Have you ever seen the beauty of cactuses showcased in containers? Adding a cactus to a container helps to set it apart from the rest of the landscape and helps it to stand out so that its unique texture and shape really stand out. However, if the thought of having to plant a prickly cactus yourself has given you second thoughts about doing it yourself, it isn’t as hard as it seems. Let’s take a closer look at how to plant a cactus in a pot.
I have planted my share of cactus over my career (usually) without getting stabbed with the spines. My method of choice is to use an old towel to cover the cactus while I removing it from a pot and planting it. However, on a trip to B&B Cactus Farm in Tucson, I was able to observed an expert at work.
B&B Cactus Farm
Whenever I find myself in Tucson, I always try to find time to visit B&B Cactus Nursery. They have a large selection cacti, including my favorites – Torch cactus(Trichocereus hybrids). While they are rather unassuming when not in flower, they transform win spring when their large blossoms open.
‘First Light’ Torch Cactus Hybrid
My first visit to B&B Cactus Farm was several years ago and I had the intention of buying one torch cactus. However, as often happens with me and plants, I came home with two, including this stunning ‘First Light’ torch cactus.
On my second visit, I bought a new torch cactus hybrid and a colorful blue container to plant it in.
Normally, I plant my own cactus, but a conversation with one of the cactus experts at the nursery changed my mind.
Damon was busy potting cactus at a table with a large pile of succulent potting mix behind him. I struck up a conversation with him and found that he had an interesting story that had him ending up at a cactus nursery in Arizona. He worked in the banking industry and moved to Arizona from Oklahoma a year ago, and began work at a local bank. After awhile, he decided that being a banker wasn’t for him and found happiness working with cactus. As he put it, “People are always stressed about money when they visit the bank, but everyone who comes to the nursery is happy, because plants make people smile.”
We had a great time talking and I decided to have him pot my cactus, which would make it easier to transport home. When I explained that I had a gardening website and wanted to take a video of him potting the cactus, he graciously agreed and provided lots of helpful advice.
So here is a banker turned cactus expert, showing you how to plant cactus in a pot:
I hope you enjoyed Damon’s helpful tips. For more helpful videos, subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/potting-demonstration.jpg13341600arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2021-06-02 10:35:002022-09-11 07:29:07How to Plant a Cactus In a Pot
What if you could just step outside your door and snip some herbs without having to go to the store?
Have you seen how expensive fresh herbs are at the supermarket by the way?And, who wants floppy herbs when they can have fresh ones?
I am often asked whether it is easy to grow herbs in the desert garden and I always answer, “yes!”
Herbs come from mostly arid regions and so they flourish in our climate. They also like the sun, which we have plenty of.
One of my favorite ways to grow herbs in containers. In fact, they do extremely well in pots – especially when planted together. Imagine having a variety of herbs growing in a container near your kitchen door.
It’s easy to do and here is how:
1. Place your container in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sun.
Basil
2. Fill your container with planting mix, which is sterile, has a light texture and is specially formulated for container plants. It retains just the right amount of moisture for plants. Potting soil can become soggy.
3. Add a slow-release fertilizer, such as Osmocote, and work it into the top 2-inches of soil.
Oregano
4. Plant your herbs. Oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme are easiest to grow when you start out with transplants. Basil grows easily from seed, but can you also use transplants?
Sage
5. Water deeply. Do not wet the foliage when you water them as they prefer to stay dry.
Thyme
6. Herbs like to dry out between watering. To check when they need water, simply stick your finger down to 1-inch deep – if the soil is moist, don’t water. However, if it’s almost dry, then water deeply until water runs out the bottom drainage hole.
Purple Basil (Not the healthiest specimen, but it was the only one they had – it was over-watered at the nursery).
7. Don’t add any additional fertilizer after planting. Herbs don’t like extra fertilizer since it causes them to grow larger leaves with fewer oils, which is what gives them their flavor.
I like to place my herbs near my vegetable garden.
Here in the desert, we can grow herbs all year long. However, I do like to dry herbs like basil, which don’t live through our winters.
I encourage you to dip your toes into growing your own herbs. You can find transplants at your favorite nursery, so find a sunny spot and get started!
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Herb-Container.jpg370640arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2021-05-03 11:35:002022-09-11 23:27:54Create a Herb Container
Spring in the desert Southwest is a busy time of year. While those that live in colder climates countdown the days until March 20th, the spring season often begins a full month earlier in the low to middle desert.
As a horticulturist / landscape consultant, my days are quite busy in spring assisting people with their gardens.
