07/19/12

Patio Pots Part II

Here is another corner of my patio.  I have a mix of succulents nestled in this part of my patio that hopefully make good neighbors .  If I could squeeze more in, I probably would!

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!

07/08/11

Cape Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) and Old Fashioned Petunia (Petunia hybrida)

 When the weather hits 106 in Texas as it is supposed to today, everyone runs for cover indoors.  Me, I'll be out in the heat watering.  If I get too hot, I can always run over to my potted Cape Plumbago.  Looking at the icy blue blooms is like taking a drink of cool, cool water.  It most definitely won't take the place of H20, but it'll do, until I can get some.  An old fashioned climbing petunia grows in a pot beside the Plumbago.  It's fiery hot purple blooms just make the cool blue look even cooler.



06/29/11

Adenium obesum, Echeveria Frilly, and Abelia Kaleidoscope

I have a Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) in a pot with a bunch of succulents.  It happens to bloom each year when the foliage of the succulent Echeveria, from sitting in the sun all day, has pink edges .   A nearby green and chartreuse Abelia, in another pot, contrasts nicely with the hot pink and white flowers.  

4/27/11

Potted plants

I finally finished my brick patio.  The most exciting part was being able to arrange my potted plants here and there.  This photo shows part of my collection.  I've gotten a little crazy, so I have pockets like this throughout the garden.  I'm hoping not to cover my patio completely! 

03/30/11

Bougainvillea 'Orange King'

I just added a new Bougainvillea to what I call my 'Boogie Collection.'  I have found that of all the tropicals I overwinter, Bougainvillea is the most reliable.  In fact, much of the winter they are blooming in the house.  When I saw this 'Boogie' I couldn't pass him up.  I think every garden needs a King and an orange one - even better!

3/21/11

Bulbine frutescens

This beauty is a new addition to my potted plant collection.  I love the intricate little blooms that look like shooting stars.  I also like the succulent grass like foliage.  It isn't hardy in my 7b/8a zone so I'll be taking it in for protection in the winter.  I think it will be worth the effort.

03/18/11

Citrus aurantifolia (Key Lime) and Photinia

I'm looking forward to a bumper crop of Key Limes this year.  My little tree is covered with blooms!  The red foliage in the background is from a Fraser Photinia.

1/30/11

Opuntia sublata montrose 'Christmas Tree'

Some call this Opuntia 'Christmas Tree.' So again it looks like I can't seem to leave Christmas behind, even though it's two days to February! The little red phylloclades on the tips of this cactus look like little red ornaments, don't they? Montrose is the smaller and may I say cuter version of the larger Opuntia sublata.

1/14/11

Kalanchoe tomentosa (Panda Plant)

This is the 'vanilla' version of Kalanchoe t. 'Chocolate Soldier.' If I were choosing ice cream, I'd go with vanilla every time. If I had to choose between the plants, I would have a much more difficult time. For now, I like them equally.

1/12/11

Kalanchoe tomentosa 'Chocolate Soldier'

We are finally having a winter! It's been in the teens. I've decided, while my plants and I are hibernating in the warmth of the house, to take the opportunity to get up close with my potted succulents and tropicals by photographing them.

The first to have this honor is this beauty. I dare anyone who sees it not to touch its fuzzy leaves. I love that it has a brownish tint. I'm not a chocolate fanatic but this plant may change that!

p.s. The table in the photograph is one of my 'mosaic decoupage' creations.

10/18/10

Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' and Rose 'Sweet Pea'

Another plant from my garden decided to make friends with a potted plant nearby. I noticed my 'Sweet Pea' Rose getting frisky with my Yucca 'Color Guard. I hope they didn't noticed me taking pictures.

10/04/10

California Aloe and Garlic Chives

The cool thing about putting potted plants in amongst the flowering garden beds is that sometimes unexpected combinations appear. I liked seeing the pristine white blooms of the Garlic Chives flopping over into my silvery blue Aloe California. I wish I could say I planned it, but I can't, I only discovered it.

09/10/10

Potted succulents

I've begun to add potted succulents to my flower beds. If I had it my way I'd plant them in the ground. I live in Zone 8 however and most of them would perish. People ask me why I wish I lived in my birth state of California - this is one major reason! The grass is always greener...

08/29/10

Birthday Pot

This past July my twin brother and I had one of the 'big' birthdays. The kind where you look down at your written age and shake your head in disbelief! To mark the occasion my brother surprised me with this beautiful pot. When he told me he made it I was even more impressed.

The heat in Texas this August has been pounding down on us like the fury of satan. I noticed that the plants showing no sign of pain were my potted succulents and cacti. As my pot sat empty I decided I wanted to pot something in it that would add to my healthy assortment. What better plant to plant than a cactus! I found this 'Ming Thing' (Cereus forbessi monstrose) on sale and knew it would be perfect. I was glad to be able to add my brother's gift to my blossoming collection of potted beauties!

06/25/10

Desert Rose (Adenium obesum)

This is one of my favorite tropicals. It isn't hardy in my zone, so I bring it inside during the winter. I can see it out my kitchen window every morning. -A good way to start the day!

06/18/10

Rudbeckia 'Cappucino' and Euphorbia cotinifolia

The Rudbeckia 'Cappucino' that I grew from seed last year made it through the winter. I was shocked to see that, in the pots, the foliage never died back, even though our winter was an unusually harsh one. I like how it looks against the Euphorbia which is also another potted plant from last year. It was protected indoors through the winter.

06/04/09

I started seeds of an old heirloom variety of petunias that I purchased from http://www.selectseeds.com/ called 'balcony.' I'm hoping they will survive the summer so that they will thrive again in the fall. I'm hoping too that they reseed. The color is outrageous, and I do like outrageous! They are in pots with coleus and Rudbeckia 'Cappuccino.' I also have 'Balcony' petunias sprinkled around a couple of the garden beds.