Succulent Dish
Wonderful
Windowbox
Knockout
Color
Shades of Pink
Summer
Celebration
Summer Celebration
Barbara Harris, OH
This may look like one tall container but it’s actually three of graduating sizes stacked on top of each other on a sunny patio. Since they’re all lightweight plastic, Barbara filled them as full of potting mix as she could. That way, they wouldn’t be blown over by strong winds. Once the large bottom container was filled, she set the medium-sized one in the center and pushed it down a couple of inches. Then she filled the middle container with mix and followed the same steps with the small top container. The remaining planting area for the bottom and center container was narrow — about 5 in. — but the plants didn’t seem to mind. And since most of them were small to start with, it wasn’t a problem getting them planted.
PLANT LIST (number to plant)
- A Mealycup sage Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria’ (3)
- B Geranium Pelargonium hybrid (1)
- C Bacopa Sutera cordata Snowstorm® Giant Snowflake® (1)
- D Fiber optic grass Scirpus cernuus (1)
- E Dichondra Dichondra argentea Silver Falls™ (1)
- F Licorice vine Helichrysum petiolare ‘Lemon Licorice’ (1)
- G Twinspur Diascia Flirtation® Pink (2)
- H Calibrachoa Calibrachoa Superbells® Pink (2)
- I Sweet potato vine Ipomoea batatas ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Purple’ (1)
- J Sweet potato vine Ipomoea batatas ‘Sweet Caroline Purple’ (1)
- K Curly rush Juncus effusus spiralis (1)
- L Ornamental kale Brassica oleracea (1)
Shades of Pink
Patty Sutherland, MN
The bright pinks of the pretty container will really perk up a shady patio or garden. Reiger begonias may rot if overwatered, so be sure not to give this container too much to drink. If the growth of the plectranthus, the variegated trailing plant up front, gets too enthusiastic, go ahead and trim it back by half — the plant won’t mind.
PLANT LIST (number to plant)
- A Begonia Begonia Dragon Wing® Pink (‘Bepapink’) (1)
- B Caladium Caladium ‘Pink Beauty’ (1)
- C Euphorbia Euphorbia hypericifolia Diamond Frost® (‘Inneuphe’) (1)
- D Plectranthus Plectranthus oertendahlii (2)
- E Begonia Begonia hiemalis Reiger Fuchsia Pink (2)
Knockout Color
Julie Piechoski, IN
There’s nothing like brightly colored annuals to bring a jolt of energy to your patio. Julie combined a couple of calibrachoas that came in a hanging basket with her usual geraniums and a lantana to grow in full sun on her patio and she had flowers all season! Even though these plants can take the heat, they still need some water when it gets really hot in summer. Julie uses a potting mix with the fertilizer already added and feeds them with a balanced liquid fertilizer, such as Miracle Gro®, about every 2 weeks.
PLANT LIST (number to plant)
- A Geranium Pelargonium Rocky Mountain® Deep Rose (2)
- B Lantana Lantana ‘New Gold’ (1)
- C Calibrachoa Calibrachoa Superbells® Blue (2)
Wonderful Windowbox
Thomas DeLaHunt, WI
Thomas likes to pack a punch of color into his containers. And this windowbox on a shady north-facing window is no exception — it’s crammed with interesting variegations and textures. There’s no need to worry about deadheading anything here, as this festival of foliage will look good all summer long. Because it’s closely planted, you’ll need to keep an eye on it so the soil doesn’t get too dry. Thomas said he watered this box daily in the heat of summer.
The tradescantia, prayer plant and St. Augustines grass are often grown as houseplants but are great ways to add some dramatic foliage interest to your container designs.
PLANT LIST (number to plant)
- A Prayer plant Maranta leuconeura kerchoveana (2)
- B Variegated St. Augustine grass Stenotaphrum secundatum ‘Variegatum’ (2)
- C Joseph’s coat Alternanthera ficoidea ‘Red Threads’ (4)
- D Caladium Caladium ‘Flash Rouge’ (also sold as ‘Red Flash’) (3)
- E Creeping Jenny Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ (2)
- F Chenille plant Acalypha hispida (2)
- G Tradescantia Tradescantia zebrina (2)
- H Polka dot plant Hypoestes phyllostachya Splash™ Select (3)
- I Paraguay nightshade Solanum rantonnetii Sunny Daze® (‘MonRita’) (1)
Succulent Dish
Rose Sage, WI
Flowers don’t always have to be the center of attention. This easy-care succulent dish for sun to part shade is filled with drought-tolerant plants. Rose used a regular potting mix and these heat-lovers did just fine. You could also use the faster draining cactus mix if you have any on hand. Succulents like these are made to withstand long dry periods in the ground. However, since they’re in a shallow dish like this one, they’ll need some water during dry spells.
PLANT LIST (number to plant)
- A Sedum Sedum rupestre ‘Blue Spruce’ (1)
- B Sedum Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’ (‘Schorbuser Blut’) (1)
- C Hen and chicks Sempervivum ‘Red’ (1)
- D Cobweb hen and chicks Sempervivum arachnoideum (2)