Today, I thought that I would show some glimpses of a typical week in spring filled with creative containers, new xeriscapes, cacti flowers and the heavenly fragrance of orange blossoms.
The weather this past week has been warm, in the low 80’s. Spring-flowering plants were in full bloom such as this sweet acacia tree which produces small, golden, puffball flowers. I love how the deep yellow looks against the blue sky, don’t you?
Often, in my travels assisting clients, I see some great examples of beautiful xeriscapes.
This is a newly planted landscape which stood out from the surrounded homes with its mature plants, the selection of desert-adapted plants and the nice design.
The vibrant purple flowers of the verbena (Glandularia pulchella) demanded attention from passersby. I also liked how the golden barrel cacti looked in the raised bed.
Another landscape that I saw this week was filled with countless different types of plants. Often, when you have too many kinds of plants, the effect can appear ‘messy’ visually. But, not with this landscape filled with succulents of all sorts including aloe, artichoke agave and golden barrel cacti.
While driving by a church landscape that I had designed previously, I stopped to take this photo of the damianita(Chrysactina mexicana), which was in full bloom. I absolutely love this plant and have several in my own garden.
I took a few moments to stop by a small, local nursery in Fountain Hills, AZ – Verde Valley Nursery. My visits always last longer than I plan because I love looking at all the new plants in stock.
During visits to a few of my regular clients, who have me come by on an annual basis, I saw some great examples of container plants, including this one filled with Blue Elf aloe, golden barrel, small variegated agave and totem pole ‘Monstrosus’ cactus.
This looks so nice, it almost makes it easy to skip planting high-maintenance annual flowers.
I really liked this container. Many people have problems growing flowers in entryways where there is not enough sun. In addition, there is the burden of having to water frequently that can lead to stains on the concrete.
This colorful container is filled with dried, flowering agave stalks – I love it!
One of the joys of my job is when clients invite me back to see their landscape and sometimes recommend a few ‘tweaks’. It was during one of these repeat visits that I saw this trio of Blue Elf aloe, which looks great when planted next to boulders, don’t you think?
Sometimes, I see things that are somewhat unusual, like this Mexican fence post cactus (Pachycereus marinatus) that was forming flowers. They do not always flower in the low desert, so this was a really neat to see close up.
Visions of purple-flowering plants filled my week. While on a date night with my husband, we strolled through our local outdoor mall and I saw these lovely sea lavender (Limonium perezii). They do best in areas with filtered sunlight in the desert garden.
Although I do not have lavender in my garden, I enjoy seeing lavender in other people’s gardens. This Spanish lavender(Lavandula stoechas) looked beautiful.
I came upon this gorgeous blue hibiscus shrub in an unlikely place – the supermarket parking lot.
While not quite purple, the dark pink of Parry’s penstemon looks so beautiful in the spring landscape, as evident in a landscape as I drove by.
Today as I drove home from an appointment, I rolled down the windows so that I could smell the heavenly fragrance of the orange blossoms from the surrounding orchards.
After beautiful weeks like this, I feel so blessed to work outdoors…
Do you love the beauty of bougainvillea? Many of us will agree that bougainvillea is beautiful, but many homeowners hesitate to grow them for a variety of reasons. The most common that I hear is that they get too big and as a result, too messy.
While both statements are certainly true, wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy the beauty of bougainvillea while minimizing its size and messiness?
Let’s face it; summers in the desert can be brutal and bougainvillea are one of the lush green, flowering shrubs that thrive in intense heat and sun. So, why not consider adding one in a high-profile area where you can enjoy their beauty throughout the warm season?
Grab my FREE guide for Fuss-Free Plants that thrive in a hot, dry climate!
Growing bougainvillea in pots limits their overall size, and with smaller shrubs, there is less mess. It also makes it easier to protect them from frost damage in winter by moving the container to a sheltered location, such as underneath a patio or covering them with a sheet.
Bougainvillea make excellent container plants. In fact, many gardeners who live in cold climates, only grow them in pots and move them indoors in winter. I met a gardener in Austin, Texas who treats bougainvillea like an annual plant, planting a new one every year to replace the old one lost to winter cold. Thankfully, we don’t need to do add a new one every year.
Growing bougainvillea in pots is easy to do. Select a location in full sun where it will promote the most bloom. Bougainvillea are one of the few flowering plants that can handle west-facing exposures.
Provide support for them to grow upward if desired. You can also grow bougainvillea as more of a compact shrub form if you wish.
