Thank you, greenfingers. A question: how did you attach the metal poles to the trough? Did you secure them with screws, or simply stick them in the dirt inside the trough? My garden has now begun. I bought several bags of professional growers' potting mix and mixed it with topsoil and composted manure, adding Plant Tone organic amendment to the mix, topped with bark mulch. Found a nursery nearby with very reasonable prices. Went looking for cypress but decided I wanted traditional Southern plants that I couldn't grow before in the colder climate in the mountains, and I wanted perennials that I could 'harvest' for natural materials when I decorate for the holiday season. So far I've planted containers with 'Heavenly Bamboo' nandina (amazing winter color and berries), gardenia radicans (blooms and fragrance right now), acorus (sweet flag, gorgeous variegated foliage, strong vertical accent), and camellia sasanqua 'Setsugekka'(evergreen, fragrant, midwinter bloom, elegant semidouble white flowers). I'm aiming for garden additions that are visually beautiful and also attract wildlife and/or are fragrant. But my real splurge was a 4x4 'Little Gem' magnolia, in bloom, espaliered on a trellis. It looks absolutely perfect against one of the privacy fences lining the deck, and I can see it from wherever I sit in my living room. I plan to plant annual vines at the base next spring and let them intertwine: purple hyacinth bean, maybe moonflower. I hope birds will nest in it next year. The garden already has hummingbirds zooming in and out (I put up a feeder) and a praying mantis has taken up residence too. The deck is already getting full, so I really must figure out something, like baker's racks. to hold more pots. The only way to go is up. I'm sure that's a common problem on this forum.

Thank you! We grow all manner of roses, and for disease and pest resistance, I like the miniature "Green Ice". When so many of my other mini's are affected by either the heat, the humidity, or the voracious bugs, "Green Ice" seems to keep all its foliage and bloom along like there's no tomorrow! It generally blooms white, but as the weather cools in autumn, it takes on a greenish tinge that's just lovely. Its habit is more of a small, mounding shrub shape, though. For color, I positively adore "Teddy Bear". Once again, we're talking about more of a shrub shape, but the color is a coppery orange that matures to a bit of salmon pink... gorgeous! For scent, my absolute favorite is "Autumn Damask". When you walk past its blooms, the rose scent is almost overpowering! It's not a miniature, but it seems to be a slower grower than quite a few other types, and after 3 years is still a very manageable size. "Felix Leclerc" is a lovely choice. We have several rose varieties from the Canadian series, and they can't be beat for hardiness. Although, planting one in a container will present some issues. You'll need to somehow protect the outside of the pot from the winter temperatures and winds, and re-potting will be quite an adventure. The choices of variety available, once you really begin to look around and research, is quite vast! In order to narrow it down, we look for several features that a rose must have... it must be own-root, hardy to our zone, disease resistant, preferably a continual bloomer, scent is a plus, and then we look at color, bloom shape and size. It's all personal preference, of course, but it helps us to narrow down the choices. We will grow a variety that blooms only one time, but only if it's a rare, hard to find, old garden variety. Continual bloom or a good repeat is important to us. I'm sure you're having fun researching... it's really amazing how many named roses there are, all the colors and shapes, the different types... I sometimes go back and look at the websites of rose sellers just so I can drool over the selections... especially in winter! I wish you much luck with your project... and if there's anything else I can help you with, I'd be happy to try. :-)

The masonry bit probably won't work, except on terra cotta. As glazing contractors we regularly drill all sizes of holes in glass/mirrors, granite (shower door installations) and other vitrified materials (the objects people bring to us to drill holes in). Most containers you'll encounter can best be drilled with a "spear-point" drill. I'll link you to a picture from one of our suppliers. The drill is also called a 3-point drill. Highly vitreous containers (glass, or glass-like - ceramic - clay fired at high temperatures) may even require a diamond impregnated "core drill", but it's very uncommon to find containers like this, especially at the dollar store. These inexpensive drills can be found at big box home improvement stores. They should be cooled with water or a 50/50 mix of water/antifreeze as you drill. An excellent strategy is to immerse the container upside down in a tub and add enough water to just cover the drilling surface as you drill. Rotating the drill clockwise at a slight angle while drilling will greatly increase ease of operation. Alternately (I use this method), fill a squeeze container (contact lens solution bottle is stellar) with water or 50/50 water/antifreeze & squirt it at the drill/material interface as you drill. If you can't find the drill you need, you can contact me off forum & I'll be glad to help you. Al Here is a link that might be useful: Here is a link that might be useful: See a spear-point drill here.

I don't see why not. I have grown a Cl Crimson Glory in a large pot for years. ZD for me would routinely drop its leaves in the summer, but always came back. The wonderfully scented flowers would happen primarily during a spring bloom with modest fall flush. A great solution for that is to use it as a trellis for a vine such as a mandevilla. Clematis is another option, or some annual vine. ZD will definitely like it better in some sun.