Living in a home you do not own is hard at times, especially when you want to put a lot of time and money into the yard. I have been renting for 8 years, roaming from Santa Rosa to San Luis Obispo and back several times, until I finally settled in Petaluma. Moving around so much made having a big beautiful garden nearly impossible. I did find ways to incorporate gardening into my lifestyle by the ideal of container gardening. This was one way I could be creative, garden and take with me my beautiful creations and projects.
I continue to use container plantings and have included a few pics of my front porch containers. The larger one I did a few months ago and now it is enormous! The plants did much better than I had anticipated they would. I have two different kinds of Coleus plants (the reddish and the purple/green plants) which I used as a taller backdrop plant for my Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' (the silvery heart-shaped leaves) and Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus' (the yellow/green grass). The front porch where I have these pots is mostly shady all day so these plants do really well there. The burgundy ceramic glazed pot that the plants are in go well with the plant palette I ended up choosing. I love warm colors and wanted something that the some of the plants foliage would contrast. 
The smaller container is an older one, which I have had for about 2 years. I really enjoy using succulents in containers as they do not need much watering and they offer an array of colors and forms. They are all just so interesting. In fact I could write a lot about succulents so I will save that for another day. This container began, well with the purchase of the container first. I thought it had a different shape and I imagined succulents trailing from the edges with something tall in the middle. What I ended up putting in this container was close to what I envisioned, but didn't quite become what I was hoping. The trailing succulent plant is Sedum morganiuanum, also called Burros Tail. I really like how the Sedum looks and how it trails over the edge of the container. It really uses the pot to its advantage. The other succulent, a Kalanchoe thrysiflora never grew very big and just hasn't done as well as I thought it would. Sometime soon I hope to find a replacement plant for the Kalanchoe so my container can meet my expectations. For now it is just one of my little projects that I keep working with.
Containers come in so many colors, shapes and sizes. A container doesn't have to be a purchased item or even be an item intended to be used for gardening. To add to that, with all of the plant choices out there it is really up to your imagination what you do. Your options are endless. I can get lost in the world of container gardening, because there are many choices. This type of gardening is great for those who have a small space or who move a lot and want to take their plants with them wherever they go. The container can be moved throughout the yard as it is mobile. It is rather inexpensive, less intimidating and allows for some creativity. 
How does ornamental grass do in containers in Clearlake 110 to 32?
ReplyDelete24" dia. plastic double wall with drip and pots buried one-half in wood chips.
Are the containers in the sun or shade? There are some ornamental grasses that are hardy and will tolerate extreme temperatures. What would the function be of these grasses? What are the surroundings? Are you looking for something tall or short? That info will help me figure out the best ornamental grass for your containers.
ReplyDeleteContainers are in full sun all day. The grasses will be surrounded by flowers, tallest will be my 3' Iris, shortest will be succulents and geraniums.
ReplyDeleteNeed 6" to 2' of 3 different colors. And no plant considered invasive.
The function will be to bring different color and balance.
The planter is teardrop shaped 10' x 4' in a corner of 3' tall block retaining wall and planter is 2' tall same block. Hillside is 8' tall with 30' tall buckeye that overhangs and backdrops but does't shade being Northwest of planter.
Thanks Bill & Judie
Here is a list of some grasses that would be good...
ReplyDeleteHelictotichon sempervirens-Blue Oat Grass
Grows 2-3' tall and wide, bluish green blades, semi-evergreen.
Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' - Blue Fescue
Very short to 8" tall and 10" wide. Blue blades. Compact.
Pennisetum orientale - Fountain Grass
2'tall and wide. Sage green blades with pinkish white plumes.
Carex elata 'Aurea' - Sedge
2.5' tall to 1.5' wide. Gold blades.
Carex buchanii - Leather Leaf Sedge
3' tall, 2.5' wide. rusty color
Most of these grasses need moderate water. The fescue and blue oat grass can eventually become more drought tolerant after they are well established. The carex like moderate water, as well as the pennisetum. They all like full sun. I will try to think of some others, but these were ones off the top of my head. I will also try to post some pics of these grasses tonight so you can see what they look like.