Water deeply and allow the top 2 inches to dry out before watering again. Bougainvillea does best when the soil is allowed to dry out between watering.
Apply a slow-release fertilizer in spring, after the danger of frost is passed. You’ll want to reapply fertilizer every three months until September.
Growing bougainvillea in pots keeps them small enough to make it feasible to cover them when freezing temperatures occur.
So, if you like container gardening, consider growing bougainvillea in a pot.
Spring in the desert brings a flurry of activity out in the garden – much of it involving container gardening.
As they say, in late spring, it’s “out with the old and in with the new.” In the desert garden, it’s when cool-season flowering annuals are traded out for those that can handle the hot temperatures of summer.
Examples of cool-season annuals are pansies, petunias, and snapdragons, which are grown fall through spring. BUT, they won’t survive hot, desert summers. So, in late April, it’s time to plant flowering annuals that can take the heat. My favorites include angelonia, ‘Blue Victoria’ salvia, and vinca.
While flowers are a popular pot filler, there are so many other things that you can do with growing plants in containers.
Here are some of my favorites:
Jazz up the appearance of your containers by painting them a different color.
Let’s face it – beautiful containers can be expensive while inexpensive plastic containers are a bit boring. I like to dress up my plastic containers by adding a coat of paint.
Many spray paints can be used on plastic and last a long time. I have several painted pots in my garden that add a welcome splash of color.
Grow herbs and vegetables along with flowers in pots.
Leaf lettuce and garlic grow along with flowering petunias.
Did you know that you can grow vegetables in pots? I love doing this in my garden. In the fall, I plant leaf lettuce, spinach, and garlic in my large pots alongside flowering petunias. When March arrives, I like to add basil, peppers along with annuals.
Winter container garden with spinach, parsley and garlic growing with pink petunias.
For pots, I recommend you use a potting mix, which is specially formulated for containers and holds just the right amount of moisture.
Container plants need to be fertilizer. You can use a slow-release fertilizer or a liquid fertilizer of your choice.
Cucumbers growing with vinca and dianthus.
In spring, vegetables such as cucumbers, bush beans, and even zucchini can grow in containers paired with flowers.
*If you would like to try growing edible containers, click here for more info.
Plant succulents for a low-maintenance container.
My favorite filler for containers in the desert garden is cacti and succulents. They do very well in pots and need less water than those filled with flowering annuals and perennials.
Desert Spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri).
Succulents are an excellent choice for planting in areas where water is not easily accessible. While they will need supplemental water, they don’t need water every day, making them a better choice for these areas.
In general, succulents are lower-maintenance as well, so they are an excellent choice for the ‘fuss-free’ gardener.
Use a potting mix specially formulated for cactus & succulents, which will drain well.
Fertilize succulents spring through fall using a liquid or slow-release fertilizer at 1/2 the recommended strength.
*For more information on how to plant succulents in containers, including how to do it without getting pricked, click here.
Fill the bottom space of large pots with empty, plastic containers.
Let’s face it – the potting mix is expensive and makes your pots very heavy. If you have a large pot, your plant’s roots most likely will never reach the bottom – so why waste soil where you don’t need it?
Fill up the unused space with recycled plastic containers and then add your potting mix. You will save money, AND your container will be much lighter as well.
Whether you are new to gardening, an experienced pro, or have a small or large garden space – I invite you to reimagine what you can do in a container!
Did you know that you can have plants blooming in your landscape every month of the year? In the desert garden, this is definitely true!
One of the most popular programs that I teach at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix is ‘Flowering All Year’. During the presentation, I teach students how to incorporate plants in their gardens so they can enjoy colorful blooms all year long.
Sadly, many desert dwellers miss this opportunity. Drive down a typical neighborhood street in winter, and you will have a hard time finding plants in bloom except for colorful annual flowers. As you’ll note, the focus in our gardens is typically on plants that flower through the warm season.
So, how can we change that? It’s quite simple – add plants that will flower in winter. Believe it or not, there are quite a few plants that fit the bill.
I invite you to come along with me on a virtual tour of the plants I showed to the students in the class as we walked through the winter garden in mid-February.
*Before we embark on our walk, I have a confession to make. Usually, I arrive early before my classes to see what’s in bloom so I can plan our route. But, my daughter’s bus arrived late that morning, so I was running a bit late. As a result, I didn’t know what we would see. Thankfully, there was plenty to see.
