We missed out on any real rain here when the front came through Saturday. .02" is all our rain gauge recorded. It is cooler though. That will help by just not stressing the plants with heat and wind. Time for the next round of soaker hoses. In the meantime, here's round three on the containers. For the most part, they're doing well.
Look for the purple highlighted notes for the latest container news.
yellow pursalane and white angelonia
As of July
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left on ground: purple fountain grass
right on ground: green sweet potato vine and dichondra silver falls
right on ground: green sweet potato vine and dichondra silver falls
hanging baskets: jacob's coat and purple and white verbena
In June: The baskets are not doing well. Birds keep picking on the plants.
As of July
Dichondra silver falls is doing great with the sweet potato vine and the baskets are recovering. The birds have stopped picking on these baskets.
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yellow calibrocha, vinca vine cuttings and purple hyacinth bean seeds
As of July
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purple sweet potato vine
As of July
I moved the hanging baskets of ice plant to this area and have them wrapped in bird netting to let them recover from being picked on.
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vitex seeds
In June: The vitex seeds never sprouted. I have some cuttings of dichondra silver falls in here now and will try the vitex seeds somewhere else.
As of July
The dichondra silver falls cutting is in there. I added some pursalane too.
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galvanized bucket on ground: pink verbena and pink diascia
hanging baskets: spider plant and fuschia vinca
In June: The baskets are doing great. I moved the galvanized bucket to a spot next to the locust tree.
As of July
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purple fountain grass and creeping jenny
As of July
The creeping jenny gave up in the heat, but the purple fountain grass is nice. Note dying dwarf Alberta spruce in the background.
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galvanized bucket: coleus
clay pot by bucket: baby's tears
clay pot by water container: asparagus fern
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clay pot by water container: asparagus fern [again]
clay trough: caladiums
galvanized trough: wandering jew
galvanized trough: wandering jew
[I don't have any life in the water container yet.]
As of July
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peach rose moss
As of July
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pink ice plant [2 of these on edge of patio.]
In June: One hanging basket looks great. Birds are picking on the other one!
See note above about their recovery location.
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round tub: gooseneck loosestrife
bucket: white and purple osteospermum and wandering jew cuttings
oval tub: variegated sweet potato vine
water jug: purple wave petunia
As of July
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trash cans: asparagus fern and yellow wave petunia
bucket: elephant ear's and begonia
[Two plastic containers on the right are just filled with sand. I'll set something on top of them later.]
As of July
Wishing the wave petunias would get a bit bigger. Needing some fertilizer.
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black container: purple fountain grass and purple sweet potato vine
little clay pot: salmon geranium
[Clay pots and plastic saucer on the right are a bird bath. The brick in the saucer keeps it from blowing away.]
As of July
I keep changing who hangs out with the purple fountain grass in this corner.
You can probably see the dry brown area off the patio. Usually it is filled with four o'clock plants this time of year. However, last year, they did so poorly in the heat that they barely bloomed. Hence, no seeds for this year. I need to think about what I can put in there for more reliable late summer color.
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left: rosularia serpentinica
strawberry pot: dragon's blood stone crop
front: echeveria known as topsy turvy
right: echeveria nodulosa
strawberry pot: dragon's blood stone crop
front: echeveria known as topsy turvy
right: echeveria nodulosa
[Bucket in background is the one with pink verbena and pink diascia listed earlier.]
In June: I moved this sweet potato vine in front of the kokopelli stake and put the sedum collection out on the edge of the patio to receive more sun late in the day. I added some aloe vera plants and a cacti from being overwintered.
The succulents have been spread around the patio a bit. I lost the rosularia serpentinica and the topsy turvy echeveria is looking weak. I think I overwatered it.
The sweet potato vine moved to the corner of the patio with the purple fountain grass because I kept walking on the trailing vine in its previous location.
This post is property of http://gardenonsherlockstreet.blogspot.com/
You have a TON of neat planters. Love all the galvanized tubs and buckets.
ReplyDeleteSO, how long does it take to water all this? I find it very relaxing to go out in the early morning with my coffee and water stuff. And are you needing to water more than once a day with your high temps?
Even with the temps, I only water once a day. If I water all the containers and the veggies, it's about an hour to an hour and a half. I usually run a soaker hose in one of my beds with less drought tolerant plants while I do that too if it's been really hot. I don't consider that a lot of time. I water in the evening as I work early. It's dark when I leave for work. On weekends, I spend one morning watering more areas that only get watered once a week. If we'd get a break in the heat and a little rain, some soaker hoses only get run once a month depending on the plants. I never water the alley, the lawn or the area where my Russian Sage lives. The hens and chicks and lamb's ears only get watered when it gets really dry (like now). They're on the list for this week. I think watering is relaxing too and I usually dead head a little along the way, or harvest!
DeleteLots of great ideas for us to use in our gardens! As always I enjoy your post!
ReplyDeleteit has been a nasty spell of heat...keeping our babies alive......even under threat of fines.....
ReplyDeleteyour buckets look nice
Your containers are really filling out. I have a few that I really have to watch to be sure they don't dry out and then die. I am trying to be faithful with every other day watering. I really like seeing all your success.
ReplyDeleteMy containers have not faired very well at all. The flowers have wilted so badly in the 100 degree wheather for the past 2 weeks. We are getting a break today in the 90's. My tomatoes I'm really trying my best to keep--I want my BLT's.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Very interesting to see all the variety of plants you have. I really like that purple fountain grass.
ReplyDeleteWe have lost 5 of our 2 yr old hollies despite watering them. They get all day sun and we've been over 100 for about a week.
Here in Tucson, the Potato vines and grasses thrive in full heat. Ice plants also enjoy all the sun and heat. I think you'll have to start putting in desert plants around your place:)
ReplyDeleteYou're a better pot tender than I. I had some casualties with the 100 plus degree heat!
ReplyDeleteYour pots look great -- and I cam't believe how much they've grown.
We've only gotten wind from the storms that passed through here. We're working overtime to keep our container pot roses healthy.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how good your container plants are doing despite the hot hot summer.... You have done great keeping them alive... Luckily, our birds don't seem to bother our other flowers/containers, etc.... The only problem we have is the Carolina Wrens who love to nest in a container --and hence, make a mess...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the befores and afters...
Hugs,
Betsy
Good for you they do well in containers, and you have a lot. Ours don't with our dry and hot climate. Even petunia which are very easy to grow are stressed out with just the morning and afternoon watering. I envy yours.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds gorgeous. Designing of garden and homes improves its beauty. You have all the variety of plants especially that purple fountain grass is very beautiful.
ReplyDeletegarden design sydney
Your pots look great. What a fun post!
ReplyDeleteYour pots are looking great but how on earth do you keep that many happy? I have more pots in the gardens this year then ever and it has been a struggle to keep them going. The heat and drought is taking its tough on them. I must water some of the pots twice a day! In this heat, it is getting to me. I must rethink the pots next year. Spike plant, asparagus fern and potato plants are doing well. But the Petunia and geranium are struggling this year. But I am not letting them go without a fight. I cannot bare to see my beauties die due to my neglect…
ReplyDeleteEveryone keeps wanting to know how much I water the containers to keep them happy. Honestly, I only water them once a day even when it was 110 degrees and windy. Once in awhile, I skip a day. Now, the containers that are getting sun all day are very heat loving drought resistant plants. My other containers get shade for part of the day. Such as the geraniums and petunias you mentioned. I also moved my pansies into deep shade hoping they'll hang on for cooler fall days when I can bring them back to the front porch.
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