the wedding garden update

13 years ago

So I spent a hot sweaty weekend a few weeks ago planting red salvia, nicely spaced, figuring I had several weeks of careful watering and even a little fertilizing for them to bush up a bit.

Well the snails thought that was just dandy. So now I have a well-watered bed of salvia sticks, with some spanish needle volunteering in there and the inevitable zoysia poking through. Gosh I hate zoysia.

But I'm sticking with my plan, so I headed to HD today for more flowers for another bed and for the pots hanging on the fence. Screw the salvia bed.

This time I came home with pink vinca, purple verbena, white and purple trailing lantana, white penta (take that snails!) white caladiums, a red flower I forget the name of and some persian shield - 45 plants total. The peachy pink vinca is a perfect match for one of my plumeria, which is a stunner right now, meaning it will probably stop blooming in time for the wedding. My neighbor commented on it today, saying she had never noticed that it bloomed before. Well, it never did like this!

My bleeding heart is also putting on a nice show right now, again meaning it will probably give up just in time for the champagne toast. The gardenia was stunning this year too, with its last bloom falling off this weekend. Naturally. At least the dwarf ponciana appears to be prepping for a glorious show.

The trailing lantana went into pots hanging on the fence, with a couple caladiums in the lowest ones because they get no sun whatsoever.

Still not sure what to do with the other caladiums. I wanted white because people are going to be here at night.... but I've got a lot of sun and not much shade.

Can white caladiums handle mostly shade with an hour or so of afternoon sun or will they get burned? I'm thinking of putting them in under the ponciana, which throws a good bit of shade now, but which would allow them to get a little very late afternoon sun.

And yes, once I finish getting everything in the ground, I fully intend to spend the next three weeks watering plants. And smashing snails.

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Comments (9)

natives_and_veggies
Original Author
13 years ago
Oh, and I did get the hyacinth beans planted at the right time in a pot on the deck. They've filled out the trellis and are just beginning to bloom, so I think they'll be pretty at the right time.
starryrider
13 years ago
Throw down some diatematious(sp) earth for the snails.
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coffeemom
13 years ago
Sounds colorful and you don't appear stressed at all.
I predict you will be beautiful, the weather will be beautiful and your garden will be lovely.
(just don't step on any snails as you walk down the aisle)
natives_and_veggies
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks coffeemom. I'm not actually that stressed. Small wedding and since I work for myself, I'm able to give myself some vacation time, which is nice.
And thanks for the DE tip Starryrider! I'll do that today.
natives_and_veggies
Original Author
13 years ago
Every plant in the ground, or in its respective pot. These looked like a lot more plants when I bought them than they do now that they're planted.
Hmmmm.
trinigemini
13 years ago
Are you using your wedding as an excuse to landscape? I know I used the same excuse for our wedding :-)

Your yard sounds wonderful. I won't ask you to take pics now with so much to do. But remember to take pics after the wedding.
natives_and_veggies
Original Author
12 years ago
Well, this just doesn't stop. Yesterday more vinca went in the ground and the pot ghetto was gentrified. And so far, the penta gets the prize. In just a week, they're already bushing up and filling in their space. Even though I wanted quick color, I couldn't bear to crowd the plants, so everything was planted in the space it will ultimately need. Looks like the penta plan on occupying that space quickly.
And yes Trini, I'll be taking pictures. The wedding isn't actually here, though the cake and champagne part of the ceremony is, so the photog will capture a bit of that. We're working on yard lighting next weekend.
And the biggest fail so far, even worse than the snail-eaten salvia? A dark pink cuphea I bought on the spur of the moment. It's tag said it wanted full sun when I bought it yesterday. Today its leaves say maybe not so much. I think it died while we were out snorkeling. What does full sun mean to the garden people who write those tags? This plant was gorgeous this morning and watered last night. How can it be dead?
grrrr.
tinael01
12 years ago
OMG I have had that same thought myself so many times!! There is full sun then there is FLORIDA sun...full sun X 3.
natives_and_veggies
Original Author
12 years ago
yep. It's the danger of buying at the big box, where the same tag is used for Miami and Maine.
The cuphea has recovered a bit, but with a week to go, it's not going to have time to really get bushy again. ah well.