Looking ideas and opinions on combinations for container plantings in sun and shade. I usually pack in as much as possible for instant display. I use a lot of tropicals, annuals and a few perennials. What is everyone's favorites for those possibilities?

Hi there,

i love to use geraniums, they stand the heat and are good for both the sun and shade, lots of pretty colors too.
I'm like you and pack in as much as i can, and if i goof and somthing dies then i just replace it with somthing else and hope it lives.
Good luck and would love to see some pics once you get them potted!!

Good choice. I plant for other people so I have lots of differing needs. Some are private homes, some are businesses. I don't think I have any of last years containers pics and I am just starting to play with photo bucket. But when I get more time I will add what I have. Thanks.
Kirsten

I like all the succulents together.

Last year I planted a peach colored tuberous begonia, blue lobelia and wandering jew together. It was a really pretty combination. I don't think you can ever go wrong with a bunch of different coleus planted together either.

If you look in my album I have a few my favorite are tropicals with colorful leaves. I hate to deadhead flowers,

These are my two favorites..


My shade arrangement African Mask, caladium,


CLICK TO ENLARGE

This one bloomed all summer and I loved the fragrance
CLICK TO ENLARGE

Hi everyone.
Succulents is something I have never tried. I threatened to do nothing but cactus and succulents last year due to the drought but never went that far. But I think I will do some this year.

I use tons of Coleus! Unfortunately my resource for them closed her doors last year. Anyone use Singing Springs? I will miss them.

Blue Lobelia is a great container filler to spill over the edge. But here in S.W. Missouri it gets to hot for it to last well into the summer. So I always use it but when it starts burning I cut it off and put in a summer bloomer.

Deadheading is a real nuisance. I always use foliage plants to save time on this chore. Caladiums, Alocasias and Colocasias top the list! I also use a lot of Hosta. The minis are fun to use in groups.

Kirsten

I love using lobelia too, its so pretty.

I enjoy petunias and pansies in my containers. Lots of deadheading, yes, but also loads of color! And my pansies are still blooming even after a few snowstorms.

Triss, I love pansies ! Every fall I buy my favorites-the blue with a yellow center, the apricot and the bright, clear yellow.
Which do you have?
I plant mine a bit deeper than advised, because they tend to get leggy and fall over.

I have yellow and yellow with burgundy centers, peach and purples. The yellows have done the best for blooms.

Kirsten, I'm with you on deadheading-and isn't deadheading roses tons of fun.....ouch !

Ahhhh - Roses. Love them, gotta have them, do have them. One of my first endeavors was a semi formal rose garden that held about 60 roses. over the years it has had some issues and the last couple i have let it go. i will redo it still using roses but not all hybrid teas!

What are some of your favorites?
My very favorite rose is "White Iceberg".
I love the airy shape of the plant, the tidy smaller leaves and most of all the light "honey" scent.

I love Iceberg! I actually love all the roses. I love the form of the hybrid teas. The fragrance of the the old roses. The daintiness of the minis...yada yada yada... Yea, love em all. Having said all that...The hybrid tea Hot Cocoa is the coolest orange brown color. The mini Red Cascade is just wonderful. The Fairy, Ballerina, Red Knockout, any of the David Austins just for their fragrance. If there are any rose people in the group maybe they can identify one that I have. It is very fragrant, blooms heavy in the late spring, purple-lavender blooms, small, cabbage rose form. The plant is about 3' by 3'. It is probably an old rose. Been on the farm for 37 years that I know off.
Kirsten

Kirsten, what does "cabbage rose" mean?
How neat-a rose that's so old !
I hope someone can identify it for you.

Hi Deborah

A cabbage rose is just a nickname for Rosa centifolia. Also know as the hundred petal rose. It is the fullest petalled rose. There are many of them in many colors.

Is it ever pretty though

Conatiners...I'm going to be depending on them this year! I would say the basics like marigolds on their own or geraniumns surrounding a spikes plant in the middle. How about
nasturtiums and pansies/violas
a pot of ornamental grass with a top layer of decorative rocks. You could try planting sweet alyssum around the sides and have them hang and put a calendula or somethign silimar at the top. Just remember that they're going to be sharing soil so you should consider plants that need about the same amount of water. Adding height is also very wise to make it attractive

Thanks, Kirsten-that's a beauty !

Hi Kenny. I use a lot of tropicals in containers. You need height, and flowing and mid ground. If you like to use single plant containers you can group containers together to get the same affect. I pack the container as full as I can get it, but I use cool season and warm season plants. By the time it gets too warm for the cool season ones the warm season things have enough size to take over center stage. Alyssum, Lobelia, Wave Petunias are great and you can also use Dichondra Silver Falls, yellow Lantana, Ivy and Calibrochoa (Million Bells). Marigolds, Zinnias, Dahlias, Coleus, Geraniums, Double begonias, and Impatiens make good mid height plants. "Spikes" make great center height. So do Hibiscus, Abutilon, Cannas, Phormiums, Purple Fountain grass, Purple millet, and Caladiums. Those are just a few. There are millions of combinations. And you can always throw perennials into any combo. Hosta, and Huechera make great ones for shade. Even evergreen or deciduous shrubs, and small trees can be used for a season then transplanted to a permanent location in the fall.

Kirsten, well lantana do well in a hanging basket??? I have only ever seen them in the ground.

Triss, Lantana do well anywhere. They love heat and not dry, not wet conditions. The yellow one tends to trail and the orange, pink or purple ones tend to be more upright. They can even be made into standards. I've seen them 4' tall. You need to have a place to overwinter them unless you happen to live where it is above 40 in the winter!

I should have added to my last post that when you fill the container you will need to water and feed regularly. Which you should do anyway, but with that many plants you have to if you want it to be outstanding. And don't forget the ornamental sweet potato vines for trailing up to eight feet! Here anyway...

I could overwinter them in the bathroom, that part is not a problem. I just never thought to put them in a container. It would look great to have one with yellow and purple hanging next to my door. I get full sun there and can keep them on the drier side. Will have to look for some.

Only the standards need overly warm winters, only to keep the main trunk happy. You can also keep them in a cold storage situation. Just keep it from completely drying out and above freezing. Mine stays around 40 and stays green all winter. They have pretty large root system, so if you put it in a basket it will need to be fairly large to let it get some size

Ok that sounds good. Will have to see if I can even find one here. I do not recall seeing them last year, but I sure will be on the lookout for them this year.

I have a floribunda (Angle Face) that sure sounds like the cabbage rose described earlier in this post. When our wind is out of the west, my whole front porch smells wonderful! Run a search on it and see if it matches yours. I just love mine!

I believe you have it right! I can't imagine the people that we bought the farm from would have purchased something that new (at the time) but every description fits! We have a winner!

Thats so pretty Kirsten!!!

Beautiful!

I wish everyone could smell it!

I'm sure it smells heavenly!!!

It sounds and looks delightful! I can smell it !