On the one hand, I can hardly help but want to group plants together and if there’s a pot big enough for everyone, I’m all for it. And there are places in our gardens that truly demand a mixed container, such as the entrance gate, wedding tent, and porte-cochère. I spent the last two weeks debating buying what seemed to be a behemoth new container (made of very light-weight and hopefully winter-durable resin) for our entrance. I knew the one we were using was way too small but it took Gail’s reassurance and actually seeing the new pot situated to realize that there’s almost no such thing as “too big” for a solitary container placed outside.

I’ve been pretty lucky with these mixed containers in the last few years (last year in particular) but I attribute their success (and by success I mean that they don’t need to be watered more than twice a week) to one very important factor: They’re in partial shade – receiving only morning sun. Glazed or plastic pots obviously hold the moisture longer and I think relying heavily on perennials (or tender perennials) with interesting foliage rather than flowers has helped too. Most of my favorite container plants – such as hakonechloa, farfugium, hypericum, Geranium ‘Rozanne’, and hydrangea will also grow slowly enough in confinement to not overtake their neighbors.

But for the container beds by the greenhouse I would much rather group singletons in pots than plant up a bunch of mixed combinations – for a couple of reasons: One of the beds is in full sun, and in my experience, mixed pots in full sun are a constant struggle. There’s more competition for soil moisture and inevitably something dies and leaves a gaping hole or one thing overtakes and might as well have been planted by itself. (Obviously I haven’t hit the exactly right full-sun combo yet.) With singletons on the other hand, wimps can be babied and tucked behind athletes at least until they’re tough enough to compete. The whole bed can be rearranged on a whim, and as a nester and obsessive futzer, I’m all for that. The only difficulty is pairing pot to plant. But even that is a challenge I look forward to every year. And I have to admit that I never really mind if something like fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus) or violets seed themselves in, and so most of our singletons are actually couples.

Do you prefer mixed containers or singletons – or do you have places for both too?

We really needed the rain. Not only were the gardens dry – which is hard to believe since it’s been so not-sunny lately – but rain also gives us a chance to get to things that usually get short shrifted in May. Like tending to houseplants – or in our case the greenhouse plants. At home I all but forget to water my houseplants in spring let alone get them cleaned up, repotted and or fertilized before putting them outside for the season. And it shows. Here too: the greenhouse plants inevitably start to look a little peaky and neglected right before we want to put them on proud display outside.

So this week, while I tied myself to a desk to catch up on other stuff, Gail, Tara and a few of the volunteers grabbed the chance to give the greenhouse plants some necessary TLC. In between squalls, they even moved a few outside. Moving out during a cloudy week is perfect for giving those plants a chance to acclimate to the sky. Never be tempted, as I sometimes am, to put even sun-loving houseplants in full sun outside right away. Give them some days of shade first. (That said, the sun finally blazed right when I went out with my camera. – At least these plants have been under full greenhouse sun and won’t be so stunned.) If you haven’t already put out the plants that can take it on the cool side like phormium, camellia, gardenia, and rosemary, it’s perfectly safe for them now (it is here anyway.) And looking ahead at our forecast, it might be safe now to start moving the warmer-blooded out too. Most (tropical) houseplants prefer nights to be above 55° or even 6o° F. (I plan on kicking most mine out of the house starting this weekend, come what may. I’m pretty sure at this point we’ll all be happier outdoors.)

Have you had a chance to catch up on inside work too? Have you moved any house or greenhouse plants out yet?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Punxatawney Phil didn’t see his shadow the other day and we all know that means spring is right around the corner. (Wahoo!) Gail and I are definitely feeling winter suddenly pick up speed and are switching gears and counting the milestones.

Now that we’ve sent in the seed orders we can turn our divided attention back to the plants. (Our attention is always divided, or so it feels. Right now we’re being pulled away to meetings, seminars, trade shows, etc – all good stuff! – but what we wouldn’t give for a week of blank days…) I already mentioned in the last post that the plants in the greenhouse are starting to put on new growth – and you know me with the new growth – I’m captivated by it. For some plants – our tender perennials in particular, new growth showing means it’s high time to cut the plants back. There are a couple of reasons we do this: one is, if we didn’t the plants would be leggy and weird next season. Cutting them back also encourages a big push of new growth, which we use for cuttings and we’ll start those around the end of this month.  (We’re old school in the way we make new plants too – no tissue culture for us. I suspect in this case, most gardeners continue to do as we do too.) We’re still enjoying the flowers and seed heads on some but when it’s time, it’s time. They’ll be blooming stupendously again before we know it.

Are you wintering over any tender perennials? Which ones? Have you cut them back yet?

As much as I love and appreciate the meditative quiet of a good snow fall, we’ve had a lot of opportunity to meditate lately and I’m starting to feel a little restless. In order to shake off the calm I’ve turned the radio up high, shelved the picture-less books and am reveling in any bright colors I can find. I’m paying particular attention to the catalogs printed in full color on glossy stock and taking breaks for hits of high color in the greenhouse. I even ventured outside (briefly – brrr!) to find a bright spot out there.

Are you looking for bright colors right now too? Where are you finding them?