First year for these two big pots which got sun until about maybe 1:00. Coleus 'Sedona' color matches perfectly with the pot and house. The NOID chartreuse Coleus was a teeny thing in its 6-pack, but now it is overwhelming the pot, even with some pruning. 'Charmed Wine' Oxalis is front is barely visible, but I think is getting too much sun. I by chance also had some orange/purple violas that were a perfect match. Now I can put orange mums in, and they will look attractive as well., Overall, I'm happy with these pots this year.

Next, full shade. This one turned out much better than I hoped! I thought the dragon wing Begonia would be out of place, but I like it. 'Charmed Wine' Oxalis is happier here.

Full sun had 'King Tut' grass and burgundy 'Fireworks' Pennisetum. The P was supposed to get 2' tall, but the nursery where I purchased it had trimmed it incorrectly so it stayed under 1' and hidden until recently. I did see it at other nurseries noticeably taller. Because of that height issue, this container spent most of the summer looking out of balance. The tricolor potato vine in the pot is almost completely hidden in the photo. Looking better now, but King Tut is surely tall!

Last is my throwaway shade container. The coleus and potato vine look great even thought they never got direct sun, so I know I can use them next year in shade.

deannatoby..nice!!!..the white container plants are fabulous!..will you save the rex begonia?..I'm trying to create a "tropical jungle" on my deck..didn't finish but here's a pic of some pots..looking forward to next year already..

these pics are a few weeks old..I never got it all arranged and prettied up to take more pics :-( my favorite pots..#1 Jack's Giant elephant ears and behind it a hibiscus..#2 Jack's Giant and a coleus..#3 black elephant ears and a green canna..

I’m happy with how mine are doing this year. Big plans for next year. Don’t have cultivar names handy.

Catharanthus, Scaevola and Petunias

Pelargoniums and Calibrachoa

Dipladenia, Petunias, Calibrachoa and a puny Impatiens

Planting ready for fall, Blanket flower, Little Bluestem, Sedum Autumn Joy and Carex

Thanks, nichols. Yes, I'll try to save the Rex Begonia. I actually did keep one for 2-3 years, and I forget what happened to it that it died. Take that back--i remember. I actually broke off the main stem, but the new growth gave the plant a bad shape, so i just ditched it. It didn't "bush out" after the accidental pruning well. Whatever that begonia is with the spiral coloration in the leaves, I've also kept one inside for a winter. It was very happy. I had filled its pot with styrofoam peanuts on the bottom, though, and in the end the roots needed more dirt. The white pot above is all dirt so that as the plants grow the roots have plenty of dirt to explore. I'll be interested to see how the Oxalis does inside.

The tropical jungle looks great! I remember seeing pics of it earlier. If your'e keeping some of those over winter, by the time next year comes they're going to be so full and beautiful! We have one big-leaved plant and I think I either divide it or it's going to die. It's going to be a big wrestling match to get it out of its pot, but it's one of the few that husband likes, so I really need to try. The goal is for both of us (me and the plant) to survive. ;-)

Saypoint, I love the pink Pelargoniums with the lighter Calibrocha. And, you must post an update of the fall plant when the sedums get color. Really nice sunny plants! I don't have any "happy" flower pots because the flowers were all picked over when I went. I couldn't believe it. I was hoping for some pretty color combinations like you've got, but I'm going to have to figure out the whole timing thing. I must have hit the nurseries in between shipments or something. I love your rock walls, too. The planters look fabulous on them! And the window box looks very very healthy and beautiful. You're clearly doing a great job keeping them watered! That was always my challenge with window boxes. Yours look wonderful!

deannatoby..I save EVERYTHING that I think could come back..I love my wooded lot but lots of the colorful annuals need more sun than what I have so I found an alternative - tropicals!..they take some effort but I love to do it..

Thanks, deannatoby. I have four 4 ft. Boxes, and lugging eight large cans of water out front is getting old. Plus they’re on the west side of the house. I’m putting in a drip system for them. The rest of my containers are within easy reach of the hose. The fall pots will replace the pink/pink pots in the concrete planters on top of the wall.

Saypoint..love the huge containers behind the bench..

This year is my first even trying containers, so I don't have much but I really wanted to do some to attract hummingbirds. It worked marvelously and we have a mom and son who are in the yard daily!

Below are petunias and purple and pink salvia - the hummers love them!

This is my tropical planter - canna and portulaca

suzabanana..to see hummingbirds is such a treat!..love those aqua? pots..a beautiful color..

I have a collection of containers under my mountain ash tree. I find the roots prevent planting there.

A couple of my containers

Geraniums

north53..your containers are gorgeous!..

