The Grill Patio - 2010 Annual Containers

The Grill Patio

The Grill Patio is the final area at this home to discuss. The area is an interesting mix of sun and shade thanks to the roof line and the mature trees. The patio receives morning sun and the first few hours of afternoon sun. The family spends a good deal of time on this patio, either relaxing as a family or entertaining guests. There is an outdoor kitchen, from where I am taking the second photo. As a fun note, I learned that the color orange increases the appetite, so what better place to utilize it than near the grill! I didn't tell my client this little piece of trivia; I wonder if they ate more burgers and veggie kabobs this year?

June 9, 2010 - Week Three

September 7, 2010 - Week Sixteen

September 7, 2010 - Week Sixteen

Plant List

Ageratum 'Artist Blue'

Calibrachoa 'Superbells Pink'

Capsicum 'Black Pearl'

Coleus 'Sedona'

Crossandra 'Orange Marmalade'

Fuchsia 'Autumnale'

Lantana 'Bandana Cherry Sunrise'

Sedum 'Bertram Anderson'

Strobilanthes 'Persian Shield'

This is my new favorite color combination. Purple and orange are hot together. The Lantana has yellow, pink and orange all on one flower, so I decided to play up that color scheme. 

I would have never thought that pink and orange would work well together. I think this color scheme is a lesson in subtleties. The Fuchsia is mainly orange and yellow, but if you look closely there is a hint of pink, so the Calibrachoa draws out the pink hues. And, although Fuchsia 'Autumnale' is marketed as a foliage plant, I was delighted to discover it flowering at the end of June.

 

The Coleus, although decidedly orange, has purple veining on the top of the leaf, and is entirely purple under the leaf, therefore the purple-leaved Capsicum and Sedum are perfect companions.

Now, as to the plants. I would go easy on the Lantana next time, and add one or two more Coleus - the one Coleus got overtaken by the Lantana. Also, since the surrounding garden plants and the forest in the background have so much green, the containers need a higher quantity of bold leaf color to keep them the center of attention.

I have had bad luck with Strobilanthes; one year it grew in multiple directions and was leggy, this year it barely made it over 8 inches high. Although I love the color and the leathery leaves, I won't use it again. The Ageratum did very well and never stopped blooming (until it got covered by the Lantana!) The Sedum also did well and the deep pink flowers were a nice addition. However, late in the summer it started to get shaded out by the over-abundance of Lantana and actually got powdery mildew. The Crossandra is a fascinating plant with wonderful shiny foliage and apricot-orange shrimp-shaped flowers. Definitely an eye-cather.

June 1, 2010 - Week Two
The Crossandra is in the back, left of the Strobilanthes.

Thank you for joining me on this tour of annual containers! I hope you have enjoyed it, and perhaps got some ideas for your own creations!

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The Office - 2010 Annual Containers

The Office

These containers are under the windows of my client's home office. She spends a great deal of time in this room, so these are the containers she sees most of the day. Unfortunately, this is the area that gives me the most trouble. It is on the north-east side of the house and is therefore in deep shade all day. It is also half under the deck and half under the four-foot (1.2 meter) -deep eaves, so the containers are always dry. There are few plants suited to dry shade.

Originally the six containers were in an L-shape next to the house. This year I moved three of the containers out away from the house. This accomplished four things:

1) created the feeling of a larger space;

2) gave some of the containers exposure to rain and a fraction of sunlight;

3) made the shorter containers more visible from inside the office (previously they could only be seen by standing directly at the window and looking down); and

4) brought color further out into the shade garden.

May 25, 2010 - Week One

May 25, 2010 - Week One

Plant List

Begonia 'Non-Stop Mocha Yellow'

Alternanthera 'Brazillian Red Hots'

Pachysandra 'Green Carpet'

They looked lovely for about two months; then everything was shaded out - only the Pachysandra hung on. So, The Office - Take Two.

July 28, 2010 - Week Ten

Plant List

Begonia 'Rex'

Pachysandra 'Green Carpet'

The Pachysandra was saved from the first go-around. The Rex Begonia seems to be well-suited for the shade. They had a few flowers when I bought them, but they stopped blooming not long after planting. But that's ok, I purchased them for their showy foliage. Sadly, they deer appreciated them also. I couldn't believe that the deer ate them! I thought they wouldn't eat a waxy, fuzzy somewhat sharp leaf. But they apparently decided it was worth the risk. *sigh* Thankfully, the Begonia recovered with a little time and TLC, although not quite as lush.

In the fall I moved the containers back to their L-shape to protect them from snow. The Pachysandra was planted around the containers. The area is always a little empty thanks to the shade and lack of water, so I'm eager to see how the Pachysandra will do.

