Papillion Garden Club - Papillion, Nebraska (Zone 5b)
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A Garden Journal

Climb Out of That Garden Rut
By Lorry Feldhausen
12-22-2014

There are many books available on “container gardening.”   However, containers are very different from what usually comes to mind when the word garden is mentioned.  For one thing, gardens have a way of evolving on their own as plants crossbreed and reseed. Pictures taken of my gardens over twenty years document that while certain anchor plants remain the same, the tapestry of colors and textures is ever changing.  Consequently, a garden naturally looks at least slightly different each year.

Most container gardens, on the other hand, must be completely redone each spring.  And therein lies the problem.  It is just too easy to fall into a rut and plant the same plant combinations year after year. Last spring I set out on a mission to discover new plants for my containers.  It did not take long to discover that the secret is to patronize many more nurseries, especially the smaller ones, looking for that elusive “something different.”  Here are the outstanding selections of the 2014 gardening season that really perked up my pots from spring to frost.

The flower that generated the most comments from neighbors and visitors was an annual begonia.  Produced by the Plantpeddler and available at The Garden Gallery, this beauty with the 2” blossoms is part of the Waterfalls® Angel Falls® series in Soft Pink.  The tag indicates this plant with “excellent branching” is best used in hanging baskets or containers in part sun to shade.  Growing 18-24” tall and 12-18” wide, this begonia likes to be kept moist.  And while I gave it one heavy dose of slow release fertilizer at planting time, the tag indicates it should be fertilized weekly.  From spring to frost the plant is smothered in eye-catching flowers that really light up the shade garden. (See picture at http://goo.gl/SQw00U )


Hands down my most interesting new container plant was the ‘Firecracker’ Fuchsia grown by Bluebird Nursery and discovered at The Garden Gallery.  While this unusual variegated plant really liked morning sun, the two planted in the shade garden also performed well.  The striking foliage of this 18-24” plant is reason enough to buy it.  Olive green leaves are marked with cream, light pink, and dark pink variegation.  While the tag insists the tubular flowers are “peachy pink,” they are actually a hot orange, providing a striking contrast to the leaves.  The plant flowers heavily in the cooler spring and fall temperatures.  But even in July and August when it rested, the foliage was absolutely wonderful. (See pictures at http://goo.gl/6FfvpO )


A great plant for containers in full sun, ‘Ruellia Ragin’ Cajun’ is produced by Novalis® PLANTSthatWORK® by COLOR™ and was discovered at Gardens by Dee-Sign.  The delicate red flowers rise above deep green foliage.  While the tag indicates the plant adapts well to moist and dry conditions, I found the flowers drooping several times during the heat of summer.   So either my watering was not regular enough or the rooster sedge next to it was a water hog. (See pictures at 
http://southernlivingplants.com/perennials/plant/ragin_cajun_ruellia)  

During the winter the storage part of my basement becomes a cramped plant workroom.  I try to leave enough space to navigate through the plants in order to water as well as pick the Malabar spinach growing in a ten-gallon pot on an upside-down tomato cage.  With plants stacked on tables, dollies, and shelves, there seemed to be no room left by November 1.  However, while working in the garden the weekend before the November 10 cold front came barreling through, I could not resist rescuing one last temperate plant that still looked amazing.  Pandorea Jasminoides ‘Variegata,’ grown by Bluebird Nursery and offered by The Garden Gallery, was another new discovery for me this year.  Unlike other jasmine, this vine of Australian origin has no fragrance.  What it does have are delicate green and white variegated leaves and a beautiful pink flower.  Planted in a ten-gallon pot with an iron obelisk for support, it received morning sun and then filtered shade.  No doubt it would have flowered more and climbed higher in full sun, but it provided a nice vertical statement where it was placed.  Although a cousin of the trumpet creeper, this is a well-behaved plant that climbed about four feet in my garden container.  After trimming the vine and repotting it, room was made in the basement so that it could winter over with the rest of the garden refugees.  (See picture at
http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/pandorea_jasminoides.htm)

My advice to gardeners who stick to the big nurseries and the box stores year after year is to get adventurous--go out and explore!  In the Omaha metro area there are many wonderful places to buy plants from people who have a real passion as well as a great deal of knowledge.  The only downside is not being able to allow the new favorites to succumb to frost!

If you have questions or would like to comment on any of the plants mentioned above, please use the garden forum part of this website. 






























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