I received a very broad hint that I needed to do another blog post. So today I am going to share with you the pots that are the bottom of the steps that lead to my back door. The first one in on top of the retaining wall I built several years ago.
For this summer, it holds Lobelia (the blue one), Verbena (the red one) and Petunia (the yellow one).
I bought these flowers as a pre-made combo in a hanging basket. I paid a pretty penny for them because 1) they were a pre-designed combo 2) they were "locally grown" 3) they were in a hanging pot and 4) they were at an up-scale grocery market.
But I decided it was worth it because they were so pretty and were exactly what I wanted.
Just to the left of the above pot, but sitting down on the path, is this little container. The plant is an alpine geranium named "Charm." It's new this year. I've grown an alpine geranium in this pot for several years, but it finally died out. I liked it so much that I wanted to replace it with the same thing.
Isn't it charming?
My yellow pot is against the house, right at the very bottom of the steps. It's a hard place to get anything to grow well in the summer. However, last year I discovered that ageratum grows very well there. And I like ageratum a lot, even though it is unassuming.
Finally, my big pot at the bottom of the steps. It sits in the bed that goes along the pathway. A couple of years ago, I started growing herbs in this pot. They do very well, not minding at all the hot afternoon sun.
This year, I have three different basils, thyme, tri-color sage, and Cuban oregano. And Nicotiana. Nicotiana is a tobacco and all of the plant is poisonous. Is it diabolical to put a poisonous plant in the middle of edible herbs?
Anyhow, I like the effect. The purple hues in the tri-color sage pick up on the reds and pinks of the Nicotiana.
And how 'bout that Cuban oregano! It's thick and fuzzy and variegated. Yes, it is usable, like other oregano, but apparently, it is much stronger.
A variegated Lirope grows below that pot. One of my sisters gave it to me several years ago.
Cemetery Sedum has planted itself in front of the Lirope. I think they look very cool together.
And the whole combination looks very lovely.
Have a beautiful day!
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1 comment:
Thank-you for your blog post! Your planter combos are gorgeous! Just a thought about your expensive pre-designed combo: when you consider the number of days its beauty will give you joy, its "cost per day" may not be so very expensive after all! What is the plant growing at the base of that pot? And what kind of mulch do you use? Your herb pot is gorgeous too! Do your herbs overwinter in that pot, or do you buy them new each spring (or start them from seeds)? Also, what is the diameter of your herb pot and how tall do the herbs in the back usually grow to? (I'm trying to figure out how to do something similar with what I already have.) Is your tobacco plant poisonous to the touch, as in did you have to wear gloves to plant it? Is the wall next to your herb pot fairly recent? I would love to see what you have in that bed.... : >
Anne
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