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The Impatient Gardener

Containers, Garden

Summer in review as seen through one container

September 23, 2019

The last day of summer came and went in the most depressing way possible: with an all-day downpour that kept me out of the garden. This summer-loving gardener is not pleased.

It is my sincere hope that we have a lot more summerlike weather ahead because as usual, it feels like summer has absolutely flown by. I am in no way mentally prepared for autumn and certainly not for what comes after that. 

But looking back at where the garden was in June, it hardly seems possibly that just a little over three months have passed. 

Just take a look at how the urn in the center of the garden changed. Oh, by the way, this was a container I didn’t plan, unlike almost every other container I plant. I knew I’d use the Colocasia ‘Distant Memory’ in the center, but that’s it. It became my favorite planting of the year.

Rounding out the planting was Supercal petunia ‘Cinnamon’ (pay attention to how the color changed throughout the summer), a verbena whose name I’ve forgotten, Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Jet Black sweet potato vine, an orange coleus and creeping jenny (dug from the garden).

July 26

August 11

September 20

If I was to make this container again I’d find a darker purple verbena (and hope that it stood up to the competition. And if there’s one takeaway from this, it’s that I should use coleus more often than I do. It’s still looking so great.

May summer continue!

coleus colocasia container design containers
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
9 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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previous post: Late season garden rescue: To salvage or call it a year?
next post: The new plants I’ll grow again, and the ones I won’t

Comments

  1. Lisa at Greenbow says: September 23, 2019 at 6:40 am

    A great container! Fun to see how it did through out the summer. It did great! Coleus is a fabulous filler. They are tougher than one might think. I like the view from above.

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: September 24, 2019 at 10:55 pm

      Thanks, Lisa!

      Reply
  2. Diane Amick says: September 23, 2019 at 6:59 pm

    That planter is gorgeous! What is the approximate diameter of the planter, please?

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: September 24, 2019 at 10:55 pm

      If I recall, it’s 26 inches wide at the mouth and maybe two feet tall or so. I got it from Wayfair. But I noticed in spring that it was developing a crack where the urn part meets the base, less than a year after I got it. I have it sitting on a “pedestal” that is really a cheap Target planter with a wood board on top.

      Reply
      • Diane Amick says: September 25, 2019 at 10:43 am

        Thank you. I also have a pedestal urn with top currently balanced on base. I’ve had it at least 10 years so I can’t complain. I may copy your beautiful planting next year with minor change. I think my urn is only @18” in diameter and shady enough for those plants to do well. Love your garden. I’m in zone 6…northern Virginia.

        Reply
  3. Mary says: September 23, 2019 at 7:06 pm

    Be grateful for your 4 seasons. I was born and raised in the west burbs of Cook County. Because of the military, have lived my adult life mostly in the southeast. This year we had 2 time frames of +21 days with ZERO precip and long standing temps hotter than Hades. I vicariously “garden” through your IG page while I view our crispy brown 17 acres. The grass is not always greener on the other side – pun intended ;P

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: September 24, 2019 at 10:53 pm

      You’re right, of course. And part of me knows that I wouldn’t be nearly as fired up about gardening again in spring if it weren’t for having to live through garden deprivation during winter.

      Reply
  4. Nicole Martins says: March 19, 2020 at 9:53 pm

    Hi Erin! Did you buy your Colocasia ‘Distant Memory’ from an online retailer? I’m having a hard time finding it near me in Indiana. So happy spring is finally here (even if it will be 30F on Saturday!).

    Reply
  5. a says: June 28, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    Superb, what a web site it is! This web site provides useful information to us, keep it up.

    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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A glorious sunny start to the holiday week. I am taking the weekend off from work, so the gardening I do this weekend will be just for me. I’m looking forward to a bit of time with my audiobook (currently listening to Code Name Helene and I love it) and the soil, along with family time, rhubarb pie, sailing and more.
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Give grasses like purple fountain grass a good amount of water and they’ll just keep on growing. If you limit water, they’ll stay smaller. If you want big, flowy grasses in your containers, consider using a drip irrigation system with a @rainpointirrigation timer so you never have to think about it. Check out my stories for info on the two types of timers I use. 

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