Plants for Cool-Season Color:
Purple Lilac Vine (Hardenbergia violaceae)
The vibrant, blooms of purple lilac vine never disappoint. Blooms appear in mid-winter, adding a welcome relief to colorless winter landscapes. Here it is planted in a tall raised bed and allowed to trail downward. In my garden, it grows up against a wall with a trellis for support.
Whale’s Tongue Agave and Mexican Honeysuckle underneath an Ironwood tree
Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera)
Several perennials and small shrubs do best in the desert garden when planted in filtered sunlight. Desert trees like ironwood, mesquite, and palo verde are excellent choices for producing filtered sunlight. Mexican honeysuckle doesn’t do well in full sun. As a result, it thrives under the shade of this ironwood tree. I love the texture contrast in this bed next to the whale’s tongue agave.
Weber’s Agave (Agave weberi) and Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata)
Desert marigold is a short-lived perennial that resembles a wildflower. Yellow flowers appear throughout the year on this short-lived perennial. I like to use them in wildflower gardens or natural desert landscapes because this yellow bloomer will self-seed.
Firesticks (Euphorbia ‘Sticks on Fire’) and Elephants Food (Portulacaria afra)
Shrubs, vines, and perennials aren’t the only plants that add winter color in the landscape. Colorful stems of the succulent ‘Firesticks’ add a splash of orange all year. I am a fan of the use of blue pots in the garden, and here, it adds a powerful color contrast with the orange.
‘Winter Blaze’ (Eremophila glabra)
Lush green foliage decorated with orange/red blooms is on display all year long with this Australian native. Several types of Eremophilas add cool-season color to the landscape, and this one deserves more attention. There must be a blank space in my garden for one…
Blue Bells Eremophila and Mexican Fence Post Cactus
‘Blue Bells’ (Eremophila hygrophana)
‘Blue Bells’ is arguably one of my most favorite plants. It resembles a compact Texas sage (Leucophyllum spp.) but doesn’t grow as large AND blooms throughout the year. For best results, plant in full sun, but well-drained soil is a must.
Valentine Bush (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’)
My favorite choice for winter color is Valentine bush. Red/fuschia blooms begin to appear in January and last into April. For maximum color impact, use them in groups of 3 – 5. They are low maintenance – prune back to 1/2 their size in mid-April after flowering. No other pruning is required.
Aloe ferox
Winter into spring is a busy time for aloes, and many species do well in the desert garden. Most require filtered sunlight to do their best, but ‘Blue Elf’ aloe does well in both full sun and bright shade.
Trailing Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
People from colder climates are often surprised to note that rosemary flowers. In the desert, we are fortunate that we get to enjoy their blue flowers from winter through spring – the bees like them too!
Shrubby Germander (Teucrium fruiticans ‘Azurea’)
Toward the entrance to the garden, I was delighted to see shrubby germander. A star in my own garden, this shrub has flowered all winter long and will continue to do so into spring. The blooms are a lovely periwinkle color.
Chuparosa (Justicia californica)
As our walk was wrapping up, the bright red blooms of a chuparosa shrub caught our eye. A hummingbird was busily drinking as much nectar as he could. I like to use this shrub in landscapes with a natural theme as it has a sprawling growth habit. It flowers through winter into spring and an important nectar source for hummingbirds.
Of course, blooming plants aren’t the only way to add color to the garden. Garden art can play a vital part in adding interest. The Desert Botanical Garden is host to a traveling art exhibit with various animals made from recycled plastic. This group of meerkats greets visitors to the garden.
I hope that you enjoy this virtual tour of winter color in the garden and will add some to your own.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Desert_Botanical_Garden_Winter_Flowering_Plants_Arizona_Gardening-Purple-Lilac-Vine-Hardenbergia.jpg563477arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2020-02-19 12:20:292023-02-16 17:49:39A Stroll Through a Flowering Winter’s Garden
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?
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/hopbushbushmorningglorycontainers-002.jpg388640arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2019-07-30 07:34:002020-12-16 06:08:47It’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 succulent plants in my pots.
Victoria Agave ‘Compacta’
Much of my inspiration for using succulent plants 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!
Spring in the desert ‘Tangerine Beauty’ Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata ‘Tangerine Beauty’)
Spring in the desert is the most beautiful time of year with the majority of plants in the landscape bursting out with flowers. It’s also a very busy time for me with landscape consultations, speaking engagements, work in the garden, and family life. I love to document the happenings in my life by taking photographs with my phone, and I’d like to share a sampling with you. It’s a fun combination that includes colorful plants, spiky pots, snakes, roses and the prom!
