Hey Bill,

How about combinations of succulents? I have a few pots like that that have taken no care for about the last 10 years. Some of them trail a little and can be quite colorful. Will tolerate full sun/ part shade. I almost never water them. God does. If I can, I will try to get a pic or two later today or tomorrow.

Anna

Bill,
How about a nice vine in the pot, growing up some kind of little trellis or support? I have a Clerodendrum Glory Bower in a pot and tuck in a couple annuals around the bottom for constant color. Impatiens or coleus work great at the base of vines and you can let a bit of the vine trail outside the pot too.

Kate

The colors are not as vivid here as the sun has gone behind the wall, but you get the idea. These containers are no-care. They have been planted for many years and I've shared many of the contents that overflowed. That's why they're not busting at the seams now, but could be.

If it is part-sun or filtered shade, consider pretty bromeliads in a pot. They also take little care. In bright shade, I've found anthuriums to be pretty and pretty care free in pots.

i know you haven't had the same experience as i, but i recommend again trying the butterfly bush in a pot. it made it through summer and fall, blooming pretty constantly, and looks to be happy (but not blooming) right now...

i also like alstroemeria in pots... it only blooms winter-late spring (and goes totally dormant in the summer), but it's consistent and very pretty.

Thanks for the ideas.

Anna, I like the succulents a lot. I know almost nothing about them though. Do you know what kinds those are? I see little pots of neat succulents for sale now and then and I'm always tempted by them, but I never know what kinds work well here.

I hadn't thought about anthuriums either. I see those in garden centers and I've always wondered about them. I'll do some research about those and succulents too.

I do have a bromeliad in a small pot and you're right. It's very low care. (I forgot to put it on my short list of successes).

Kate, I like the idea of vines in pots. In fact I was considering trying to grow a moonflower that way. My idea was to train it up the wall and along the eaves. One of my main problems though has been plants outgrowing their pots quickly and needing watering all the time. I'm afraid I'll run into the same problem with the moonflower. Maybe bleeding heart would be better for container culture, and it's perennial.

I'm going to give the butterfly bush a shot, Ill. I think I must have just had an overly aggressive/wildish type when I tried it last.

Thanks again.

Bill

Hi, I grow many hoyas in pots both inside my screened in- porch and outside. They are extremely low maintanance and look lovely in hanging baskets. I also grow succulents in pots, but none as mature and lovely as Anna's. Thanks for the pics! You give me much to look forward to.

This geranium was the best 97 cents I ever spent 2 years ago. It now lives happily on the north side next to the front steps where it never gets rain due to the roof overhang and watered rarely by me.

It is in a black plastic pot with potting soil and the ceramic pot has no drainhole.
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Anna---Your pot of succulents is stunning! ...including your background of variegated kalanchoe in bloom. The clay dish that you have it in is perfect. Did you buy it at a nursery? Certainly not from a box store?

Bill---At the DeLand Farmers' Market a couple of weeks ago I bought a hanging basket of dwarf chenille for only $5. I have it hanging at my front doorway in a protected area. It is growing and blooming nicely. I can see that I am going to get my money's worth. I can root you a few cuttings if you are interested.

Another good family of plants in pots are begonias.

Christine

Bill, the bluish red ones are kalanchoe thyrsiflora, I don't know what the yellow-orange ones are. They look like this year-round. The ones on the ground are lavender scallops, which are also a type of kalanchoe. I think many succulents would do well in a pot. Just try ones you see that you like. If you like these I'd be happy to send you starts. All they require is sun. Lots of it. I literally water them maybe two or three times a year in the summer when it's so hot and dry I think they should need some. Of course, they get rain.

Christine, thank-you. I got these terracotta pots/dishes many years ago at my favorite garden center here in town. They are held by a wrought iron stand my husband got me for an anniversary many years ago.

Denise, I love your hot pink geraniums. I have killed my share, tho. Yours makes me want to try again.

Anna

Denise, Anna

Beautiful container plants! I love succulents and geraniums too.

Willy

I think my now deceased neighbor's hoya vine has grown over the fence and is now winding around in the sword ferns, so I'm going to try a cutting. I've never grown hoya before either. I looked up some pictures on the Hoya forum and I'm looking forward to trying it.

Christine, I totally forgot about begonias. Thanks for the reminder. I know nothing about chenille plant. I will do some research. Thank you for the offer of the cutting. Don't go to any trouble though. I think I may be going to the DeLand Farmer's market for a shopping spree soon. I haven't been out there in a while. i got a real bargain on some blueberry bushes there.

I've killed a lot of geraniums too. I wish I could keep them looking so nice. Mine do well until the rainy season, and it's all down hill from there. I'll try keeping them under the north eave.

Anna, I'm jotting down the kalanchoe. I'll experiment some. Thanks again for the idea. Do you think their being elevated the way you describe improves drainage, which helps them to stay so healthy?

Bill

Bill, chenille plant would make a really pretty container for you, with trailing, fuzzy red blooms. And the succulents were the first thing I thought of. Any of the "hens and chicks" varieties are easy and very low maintenance. And for a trailer, try donkey tail. It is so cute!!

Also easy and fun for texture & leaf shape are various sanseverias...there is a dwarf one that only gets about 4" tall, and there is an almost white one that stays around 1' tall and is a pretty silvery color. You can't kill them.

