What type of plants comes to mind when you are planning what to plant in your containers?
I’m willing to bet that purple hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa ‘Purpurea’) and bush morning glory(Convolvulus cneorum) probably weren’t the first plants that came to mind.
Admittedly, I tend to think of using plants known for their flowers or succulents in my containers. That is until a trip to California that I took this past April.
In the Napa Valley region of northern California, sits Cornerstone Sonoma, which describes itself as “a wine country marketplace featuring a collection of world-class shopping, boutique wine rooms, artisanal foods, art-inspired gardens.”
Believe me; it is all that and more. There was so much to see, but what caught my attention were some unusual, yet beautifully planted containers.
There were square steel containers filled with plants that are well-known for their foliage and are seldom used in pots.
I was intrigued, especially when the plants used were also popular in the desert Southwest.
There were quite a few things about this type of container planting that appealed to me.
One, it is low-maintenance – no deadheading required. Just some light pruning 2 – 3 times a year, to control their size. Second, the plants are all drought tolerant (with the exception of the violas). Lastly, I like seeing new ways of doing things and using plants prized for their foliage in containers is something we don’t see too often.
Fast forward a few months, and I decided to rethink what to add to the large, blue planter by my front entry. So, I thought, why not try the same arrangement?
Granted, the plants are smaller than those I saw in California, but given a few months, they should grow in nicely.
As you can see my new plants are rather mall, however, the purple hopbush will grow taller and its evergreen foliage will add shades of purple and green to this space. Furthermore, this shrub is one of those highly-prized plants that do well in both sun and filtered shade.
The silvery-gray foliage of bush morning glory creates a great color contrast with the darker greens of the other plants. While it may not flower much in this semi-shady corner, I want it for its silvery foliage.
In addition, I want to use a plant that has bright green foliage, so I have a single foxtail asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus Myers), which will thrive in this semi-shady exposure.
Maintenance will be relatively simple with periodic pruning to keep wayward branches in check. Fertilizing in spring and late summer with a slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote will be all that’s needed to keep my container plants happy.
Do you have any plants with attractive foliage that you would use in containers?
//www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/hopbushbushmorningglorycontainers-002.jpg388640arizonaplantlady@gmail.com//www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2019-07-30 07:34:002019-07-29 20:26:17It's All About the Leaves: Creative Container Plantings
I don’t have any containers filled with flowering annuals. Shocking isn’t it?
There are a few reasons for this, the most important one is that I prefer using relatively fuss-free plants that look great all year in my pots.
I don’t have much patience for high-maintenance containers. In particular, ones with flowering annuals that need frequent irrigation. Not to mention deadheading of spent flowers and having to change them out seasonally. But, I do love the way they look.
Red Geraniums and White Bacopa
My inclination to avoid flowering annuals in my own garden has to do with my past and no, it’s nothing scandalous.
It does have to do with my work in the past. For five years, I was in charge of 45 pots. Each container was always be filled with colorful flowers.
Believe me, keeping all of those pots looking beautiful was a lot of work! Countless trips to the nursery, fertilizing, watering and replacing them twice a year got tiresome. Not to mention that I broke my foot when I tripping on a curb, while loading flats of flowers.
So, it may not come as a surprise that I prefer using succulents in my pots.
Victoria Agave ‘Compacta’
Much of my inspiration for using succulents in containers come from those at the Desert Botanical Garden as shown in the photo above and below.
Agaves are some of my favorite succulent plants and the smaller species do very well in containers.
In an article I wrote for Houzz, I list my ten favorite small agaves for Houzz that are suitable for growing in pots.
I hope you enjoy it and find one that is perfect for you!
It’s All About the Leaves: Creative Container Plantings
Small Agaves Perfect for Containers
I have a confession to make.
I don’t have any containers filled with flowering annuals. Shocking isn’t it?
There are a few reasons for this, the most important one is that I prefer using relatively fuss-free plants that look great all year in my pots.
I don’t have much patience for high-maintenance containers. In particular, ones with flowering annuals that need frequent irrigation. Not to mention deadheading of spent flowers and having to change them out seasonally. But, I do love the way they look.
Red Geraniums and White Bacopa
My inclination to avoid flowering annuals in my own garden has to do with my past and no, it’s nothing scandalous.
It does have to do with my work in the past. For five years, I was in charge of 45 pots. Each container was always be filled with colorful flowers.
Believe me, keeping all of those pots looking beautiful was a lot of work! Countless trips to the nursery, fertilizing, watering and replacing them twice a year got tiresome. Not to mention that I broke my foot when I tripping on a curb, while loading flats of flowers.
So, it may not come as a surprise that I prefer using succulents in my pots.
In an article I wrote for Houzz, I list my ten favorite small agaves for Houzz that are suitable for growing in pots.