No matter how busy I may be, the sight of a beautiful plant stops me in my tracks. It doesn’t matter how rushed I may be; I will always stop and take a photo. That’s what happened when I spotted this row of ‘Tangerine Beauty’ crossvines on our way into church. Even though we were running a few minutes late (as usual) I had to pause to admire the beauty of the lovely blooms and take a photo.
‘Tangerine Beauty’ does very well in the low desert garden. It has lush green foliage and orange/pink flowers that hummingbirds love. It needs a trellis or other support to climb up on and does well in full sun to filtered sun, but avoid planting along a west-facing wall as it may struggle in reflected sun.
As I mentioned earlier, I do a lot of speaking on a variety of gardening topics at the Desert Botanical Garden, public libraries, and also to garden groups. Upon my arrival to give a presentation at the Paradise Valley Country Club, I was greeted by this beautiful bed filled geraniums, foxglove, and yellow daisies. The spiky shape of agave adds welcome texture contrast in this area.
Across the way, I spotted this dramatic example of spiky succulents growing in pots. Agave are excellent container plants, and their spiky shapes look fabulous along this wall. The plantings underneath the wall are well chosen as they do well in areas with full sun and reflected heat.
Here is a very different entry to another presentation I was to give at the Cave Creek Branch of the Phoenix Public Library. Two identical caution signs flank the raised metal bridge, which makes you look carefully before approaching. I know that libraries work hard to get kids to read, but these signs just might scare them off 😉
‘Olivia Rose’
Back home, the rose garden is in full bloom with my favorite ‘Olivia Rose’ completely covered in fragrant, delicate pink color. She flowers more than every other rose in the garden and for the longest, ensuring her favored status.
‘Darcey Bussell’
The best performing red rose in the garden is ‘Darcey Bussell,’ and she never disappoints as I view her vibrant blooms from my kitchen window.
‘Lady of Shalott’
This rose is a relative newcomer to my rose garden. ‘Lady of Shalott’ was planted in the winter of 2018 and didn’t produce many blooms in her first year, which is typical of most new roses. However, this year, she is covered with roses in delicate shades of pink and peach.
On the home front, spring means that it’s time for the prom. I can hardly believe that my son is old enough – it seemed like it was just yesterday when I came home with a darling little two-year-old boy from China.
Kai’s favorite color is red, can you tell? It takes confidence to wear a bright color like this, and he does it so well. He is the youngest of four sisters, so this was my first time helping a boy get ready for a school dance. Honestly, it is a lot simpler – all he needed was help with his tie and his boutonniere.
I love spring and all the busyness that comes with it. How about you?
UPDATE: This blog post originally was published six-years-ago, and I still like to grow vegetables in pots. It’s hard to believe that my garden helper is now 16 years old and driving a car!
I hope you enjoy it!
I started growing vegetables in pots earlier this year, and it was so easy and the vegetables so delicious AND attractive that I had to do it again.
Last week, my mother took my youngest kids to the nursery and picked up some plants for me.
You know what? This is one of the happiest sights in my world 😉
My son, Kai was anxious to pull out the existing plants from our pots.
All my summer vegetables had been pulled a while ago, and all that was left was the Vinca that I had planted. I realize the vinca looks a bit yellow and I admit that I didn’t fertilize them enough (I kind of hibernated inside this summer.
Kai got to work at pulling out the flowers.
He used the hand shovel to loosen the roots so he could pull out the vinca.
Then he used the shovel to ‘bang’ the root ball to loosen the soil back into the pot. You don’t want to ‘throw away’ good soil by leaving it around the roots of plants you are pulling out.
I think Kai did a good job getting all the soil out of the roots, don’t you?
**Vinca will over-winter in my zone 9 garden, but will not flower much. I prefer to treat them as an annual.
Now for the fun part – planting!
I added some more potting mix (not potting soil, which can get soggy), mixed with some compost to each container.
Then each pot was planted with a combination of green leaf lettuce, purple leaf lettuce, garlic, spinach, dill, parsley, nasturtium seeds, and petunias.
In just a few weeks, the lettuce and spinach will be ready to start clipping the leaves for salads. The garlic cloves that I planted will form whole heads of garlic, which will be ready in late spring.
I will start snipping off dill and parsley soon as well.
Garlic, leaf lettuce, spinach, parsley, and petunias
Flowers look great when planted with vegetables, and I always include some. Nasturtiums are easy to grow from seed, and their leaves and flowers are edible. Petunias (and nasturtiums) are great companion plants for vegetables because they help to control damaging insects from eating your vegetables.
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This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
