Some mixed containers for ideas:

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I have lots more, but Photobucket seems to be having site problems .......

Al

Nice! I'm getting some good ideas here... including the fact that you awakened my fuchsia idea which is sooo dangerous... do you have all these in the gritty mix? I'm looking at heat tolerant fuchsias now, just wondering how this is going to go lol. Coleus is a great idea too-- those do well here. Winter is such a bad time. i dream of all the flowers until summer when it's so hot you can barely move and wonder what you did to yourself by planting so much. :P

I see you've been doing some reading on this forum. ;-) All the plants pictured are in the 5:1:1 mix, which is what I use for all my mixed plantings & veggies.

Al

I figured so! Thanks! BTW, that gesneriad is what I had pictured and wanted but never found once I got here. They were everywhere in my last state but not here. :(

So I've been working on making some little collages to help me choose what I want. Just off my balcony, there is actually a few hours of sun-- so I can grow some part-sun things which will extend out a bit.

I think my main failure this year was starting too late and shocking the plants. This upcoming year I'll be ready in the spring. So here are a few of my considerations. I'm heavily leaving toward the Thunbergia "blushing Susie."

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Happy New Year Everyone. When I saw the pics posted by Al, I was blown away as well as inspired. WOW. I'm an apartment-dwelling beginner who has been trying container gardening using perennials for about 3 years. I've been doing battle with afternoon summer sun and zone 6 (So NJ) winters with frustrating results. I've used perennials because, with protection, many can overwinter outside and come back next year (sometimes and not as attractive.) I've felt that annuals have to be purchased every year and this can be costly. It appears as though the arrangements pictured are made with annuals. If I may ask, what do you do with all of these beauties during winter? Should I get off the perennial band wagon and go the annual route?

If you like 'pretty' you should. You get WAY more color from annuals than from perennials, but there's that pesky cost factor. Properly cared for, your perennials come back year after year, but they often offer unimpressive or short bloom periods that leave you wondering, "What now?", though if you do your research, you'll find many perennials that DO have extended bloom periods and/or can be coaxed into reblooming for you if you cut them back soon enough.

You could always invest in some annual seeds and scatter a few on your yearly spring repots and divisions of your perennials that have longer bloom periods. It's not as quick and easy as using bedding plants, but I bet the satisfaction level is much greater. ;-)

Best luck!! Happy New Year! ... and thanks for the kind compliment. ;-)

Al

Beautiful selections Juliana. I love that morning glory. What is that one called? I usually grow heavenly blue every year - they never disappoint. I have some 15 ft ladders I grow them on - use bird netting every year so I can just take it down and toss it. I need to find something more biodegradable to use - the roll of bird netting lasted me several years but it's gone now. Anyway, wonder how vigorous those pretty mg's would be??

And the pink begonia - resembles the habit of a dragon wing - what is that one? I love the dragon wing types, they are great performers for me here (in MG soil).

Gorgeous stuff Al. I just don't have the discipline to feed - that's why I use MG soil.

Hi October17! It's "Flying Saucers" morning glory. I have grown it before, but in-ground. It was amazingly beautiful. The pink begonia is Begonia grandis 'Heron's Pirouette.'

Glo-- when I was an undergrad, my first apartment had a south-facing balcony in Tennessee. It was hot... but I got amazing mileage from annuals. I loved helichrysum with other flowers like lobelia or nasturtium in the cooler spring and fall months... and verbena and lantana with helichrysum in the summer. I had tomatoes, etc... lots of things. Many things can be started from seed so it isn't too much of an investment. I'd definitely consider it.

Beautiful work!! Have you tryed Conichar(biochar)in your pots? It will help when mixed with potting soil or compost then used in your pots. Less watering holds nutreince ect. Its worked well for us!

Al you sure do know how to grow some beautiful container plants! I love all of the different varieties. Do you buy the smaller plants in flats and combine them in the mixed pots?
Sharon

Thank you, Sharon. The kind words are appreciated. I do buy a number of bedding size plants for mixed containers, but I also buy a considerable number of 4-6" plants as well. I am usually pretty rough with the roots of the larger plants when potting them because they are often very root bound. After I rip the bottom half of the roots off, I very often pinch the plants and use the cuttings to fill in. That way, I often end up with up to 6 or more plants from one 4" or 6" pot. I even pinch cell-pack bedding plants and stick the cuttings. It just makes sense; pinching makes the plants fuller & you get more plants by sticking the cuttings you get from pinching. It would prolly take restraints to keep me from propagating so many cuttings, but now that I think on it, I'd probably just chew threw them anyway. It's almost like an addiction. ;-) Fortunately, I'm able to give away most of the plants I clone; and those I can't give away, I'm not so attached to them that I have difficulty ushering them to the compost pile at summer's end.

Al

So now I am searching out the "Gritty Mix" ingredients and am in search of good seed soil too. Any suggestions?

Sharon

..... on where to find the ingredients for the gritty mix, or what to use for seeds? ;-)

Al