What with packing, moving, unpacking, assembling the new
house, plants had little planning and a very late start here. The ever present
mandevilla could do no wrong, but how to spruce up the rest of the cement
foundation of my deck.
Lacking any garden worthy area of land, I coveted large clay
pots with shiny finishes. Four of them to arrange strategically around the
deck. The cost, at two to three hundred dollars, per pot was prohibitive, and
the idea was set aside, until I discovered resin pots.
They looked very like
the shiny pottery pots I wanted, though weightless.
I had so many left overs stones, so much left over soil, I
had no ballast shortage. I bought the resin pots and added some clearance shelf
plants that would fill up space. It was very satisfactory for this summer.
For next summer I would like flowers I really enjoy. First I
would like the opinion of wiser gardeners than I. The flowers all grow from
bulbs, and all the bulbs will be planted in a resin pot.
The resin planters are 16” in diameter and 14” tall. They
have an 8” base, in case that’s important. The walls are half an inch thick and
the planters hold eight gallons of soil.
At eight inches I would plant allium, iris and lilies. At
seven inches, white narcissi’s, only. Then at five inches, snowdrops, crocus
and anemone.
For what it’s worth, the frost line here is four inches.
Since the pots are exposed to freezing from the walls in, I think frost line is
moot. I probably must think of how I will protect the pot exterior from the
cold, but I can do that.
Any advice? All advice welcome. And opinions. I seldom bite
back.
In the meantime, "summer's almost gone, winter's coming on". Soon I will be taking apart the hanging baskets and clearing out my resin pots. Time to make a plan!
Most bulbs cope well with frost. A late frost while they are in bud or flower is a different matter, though we currently have daffodils and jonquils which don't give a hoot. The anemones ditto. They are heavy feeders and do appreciate fertiliser and compost. They often don't flower again if they are grown in pots though.
ReplyDeleteComing from a place where the term "frost line" is unheard of, I have no advice whatsoever. I'm sure that others do though.
ReplyDeleteI would find someplace inside to winter over the pots if you are really worried. what they tell us here about protecting stuff that's in the ground is to water before a freeze and then cover. but how you cover is essential. I cover with a sheet or blanket first then a plastic tarp but the tarp has to go all the way to the ground and weighted down at the bottom to create a tent. I have no idea how this relates to a place that has snow on the ground for months.
ReplyDeleteThe resin pots look like clay. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteI have a absolutely no advice to give but those are damn fine pots ma'am.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
Love the pots! I planted some gladiola bulbs in a big pot and they did not do well at all. I always have better luck planting in the ground. I planted some zinnias in pots and they did look lovely, if a little too tall.
ReplyDeleteI really like the look of large, ceramic pots. However, when filled they are also prohibitively heavy. My husband bought a mammoth one last year in the hopes of growing an avo tree. We put the pot on wheels.
ReplyDeleteI like the pots! Very colorful! No clue what to offer in the way of advice, LOL. I live in a desert. I bet we don't even have a frost line here in Phoenix :) Hoping someone else will be more knowledgeable than I am.
ReplyDeletebetty
Never had any luck with bulbs, I plant them and never see them again so sorry my advice is just no good in this area.
ReplyDeleteMerle..........
Our temperatures here are so different from yours I don't have any worthwhile advice. I do know that most bulbs prefer a cooling off period before they start growing and flowering. The coldest we've had here in Adelaide has been frosty air, not even frost on the ground this winter. Good luck with the bulbs.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much vegetables you can grow in containers. Carrots love deep compost in particular. Seasonal annuals like summer and winter bedding plants would look good. Heather's and Primulas and daffodils and crocus for Winterand perennials will live happily in pots too.
ReplyDeleteI love to buy different types of daffodils than the usual yellow sort. It's fun browsing bulb catalogues.
ReplyDeleteI plant perennials usually. Very few bulbs and never pots. You are a planner for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe ground insulates the bulbs from the cold and I don’t think the same can be said of pots. I am not sure your plants would do well. If you do decide to try, put them in a protected area under the deck. You could also wait till early spring and buy the blooming plants from a local garden store.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, when I was a teacher at a nursery school, we had the kids plant daffodils in pots in January or February. We then put them in a dark, cool, closet. I am sure we watered them at some time. When they started to show signs of life in April, we took them out and they were a perfect gift for the children to give on Mother’s Day.
Good luck.
I've had no luck with bulbs (daffs,tulips,crocus) in pots - the bulbs rotted, alas. I'm in Pennsylvania, so our weather's about the same.
ReplyDeleteLove your pots and maybe you'll have better luck than I did.
Mary
I think Ellen and Starting Over have good advice in this regard.
ReplyDeleteI'd dig up the bulbs, place them in a plastic bag and put them in the refrigerator, then replant in early spring.
ReplyDeleteSuper pots...I remember having to move all the ceramic pots indoors every winter when we were in France...never knew whether the risk of a hernia or heart failure was greater...
ReplyDeleteNo opinion except that the pots look very nice.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if those pots would crack if frozen. I believe they'd do best in a shelter where the soil won't get wet from the winter ice and snow. Maybe inside your shed over winter. I broke my ankle last fall and didn't get a ceramic strawberry jar full of cats and kittens taken into the garage as usual. It was on the porch where it chipped and cracked from freezing.
ReplyDeleteThey really are wonderful looking pots!
My mother and youngest daughter have green thumbs. Mine are beige.
ReplyDeleteI think I said this once before. That dresser is heavenly. I have the same piece with it's linguista walton handles. I use it as a night stand on my side of the bed....as did my grandmother.
No experience wintering over bulbs in planters.
ReplyDeletePlastic planters can crack. Resin, I'd bring indoors or wrap in burlap and a plastic bag just in case.
Good to have plans. I can't help much as to what to plant and at what depth. I usually just plant one kind of plant in each pot. My geraniums are still giving off lovely colour but I think I must start cleaning out the garden and preparing for winter soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm no gardening expert, so I hesitate to give any advice. Our garden is mostly bushes rather than flowers in any case. But I love the coloured pots.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd add something to the soil to ensure that they don't get waterlogged in wet weather as resin pots don't let the water evaporate. Possibly grit, or biochar.
ReplyDeleteI like to grow herbs on my balcony. The most useful are perpetual spinach, parsley and chives. You could bring them indoors when it snows. It feels good to grow something productive to eat.
ReplyDeleteProbably the lovely pots will need some protection in winter. Are you only going to plant bulbs? Daylilies are not really bulbs, but might work well...Some things for every season are important, but your mandevillas last so beautifully. I look forward to seeing what you grow next year!
ReplyDeleteMy only experience with pot planting came from planting vegetables this year (we kept the pots on our high deck to keep them away from deer). The regular potting soil plus compost didn't sustain the plants for long. I had to add fertilizer after the first few weeks and should have added it earlier. Now I wonder how much good that soil will be for next year. I've had bulbs before but only in-ground. Good luck. I do like the look of those pots.
ReplyDeleteAnd have you considered aliums? Burpees has some very pretty ones, different colors and heights.
ReplyDeleteI can add nothing useful either, since I only seem to be able to grow geraniums or lavender and even then only if they want to. Bees love sweet peas, though....
ReplyDeleteThe rule of thumb for bulbs is plant two to three times as deep as the diameter of the bulb. Daylily crowns should be planted so the crown is about one to one and a half inch deep. The iris rhizome should planted about one half to one inch deep. I
ReplyDeleteAfter watering the top of the rhizome may be partially exposed. I have grown iris in a pot. It did not require any special care over winter. The pot was set on the ground next to my deck. I am in zone 5.
Caring for plpants is really soothing...
ReplyDelete