No need to freak out kim.....you can cut back just about anything.....it is a good practice once your plants have outgrown their planters and are drying out too fast.....my impatiens are becoming little trees and are drinking alot and may start to seperate in cooler months ahead...I will post a photo after I hack the hell out of them and the after they recover....I will be away for a week at the end of the month and everything would be dead when I come back if i didn't reduce them....regular petunias planted on the ground really benefit from heavy cutting back the last of july to avoid getting leggy......I think you should try the flowering kale at this late date for planting in your zone.......and a trailer like creeping jenny or vinca.....if you can find something small in flower like begonias or lobelia at this time of year and you can stuff it in there, do it...........this time of year you can get away with cramming in some plants because they will not have enough season left to be overplanted.......your kale and trailer planted so close to your house should get you to christmas.......another option would be geraniums or marigolds(or both) if you think you need a flowering plant......you could buy some kale put it in the ground, plant geraniums or marigolds for now with a trailer.....and swap them in november.....Kale will look nice to minus 20.......as long as snow does not lay on it you could have it well into january that close to the house, when choosing Kale, try to find some that the stems are not too tall, if they are a little leggy, plant them deep..........I don't believe you posted your supertunia photo kim......lets see what your other containers are doing

My red impatiens (purchased in May) has been a hit so far this year with the female. I have it buried in my forsynthia, along with an overwintered fuschia, and my feeder. The fuschia is just starting to bloom. I've never seen them go for the Million Bells (this year I bought red), which is my favorite hanging basket for the sun. I had alot of extra petunias that needed to be out of Mr. Woodchucks reach, so I have a bunch of them hanging, but no action either. I did do one basket with Salvia coccinea "Forest Fire", an annual my zone. I figured it would do well in a basket, and it just started blooming. It's supposed to be 1'-2', but one year mine was 1' (part sun) and the next year it was 3' (full sun).

But the birds are IN amongst the geranium, are they not? Will she be able to wrap the geranium without wrapping the birds? And if she manages to wrap it, how will the mother react? Hmm... Mehearty, does the basket hang under the porch roof, or is it farther out and exposed? Can it be moved further under the roof, like next to the house wall? Would that be enough to protect the geraniums? Is it possible to hang something over the basket from the roof (as opposed to laying it directly on the basket), possibly leaving a bit of access for the mother to get in and out? I hope you figure this one out - for the sake of the geraniums and the birds! :) Dee

Haven't tried it myself, but just read the suggestion to grow creeping thyme, oregano, or prostrate rosemary in a hanging basket in the Reader's Digest book called Short Cuts to Great Gardens: A Practical Guide to Low-Maintenance Gardening. I do grow creeping lemon thyme & an ornamental oregano in holes of concrete blocks for easy harvesting & edging in raised beds along our gravel driveway (where we have enough sunshine!) I planted them early last spring & they've really taken off. I watered last summer, but don't plan to this summer. I have chives & some sedums in there in a pattern as well. It's lovely & so easy... There are all sorts of tips in the book I mentioned. It shows how you can remake your garden based on the purposes & number of hours you have available. It shows previous garden, describes family members make up & wishes for the garden, then shows the new garden in drawings. It makes everything look simple & easy, but you know reality is a bit more complicated. It sure is encouraging to gardening. More nurseries should sell it because it can make a gardener out of anyone. They have a simple explanation of potagers with suggestions of what to plant where in your 4 squares with an herb garden in center. Obelisks in center of squares for climbing plants & lovely flowers, too! Would be good for FAQ for this forum. Here is a link that might be useful: Short Cuts to Great Gardens: A Practical Guide to Low-Maintenance Gardening