Tag Archives: potted plants

More Spring Gardening

  By Rachel | April 2, 2012 - 5:54 pm | Plants
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Sometimes, I find a deal and just can’t resist.  I found Pincushion flowers on sale for 25 cents each.  So I got three- they are a perennial, and a beautiful blue color.  They are the newest addition to my perennial bed.  They are a full-sun plant, remove spent flowers and has low water needs once established.  Grows to 15″ high by 15″ wide.

salvia and pincushion flower and other things

I also got one columbine called Winky Double Red and White Columbine.  The pic below is a bunch of varieties of columbine, a lovely part. shade perennial.

Columbines

And a favorite annual called Mona Lavender (Lamicaceae Plectranthus).  It blooms from spring to fall and has lovely purple flowers and leaves with a green top side and purple underside.  Keep the soil moist- a perfect potted plant to keep on your porch- make sure it doesn’t get more than five hours of sun- I have mine where it only gets about 2.5 hours of afternoon sun, and it was really happy in this location last year.

LAMIACEAE 唇形科 - Mona Lavender (Plectranthus ecklonii) 夢幻紫香茶菜

A Day in the Garden

  By Rachel | March 28, 2012 - 11:33 am | Plants
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Yesterday I planted several perennials and annuals in containers on my front and back porch.  Here are pictures and a short description of each plant and care instructions.

Pink Pop Hyssop (Agastache astromontana ‘Pink Pop’):

Flowers from mid-summer through early fall that attract butterflies.  This perennial can grow 2-3 ft tall and wide.  Very drought and heat tolerant once established.  Insect and disease resistant- plant in full sun in well-drained soil.

Agastache foeniculum Honey, hisopo anisado, Blue Giant Hyssop, menta regaliz

 

Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum ‘Metallicum’:

Grows to 12 in. tall and 18-24 inches wide.  Partial sun to shade, great for a shady porch or under trees.  Prefers moist, well drained soil.

Japanese painted fern

 

Dwarf Peruvian Lily (Alstroemeria sp ‘Pink or Red’):

Blooms spring to fall, need to remove spent flowers to encourage new growth and more blooms.  Makes great cut flowers.  Full-partial sun in well drained soil-severe heat may slow growth.  Grows 12″ tall and wide.  Twist and pull out spent stems- do not pinch or cut- this encourages the rhizome will be stimulated to produce new shoots.

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Pink Million Bells (Calibrachoa):

They love the heat- be sure to place them in full sun- even 4-5 hours of afternoon sun during the hottest part of summer. Great for containers and hanging baskets since they have a vining habit.  Keep soil moist, watering 2-3 times a week.  Attract hummingbirds. Continual flowering from spring to fall.  When watering, try to keep water off the leaves.

Pink Million Bells

 

Dragon Wing Begonia (Begonia sempervirens):

Full sun to shade- grows 12 to 15 inches tall and 18-24″ wide.  May grow taller in deep shade.  Water regularly keeping water off leaves and flowers.

Ashley and Dragon Wing Begonia

 

Pineapple Lily (Eucomis Comosa ‘Tugela Jade’):

Topped in August with 18″ flower spikes that are chartreuse in bud and open into white flowers.  They will come back year after year and spread if left alone.  They are slow to emerge in spring and usually appear after other flowers are already showing new growth.  This perennial likes full sun with some shade at the hottest part of the day.  The flowers are followed by green berries- grows 18″ tall and 1 1/2 ft wide in clumps.  Needs moist, well drained soil.

Eucomis pole-evansii #2

 

Orange Avens (Geum coccineum ‘Cooky’):

Plant in full- partial sun, attracts butterflies.  Low-maintenance perennial growing 18″ tall and 16″ wide.  Clumps will need to be divided every 3-4 years to keep plants healthy, prune back hard after blooming to encourage health of foliage.  Needs well drained soil.

 

Geum (avens)

 

Frosty Begonia:

This was an impulse buy- at $1.50 I couldn’t resist the lovely leaves.  I am not sure that this plant is a frosty begonia- I am headed back to the plant place again on Friday- so I will ask for more info while I am there.  For now, I have this plant in part. sun on the front porch.

 

Tulips in Bloom

  By Rachel | March 14, 2012 - 2:06 am | Plants
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My tulips are blooming!  I had to share the pics.

We came home from my Grandmother’s funeral to find them greeting us by the front door, bringing color, warmth, and joy.

 

The Orange ones are my favorite.

Lily of the Nile

  By Rachel | February 14, 2012 - 4:52 pm | Plants
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Lily of the Nile
Lily of the Nile (Photo credit: Khirol Amir)

I just bought my first Lily of the Nile last week.  When I saw the pics of this flower in bloom, I knew that there was no way I could pass up purchasing one to sit on my front porch.

I anxiously looked up care instructions when I got home, and found some of the following information helpful.

They do not like to sit in water, so find a sight that is well drained if you are planting in a flower bed in your yard.  If you have very cold winters, this plant might be an annual in your area so check that out as well before planting.

I have my plant in a pot on the porch- and from what I read they make a lovely potted plant as well. They don’t seem to be very particular about what type of soil, only make sure it drains well.

These plants need full sun, so try to set them out somewhere where they will get at least 5 hours of sun- they can do ok with a little less- but the plant will thrive if it gets more sun rather than less.

If you are planting these from the bulbs- make sure to plant with the pointy end facing up, and about 2 inches deep.  These bulbs are very easy to find this time of year- I have seen them in several stores- from Walmart to Kroger to Home Improvement stores and of course gardening centers.

From what I have read, it sounds like you can overwater these beauties, so make sure to not make them too soggy, esp. after you have first planted the bulbs. Let me know if you are trying these out, and I will continue to update on how my plants are doing as the spring progresses.

Happy Planting!

Lilies of the Nile at Dusk

Lilies of the Nile at Dusk (Photo credit: Living in Monrovia)

 

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