All of your containers are all so beautiful. I tend to use mostly impatiens in mine because they do the best for me shade and sun. I also like different types of containers. By the end of September our annuals are done, and we can't replant till mid May. I like to decorate mine also for the fall/winter/spring seasons and holidays.

This is planted in my grandmother old apple butter pot.

Planted in an galvanized live stock watering

trough. Window box was a wall pot rack at one time.

The petunias by the front door didn't do so well this year. I guess back to impatiens again next year.

Nicholsworth, thanks, I got them many years ago, they were marked down to half price for some reason. Large plastic pots from WM slip right inside so I can change them out. The big pots with my winter plants were lime green, I paint them with krylon camo paint, lol. They’re just the color of stone.

Everyone’s containers are so beautiful. North53, love those geraniums. Suzabanana, I have to try the pink salvia next year.

What a beautiful Persian Shield, rouge!

Thanks so much north53 for the plant ID!

rouge21 what is that red flower that kind of looks like a trumpet flower. It's lovely.

Suzabanana, I really like the annual salvia in the pot. I've tried growing that type fro seed, but this year I finally figured out that it takes too long to mature for our short and cool growing season. yours looks great in the pot, so it's on my list to buy next year for containers now.

Function, those huge leaves are amazing! Great arrangments.

Rouge, what is the name of red one just above? That container looks so nice and full for a plant that has the "spiller" quality, also. I've seen it often, but I can't remember the name.

north53, your ash tree pots look unbelievable. I'd love to have your sense of texture and color. It's practically a foliage class all by itself! All your pots are just beautiful.

Also would like to know what the red flowered plant is. It looks familiar but I can’t remember what it is. Just gorgeous.

rouge21..a begonia?..

Looks like it. We’re being kept in suspense!

I have that begonia, nicholsworth. The first year I grew it it formed a nice size bulb which I saved and the plant was larger the next year. That was years ago. Now the bulbs are so huge I actually cut them in quarters. This plant is a blooming machine.

Does anyone know of a source for this plant? I’ve looked online for Bonfire and no one seems to have it. White Flower Farm is out of stock, I requested a contact when they have it in stock again. Might not be until spring. I wonder how difficult these are to grow from seed?

north53 Were did you get your begonia bulb. I wonder if Lowes or home depot will carry them in the spring.

this is a tuberous begonia that I bought at Lowe's last summer..a small clearance plant..trimmed it up and put it in one of my pots..it came back to life and never stopped blooming all summer..it was so pretty..I brought it in when the cold weather came..it died back..I thought it would come back this spring but it didn't :-( this one's not quite the same as rouge's..

I started them from seed.

I’ve seen them in spring around here already planted in containers at nurseries. That makes them more expensive, but at least obtainable!

Are they easy to start from seed? I haven’t done a lot of seed growing.

We’re being kept in suspense!

I do apologize for being so tardy in my reply but it looks like nicholsworth55 has done the good detective work!

(I know for a fact that these plants did not come with an ID tag. I assumed it was some sort of a "Dragon" Begonia).

Rouge21, will you bring the begonia indoors, or take cuttings?

That container looks so nice and full for a plant that has the "spiller" quality, also.

Thanks all.

Do you think that this container would benefit from some plant height i.e. something 'spikey', say a...dracaena?

Love the pot garden! I’d enjoy that.

Camp, I always love your chaos pot shots. I love the lushness and variety. You actually inspired me earlier in the year to take a photo of my own stuff in pots, about half of which are waiting to be put in the ground.

Here is spring. Tomorrow I will get current photos-much more exuberant now, although last week was the best-heat this

week has been tough on them. Also, puppy repeatedly dug/yanked out plants for about the first month, sigh. Some never even made it out of the nursery pots into my pots.

cyn, love the purple hanging baskets.

Simply a pretty pot and a pot that got REALLY big.

Im zone 5! Here is my small collection of cold hardy succulents and cacti I have on my balcony porch. There’s some sedum, a baby Santa rita cactus, some Chinese dunce caps... and sempervivum!

rouge, haven't mentioned yet that I love that last photo of the silver/purple grouping. I'm going to copy you next year!

Sophia, your succulents look great! I'd love to know about your experience with them. I planted a few succulent containers maybe 4 years ago. Everything looked great and fit well. But, as time passed, some of them grew...and grew...and grew. Suddenly my little succulent arrangement was overwhelmed as some things stayed small (sempervivens) and other things did not (blue chalk sticks, echeveria, and more). It didn't take too many months for them to look out of balance. I currently have a succulent wreath from last year, and we'll just say it's not attractive now. How do you maintain your containers? They look fantastic!