, Angelonia and Lobularia ‘Frosty Knight’.

 Succulent Basket…

My favorite container in my garden- this huge cement basket- which I purchased over 15 years ago, is filled with an abundance of succulents. They thrive in this basket!
Ingredients: Assortment of succulents: Sedums, Echeveria, Sempervivums, Kalanchoe and my fav-‘Zwartkop’ aeonium.

 

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 Purple Vibes…

Ingredients: Petchoa SuperCal ‘Poppin Blue’, Calibrachoa ‘Double Amethyst’, Petunia Glamouflage ‘Grape’, Scaevola ‘Romeo’, Dusty Miller, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’, Bourbon rose ‘Mystic Beauty’.

 

Ingredients :Perilla Magilla, Persian Shield, ‘Divine Lavender’ New Guinea Inpatiens, Calibrachoa ‘Double Amethyst’, Vinca ‘Illumination’.

 

Graceful Grasses ‘Fiber Optic’ surrounded by blue scaevola, dusty miller,blue salvia, sedum and hosta.

 Peachy Planting…

Ingredients: Miniature Rose ‘Cupcake’, creeping jenny, trailing Mezoo,Calibrachoa ‘Double Amethyst’, ‘Blackie’ sweet potato vine.

 Moody Blues…

Ingredients: Torenia ‘Purple Moon’, ‘Silver Carpet’ Lambs Ear, Barbara Sanderson glass Icicle.

 Variegated Foliage…

Ingredients: Small variegated English Holly ‘Argenteo Marginata’, Lamium maculatum ‘Beacon Silver’, surrounded by Japanese Painted fern and Golden variegated Sweet Flag.

 

 

I gave miniature gardening a try this year and love it!  So fun …

I designed a ‘scaled down’ version of my own backyard when I planted this miniature garden container. Lots of stone, dwarf conifers and texture. What do you think?

 

 

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Of course, I had to plant a Mini-Zen garden….

 

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Mini- Herb Garden with some cucumbers…

 

Probably my favorite of all- My Frog Prince Miniature Container.

 Purple Foliage…

A newly purchased container this year filled with ‘Black Magic’ Elephant Ear, Persian shield, Purple heart Wandering Jew and ‘Black Dragon’ coleus.

 Colossal Orange…

Ingredients: Banana Musa ‘Zebrina RoJo’, Begonia boliviensis ‘Bonfire’, Infinity Orange-New Guinea Impatiens, Dragon wing begonia,Coleus ‘Black Dragon’.

 

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 Do you enjoy planting your own container gardens?

Check out my post from last year here...

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