The Deck - 2010 Annual Containers

The Deck

Coming off the kitchen is a small deck. This space is also in direct sun from 9:30am to about 4:00pm. The containers are about 16 inches (40.6 cm) in diameter. Because of the somewhat harsh location and the closest water source being the kitchen sink, these containers also dry out very quickly. The plants chosen for the deck must be heat and drought tolerant. Because of the size of the deck the plants must also be somewhat contained in order to not over-crowd the space. Even though The Deck is a full story above the Back Patio, the Patio can be viewed from The Deck. For this reason I choose the similar color pallete and plant selection in order to connect the two areas.

August 17, 2010 - Week Thirteen

August 31, 2010 - Week Fifteen

Plant List

Anisodontea 'Slightly Strawberry'

Bracteantha 'StrawBurst Yellow'

Calibrachoa 'Superbells Pink'

Helichrysum 'Silver & White Licorice Vine'

Lantana 'Bandana Cherry Sunrise'

Mandevilla 'Giant Crimson'

The Mandevilla is a fantastic plant that is perpetually in bloom. But I had to be diligent in preventing the twining vine from smothering the rest of the plants in the container. The Calibrachoa actually did much better on The Deck than on the Back Patio - perhaps because The Deck containers get more rain. The Lantana seems to do well wherever I put it. The Bracteantha did well for a few months, but then declined; the lower leaves wilted and the flowers weren't nearly as profuse or large. The Licorice Vine loved the location; it was thick and lush the whole summer, and almost took over! The Anisodontea had a tendancy to lean instead of remaining upright. But the flower shape and color echoed those of the Calibrachoa and brought those elements to a higher level withing the design.

The Back Patio - 2010 Annual Containers

The Back Patio

Not far from the Terra Cotta pots is the Back Patio. This area receives the most direct sun of the entire property, from about 9:30am to 4:00pm. The four containers against the house are 24 inches (61 cm) in diameter, and the two at the edge of the patio are square and 14 inches (35.5 cm) across. The containers against the house are under a four-foot (1.2 meter) -deep eave which prevents them whenever it rains. As a result, those four are always dry. The two containers at the outer edge of the patio, although they do receive rain, dry out very quickly. Therefore I choose plants that are both heat and drought tolerant. The color scheme of the surrounding gardens is mainly yellow and purple, so I try to introduce bold colors (red, orange, maroon) in the containers' color scheme. 

September 7, 2010 - Week Sixteen

September 7, 2010 - Week Sixteen

August 31, 2010 - Week Fifteen

June 1, 2010 - Week Two

August 31, 2010 - Week Fifteen

Plant List
Ageratum 'Artist Blue'
Anisodontea 'Slightly Strawberry'
Bracteantha 'StrawBurst Yellow'

Calibrachoa 'Superbells Orange'
Dichondra 'Silver Falls'

Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'

Hibiscus 'Red Shield'

Lantana 'Dallas Red'

Well, everything started out lovely when it was planted (see top vertical photo). Then the Hibiscus got really big. In all honesty, everything ended up looking really weedy and overgrown (see bottom vertical photo). The Ageratum died, the Bracteantha lost all the lower leaves and stopped blooming, the Calibrachoa got leggy and flowered poorly, the Anisodontea got lost in the Hibiscus, the Euphorbia got lost in the Lantana, the Dichondra sort of flopped out of the container, and the Lantana tried to take over the Back Patio horizontally while the Hibiscus endeavored to do the vertically. And as you can see in the bottom vertical photo, it was very hard to see any flowers. I think that is a combination of the plants stopped blooming and the remaining flowers are too small and non-showy.

But the plants that did well in the drought situation are the Dichondra, Hibiscus, Lantana, and the Calibrachoa (to an extent).

There is definitely going to be a serious regrouping and overhaul of next year's plant selection for The Back Patio.

Terra Cotta and Triple Pots - 2010 Annual Containers

Triple Pots

As we move to the right of The Courtyard and down a flagstone path, we next come to the Triple Pots. This trio of containers is located on the south side of the house but receives limited sun because of the mature trees directly overhead. Each container is no more than 12 inches (30.5 cm) in diameter. 

August 10, 2010 - Week Twelve

Plant List

Browallia 'Blue Bells'

Coleus 'Amora'

Coleus 'Strawberry Drop'

All of the plants did very well in this location. The peachy-yellow of the 'Amora' was a nice bright spot in the shady area. The blue Browallia flowers picked up the subtle blues in the 'Strawberry Drop'. Overall, I was very pleased with this combination.

Terra Cotta Pots

Continuing around the corner brings us to the Terra Cotta Pots. These containers receive a little more sunlight, but I would still consider them to be in the shade. Each container is about 24 inches (61 cm) in diameter.

