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Containers, Garden

A LAST CHECK ON THE SUMMER’S CONTAINERS

October 2, 2014

I find it interesting to follow the progress of container plantings throughout the summer. I only plant each container once because our odd seasons here don’t really allow me to get much time out of a spring- or fall-only planting. This year’s containers have been looking a little tired for a couple weeks now. And there’s no telling how much longer they will hang on. Certainly they will be cleaned up and put away by the end of the month, so this will be the last look at this year’s containers.

Deck planters. Overall I’m very happy with how these turned out this year, particularly in comparison to how these planters have done in past years. The pink mandevilla grew much better than the red has in other years. I’m not sure if that’s something related to the variety or this year’s weather. The white Profusion zinnias couldn’t have performed any better. Each pot got three 2-inch plugs of zinnias and you can see how they’ve grown.
You can see the posts on their progress here (from August) and the original planting with all the plant names here. 
October 1
August 5
June 15

 The big planter by the front door has also really come into its own, but no matter what I tried, the Bordeaux petunia ate almost everything else in the container. I absolutely love the cardoon in it though.

October 1
August 5
June 15

 The boxwood planting by the garage didn’t change a whole lot but the petunias get way overgrown and lanky so I ripped them out a couple weeks ago. I’ll be overwintering the boxwood in the container in the garage.

October 1
August 5
June 15

 I’m disappointed with how the window box faired this year. While the nasturtiums looked great for awhile, they got pretty raggy in the end.

October 1
August 5
June 15

The planters on the steps by the front door have actually improved a bit since mid-summer. But you can’t even see the bottom one anymore because the nasturtiums planted nearby have crawled up over it.

October 1
August 5
June 15

I’m not so sure about the planter in the middle of the garden. It was showing promise for awhile there but I think I tried to jam too much in it to the detriment of the entire planting.

October 1
August 5
June 15

The stump planter in the garden was really cute all summer and I’m happy I did it. The deer got at it recently and nipped off all the blooms but it brought so much color to that area before that happened.

October 1
August 5
June 15 

 How did your containers grow this summer?

containers
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
3 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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Comments

  1. Heather - New House New Home says: October 3, 2014 at 12:52 pm

    My nasturtiums are looking ragged too and I'm thinking its time to get rid of them.

    Reply
  2. Garden Fancy says: October 5, 2014 at 12:28 am

    Beautiful! You've obviously put a lot of time and thought into designing and taking care of these plantings. Some may have worked out more successfully than others this year, but it's always a learning process, and the weather can be different from year to year, making the same things work better in some years than in others. I look forward to seeing your next ideas for container plantings next spring! -Beth

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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E R I N 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
I had a rather unpleasant realization last night w I had a rather unpleasant realization last night when I remembered that I’d not yet ordered tomato seeds. And I’m not going to rectify that until I dig into my seed stash, because I don’t go through tomato seeds quickly so there are definitely some lurking down there. 

I never used to grow tomatoes from seed because there are great varieties to be had in garden centers (including many heirloom varieties). But it’s almost non-negotiable for me now that I’m a convert to dwarf tomatoes. If you’re not familiar with the #dwarftomatoproject championed by @nctomatoman and others, these are heirloom varieties that are crossed with dwarf varieties to create plant that produces all the flavor and interest of an heirloom in a short (usually less than 4 feet) plant. 

They are particularly great in my tall raised beds. Of course I leave room to try new non-dwarf varieties every year (I loved Sun Dipper from @panamseed last year and I’ll grow it again).

Last year was a good tomato year and the photo shows some of the varieties I harvested in one day. I hope this summer will be equally good for the tomato harvest. 

One of my favorite questions to ask gardeners is: What is your favorite tomato variety to grow? So have at it in the comments because inquiring minds want to know!
And this is why I leave my winter containers assem And this is why I leave my winter containers assembled until at least March. A dusting of snow gives them a whole new look (even if it’s shades of gray). Also, I think I love my Limelight hydrangea even more in winter. Fabulous winter interest!
I’m going to look for opportunities to add more I’m going to look for opportunities to add more ferns to my garden this year. They are such interesting plants and often real problem solvers, bringing texture and color to places that many plants aren’t interested in. Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) ‘Crested Surf’ grows well for me in part shade (even pushing a bit into part sun) and looks great next to Persicaria ‘Golden Arrow’.
Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled o Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled on) foliage, and texture galore. I can’t wait to have moments like this again. The star, by the way is Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ which looks so good with the bold foliage of Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ next to it. 

With the new path, this area will be getting a small revamp. It’s the next spot I’ll be focusing my planning on.
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