Prinked Projects and Pretty Things: March 2013

Monday, March 18, 2013

Awaitng Spring with Great Anticiption

It's been a while since I posted here. Didn't have a lot of winter projects that weren't mondane. But I am getting excited about Spring. We purchased planters on sale at the end of the season last year, and are looking for long lasting perenials to put in them. I want something I can count on for years to come. I was able to buy enough of the same planters to put them around my kidney shaped garden in the center of the back yard. Long low ones with a taller one in between all the way around. With spacing of course. We already have lenten rose and columbine growning. The dahliah bulbs from last year did not get eaten by squirels since they are in pots, so things are looking up for not wasting my efforts. Plus I can move things if I choose. I am liking the concept of container gardening more and more. I am seeing lots of wonderful ideas on Pinterest.. (my garden page) Hope I can turn a few relics into garden wonders like I am seeing pictures of. What a lovely thought that I actually have the time to do some things that will make my back yard more appealing.
I also plan to enlarge the gardens at the foot of my drive and begin to give them more of a year round appeal. Finding flowers that like the winter weather is inspiring. And who knew they were so beautiful..Lenten Rose is my favorite!

As we travel, I am taking pictures of lovely landscapes and although I can't grow everything I see in those climes, the effects will be what I am after. Sometimes I am enfatuated with long rows of similar color, and sometimes the small corner packed with butterfly attracting wildness. But I am finding I stray farther and farther from structured gardens with the ususal anuals. I do still love pansies, but think adding some of the remarkable new colored kales just makes a winter planting more amazing.
I have so much ivy available, that I truly want to make some amazing topiaries. I just have to find proper forms. I have a couple of ideas, but I need long lasting structures to find it truly worth my time. The April showers have begun early, so all I can do today is plan. but isn't that the best time to dream anyway?

2o13 Spring Plantings

COLUMBINE: Clementine Rose(peachy Pink),
a classic single pink/wht, and a dbl ruffled indigo.
Verb

VERBENA: Lanai, pink spiller added to deep blue from last year. Over-wintered best of all my plants on the deck. Want all the colors.

HYPOESTES: Polka Dot plant, and its cousin, Red Splash veined. Great pink colors on soft green leaves.

CYCLEMEN: Laser Syncro Pink, a great part sun annual that actually comes back next year. Save the large bulbous seed pods.

SWEET POTATO VINE: lots of lime green Margarite, but also a deep black purple variety too.

MOSQUITO PLANT: A herb that looks like scented geranium, and smells strongly of citonella. Because it IS Citronellum.

COLEUS: Lime and wines ruffled leaves - Carefree Mix, Pinks, crms and greeens - Kaleidoscope Rose, & sharp contrast wine, limes golds - Wizard Mix. Sun to shade annuals for height and fill.

CELOSIA: Bright Pinks only to blend with all the peach to pink and lime colors in other plants. Likes sun though, we'll see how it does in the planters.

FANCY GRASSES: Purple Fountain Grass, in long planters and in beds by the road. great potential.
Also a medium and a tiny Mondo grass. I now have 3 heights of it. great bed borders and border accents.

DUSTY MILLER: Soft gray, fuzzy leafed foil to colorful or dark foliage. Center focus in waterfall garden surrounded by petunias. Placed to look like splashing water.

DIANTHUS: a variety of pinks to bergandies, and white. This mounding annual came back up in my deck rail hanging planters after the winter freezes. Counting on it to do that again.

MIMULUS: is new to me, but one of my new favorites. Sun to part shade, a myriad of color mixes, vining to beat the band already, and seems to be hardy. Pinched some to remove legginess, but they are spilling out of my hanging baskets and planters everywhere. Magic mix, and Magic Spring Blossom Mix. Horticulturist at Ace was excited to see them, had great love of them in Louisiana.

PETUNIAS: Both a great mix of purples, pinks white and blue for the Fountain Garden, and a miniature variety from Proven Winners- Supertunia*Pretty Much Picasso, and Superbells* Cherry Star. The amazing hot pink with lime green edges of the Picasso looks incridible with all the others of the same coloration. On the deck and in backyard gardens.

FUCHSIA: 3 kinds this year. One a single variety of the grean purple of last year called Electric Lights. As a filler in my wide flat dish gardens. Also a pink and white of this smaller daintier brand. But also a hanging basket of the heavy dble red cap purple flower ones that I have loved for years. Heavy on the ruffles contrasing with the dark green leaves.

MOUNTAIN FIRE PIERIS: a flowering shrub...red tipped limbs on green, with long strands of dripping white flowers in sprays. Part sun variety of outdoor Japonica.

RHODODENDRON: ELITE, a very soft pink variety for the dark corner of the back lot. Along with a light leafed ground cover, it will brighten things up back there I hope. Always wanted Rhododendron. Hope they love their new home.

LILAC: Miss Kim- a dainty profuse tiny floret sweet smelling variety. Even little it was covered in blooms, but I bought it on clearance and it didn't have a good first year. Hope theres no damage because the plants look oh so healthy now. It is considered a low maintainance, deciduous...It likes water...

HOSTAS: we added a white centered variety with green edging that is pretty typical, and not too large- June Plantain Lily, but we also added some small leafed varieties that almost glow in the dark. I broke the bunches apart, and WoW are they going to town. We had heavy rains though, and they seem to like it.