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.