You have lots of good ideas here. Show us some pictures of what you come up with.

Marcia

I have many of these plants mentioned .
I love the Kalanchoes . The common red I have is full of buds and ready to burst into color . It has been in a large container for over 10 years and does great .
The flat leaved sort of reddish edged kalanchoe in Anna's photo is commonly called a Flap Jack plant . I have one that is blooming now . Not very exciting blooms - tiny and pale . It makes lots of pups so I have plenty to spare .
There is a wonderful book in the Volusia County Library system called Cacti by DK books . Gorgeous pictures to identify plants . It is full of Kalanchoe and other great plants . Check it out ! You'll be glad you did .

Thanks for the ideas! That donkey tail is a cool plant, Marcia, and I need trailers. I'll be sure to check out the chenille, and the succulents section of the garden centers in general.

Gatormom, I had your kalanchoe collection in mind when I posted this. Your patio garden inspired me. I'll check out the book.

Thanks Bill .
I have been blessed by generous gardeners who have shared their kalanchoe goodies with me.
I almost think it is worth purchasing a large plant as in Manature's photo .
I also have a burro's tail but it is sad and pitiful compared to hers .
They are easy to make cuttings grow but they are so slow growing that it takes forever to get something full and nice .
The Dk book says most of these do not like temps below 45 to 40 degrees .
Not good for me in my cold micro climate .
Low 30's approaching by Tuesday night - time to do the bed sheet boogie as gardengrl says !
I think you are on the right path .
Glad you are back safely from your holiday vacation . M

If you've got a really large container, try a porterweed in it. I've had one in a large pot for 3 years and I don't think its ever stopped blooming. I plant coleus or something else low in it once in a while and even had a very tall cassia in it the first year. The porterweed just keeps on going. Stays much smaller than the ones in the garden, of course, but still sends out tall flower spikes.

Kate

my discovery with geraniums--start them from seed, in terra cotta pots with really well-drained soil (al's mix). i have several that are three years old. they go in full sun from november to may and then in full shade, dry corner of the yard the rest of the year. when they finally come out in november, i trim them back pretty heavily, dose them with lots of fertilizer, top dress them, and they bloom nicely all winter and especially spring.

geraniums are slow, but very easy to start from seed. i really think it makes a difference--the root structure in propagated plants must be somehow inferior to those that are seed-grown.

check out swallowtail for a great selection of seeds. i really liked the ivy geraniums last year, but they didn't make it through the summer.

Great tip on the geraniums! I am sure going to follow up on it. Thanks.

Ill, how was the germination rate with those geranium seeds? I was just looking at Swallowtail. They have some colors I've been hunting for but haven't been able to find.

Ummmm...what is Swallowtail and how does one find it? I googled and got a dance band. Somehow I don't think that's what you guys are referring to....?

Marcia

Marcia,

Swallowtail Garden Seeds, a California company that has lots of heirlooms and open pollinated seeds. I often forget about it until I'm looking for some unusual or heirloom seed and a google search always points me there. I've had good luck with their seeds.

Susannah

Here is a link that might be useful: swallowtail garden seeds

Thanks so much, Susannah! I will have fun looking around there, even though I don't often have the best of luck with seeds. It looks like a fun website!

Marcia

Marcia,

I was just out in the garden checking on stuff and found the most amazing nasturtiums in colors that have never popped up before from the cheap nasturtium seed packets I usually buy, lovely peaches, scarlets and pinks, with some pretty big flowers for nasturtiums. And I remembered, it was from a super-cheap packet from swallowtail. Whirlybird mix, 250 seeds for $5.

And they're a really easy seed: just soak them in water for a few hours and stick them in the ground. Plus the flowers and leaves are edible, so they really dress up a salad.

Susannah

I love nasturtiums, too, Susannah, for all the reasons you mentioned. I haven't tried WhirlyBird mix before, but it sounds great. I often plant the Alaska variety, with the huge variegated leaves...they tast GREAT on sandwiches, etc. Some people find them too spicy, but I love them. I've also heard you can pickle the seeds and use them like capers. They are really cheerful plants aren't they? And now is the time to enjoy them, before it gets too hot. I think if I see any already started at Home Depot, I may get a few. Lovely in a hanging basket! And I will definitely check the mixes at Swallowtail, thanks!

Another good seed source I used in the past was Linda's...I've forgotten the exact name...Linda's Seeds or Linda's Heirloom Seeds, or something like that. She had lots of interesting stuff, including a beautiful morning glory called Stellar Pink (I think) that isn't available anywhere else. It's a real winner.

Marcia

bill,
100% germination... you have to be patient.

Egyptian walking onion? They may not be extravagant with "pretty" blooms, and whatnot, but these have small, white flowers, and the plant creates small "bulblets", about five per stalk, and each plant has about five stalks, so that is about twenty-five bulblets per onion. Each and every one can be put in the ground, so the process can begin. And even better, the stalk, bulblets, and even the larger bottom bulb can all be eaten or cooked. It is a very different plant from all the others you see out there. We have some at our house.

PS: Also, if you leave Egyptian Walking Onions in the ground past maturity, it/they will eventually split into many more bulblets, making the plant even more self-sustaining.

Maybe a type of perennial orchid?

I'll put geraniums on my fall seed list. Thanks for the tip.

I'm getting more an more interested in orchids, watermelon, and epiphytes in general.