Wednesday, June 20, 2012

06/20/12


Patio Pots pt. I


Coleus Crazy!











I laid a brick patio a couple of seasons ago.  At first, I thought it would be a lovely place for chairs and loungers.  What was I thinking!  Extra space for a gardener means EXTRA PLANTS!  There is seating at the picnic table and at four concrete benches, but the rest of the space has been filled with my ever growing potted plant collection.  I think I'll show you all the fun, by breaking up my posts into parts, as I seem to like to do. 

First off, I've gone a little crazy with the Coleus this year.  There are many varieties out there each with distinctively different colors and markings, so it's been a little difficult resisting the urge to own them all.  My patio is in full sun, at the moment, so I've chosen the ones that have been bred for the sun.  I sprinkled in a few other plants for even more variety.  The pots are sitting at the end of my picnic table so while I'm eating, they make me smile!

p.s.  --- Happy first day of summer 2012!

9 comments:

Rebecca and Tucker said...

I love your coleus collection. They are one of my favorite plants, especially in pots. Your patio looks great. The random brick pattern is just fabulous.

Donald's Garden said...

T & R - Thanks! You would not believe how difficult it was to make a patternless pattern! I wanted it to look rustic - now my knees do too!

Splenderosa said...

Hey fellow Texan...I'm loving this post so much. And, I love coleus!
Well done. xx's Marsha

Mr Paul said...

Donald your Coleus look wonderful, so colurful. Do you let them do their thing or do you pinch out the tips?
Paul

Donald's Garden said...

Paul, Thanks! Oh yes - I'm a pincher! I start when the plants are fairly young. In fact, if I purchase one that has a long stem, I usually whack several inches off the top to get things started. As the season progresses, I go from pinching the foliage to pinching the buds. I won't let them go to flower until the very last moment.

Iris Hunter said...

A cunning plan to disguise a picnic table as a Coleus Garden. Brilliant!!

Iris Hunter said...

A cunning plan to disguise a picnic table as a Coleus Garden. Brilliant!!

DesertSnowdrop said...

Love the all the different pots colors: so pretty.Your coleus is just fab!

DesertSnowdrop said...
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