August 10, 2010 - Week Twelve

July 28, 2010 - Week Ten

Plant List

Begonia 'Dragonwing Red'

Browallia 'Blue Bells'

Heuchera 'Snow Angel'

Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'

This is also a combination I was very pleased with, especially the Begonia. You may recall that it is the same variety I used in the hanging basket in the Courtyard. In this location it grew at least twice as big as it did in the hanging basket. Again, it never stopped blooming. The Plectranthus was a great filler and its purple-silver leaves echoed the blue flowers of the Browallia. The Heuchera looked great until about the end of July. I think 'Snow Angel' requires a bit more sun. But again, I was very pleased with this combination.

The Courtyard - 2010 Annual Containers

This post will display my annual designs for a client in Minnetonka, Minnesota. She has extensive containers all around her house, each area with a different theme. I'll start at the entrance and work my way around the house. To prevent this from becoming an insanely long post, I will make a series of posts highlighting each area.

The Courtyard

This is the first thing people see when they come to the end of the driveway that winds through the woods. The area gets dappled sun until 1pm or so, then it has full sun until 4:30pm when the sun goes behind the trees.

September 7, 2010 - Week Sixteen

June 9, 2010 - Week Three

Plant List
Capsicum 'Black Pearl'

Coleus 'Dipt in Wine'

Diascia 'Rose'

Dichondra 'Silver Falls'

Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls' (Coral Bells)

Lantana 'Dallas Red'

Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'

Scaevola 'Blue'

The Lantana was very vigorous and never stopped blooming. It could have been pruned throughout the summer to prevent it from looking over-grown; something to keep in mind for next year. The Dichondra was plenty long, but didn't spread as wide as I had envisioned. I think I'll go back to Mezoo, The Wonder Plant. The Coleus seemed to have varying growth habits: one or two grew beautifully, one grew laterally, while the rest were mediocre. The Capsicum was great, as usual, but I need to figure out how to prune it to encourage more branching. The Heuchera shown in spring and early summer, until the more vigorous annuals stole the show.

August 31, 2010 - Week Fifteen

June 1, 2010 - Week Two

Plant List for two containers closest to the door

Brunnera 'Jack Frost' (False Forget-Me-Not)

Coleus 'Strawberry Drop'

Fuchsia 'Stand Up Red White'

Heuchera 'Snow Angel' (Coral Bells)

Impatiens 'Fiesta White'

Oxalis 'Charmed Wine'

Pachysandra 'Green Carpet'

Polystichum acrostichoides 'Christmas Fern'

Spathiphyllum 'Peace Lily'

These two containers are always a challenge: deep shade and soil that seems to stay wet and then suddenly dry out. It has been a constant trial-and-error process in regards to the plant selection. So far, the plants that make it to the end of the summer are: Peace lily, Kong Coleus, Mezoo (moderate success), Pachysandra, Asarum canadense (wild ginger), Fuchsia (mild success), Hosta, and Brunnera. I have a few others to try next year, so we'll see how that goes. The container with the fern actually gets a fair amount of sun, so I think next year I will include it in the plant scheme of the other containers.

This hanging basket is to the left of the first photo. It is under a substantial eave so the only water it receives is from a watering can. The area gets the same sun as the containers. 

August 17, 2010 - Week Thirteen

Plant List

Begonia 'Dragon Wing Red'

Chrysocephalum 'Flambe Yellow'

Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'

The Chrysocephalum was a little disappointing. As you can see in the photo, it looks scraggly and flowered poorly, and I removed it by the middle of the summer. Usually odd numbers of plant types are best, but the Begonia and Euphorbia played well together without a third plant variety. I think it's because the Euphorbia doesn't compete with the Begonia for center of attention. By the way, the Begonia bloomed from May to November. I felt awful pulling it out 

Fun note: when pruning a Euphorbia in a hanging basket, don't walk under it - it drips!

This little bench is on the far right of the courtyard and is in dappled sun all day.

August 31, 2010 - Week Fifteen

August 31, 2010 - Week Fifteen

Plant List

Browallia 'Blue Bells'

Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' (Gold Variegated Hakone Grass)

Impatiens 'Fiesta White'

Perilla 'Magilla'

The Browallia did wonderfully, although next time I'll place on the back side of the container. The Hakonechloa ended up being trampled by the Browallia so that by the end of the summer it could hardly be seen. I was expecting the Perilla to be taller, but it had nice color even in the shade. I was happy with Impatiens' performance of both growth and flowering; unfortunately the deer liked them also.

The Brunnera, Heuchera, Pachysandra, Hakonechloa, and Christmas Fern were all transplanted to various locations throughout the gardens.

Stay tuned for Terra Cotta and Triple Pots!