The Beautiful Potted Plants Around My Winter House
I love beautiful ornamental urns filled with lush, green plants.
As many of you may know, I have a rather sizable collection of tropical specimens at my Bedford, New York farm. During the winter, they’re all stored in my greenhouses. Once warm weather arrives, they are brought out for display. A number of them are potted up in spring and placed in various locations here at Cantitoe Corners, especially around my Winter House. And through the summer, they flourish outdoors where they can be enjoyed by me and all those who visit.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- The plants I display are brought out of the greenhouse and potted up in pretty ornamental urns of all sizes. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, and I make these displays different and interesting. And these plants grow and thrive all summer long.
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- Some of the potted plants are paired with contrasting trailing specimens to give them more texture such as this spider agave underplanted with Helichrysum petiolare.
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- Agaves are so beautiful – I have many of them. If you also like agaves, be sure to keep them in low traffic areas, as their spikes can be very painful.
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- Here on a table outside my Winter House, I placed agaves and small ponytail palms together. The urns are just as interesting as the plants themselves. On the far right is a small kalanchoe.
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- In May, Ryan selects the plants from the greenhouse. He considers variety, size, development, light exposure needs, and then he decides the urn and the plant’s placement.
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- Beaucarnea recurvata, the elephant’s foot or ponytail palm, is a species of plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz and San Luis Potosí in eastern Mexico. Despite its common name, it is not closely related to the true palms. In fact, it is a member of the Agave family and is actually a succulent. It has a bulbous trunk, which is used to store water, and its long, hair-like leaves that grow from the top of the trunk like a ponytail, giving the plant its renowned name.
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- Every urn has a drainage hole at the bottom. Here, Ryan places a layer of weed cloth in the bottom of this urn to protect the vessel itself. This will also make it easier to remove the plant next autumn, when it is put back in the greenhouse for the cold season.
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- Remember, whenever transplanting always scarify the root ball, meaning tease or loosen the roots, so they are stimulated before planting. This will help the plant form a good foundation in the pot.
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- Ryan uses his hori hori knife to also give the bottom a scarifying trim.
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- And then he places the palm into the pot. Select urns that are the proper size for the plant, so it has room to grow during the season.
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- The plant is potted at the same depth it was in its plastic container. Ryan uses compost that was made right here at the farm. And he also adds a sprinkling of Osmocote fertilizer. Osmocote contains a core of nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. As the plant’s root system takes-up nutrition from the soil, it also takes up the needed nutrients from the Osmocote.
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- This ponytail palm is perfect in this location where it gets bright light during the day, but also protection from direct light, so its long, leathery green leaves do not burn.
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- Here is another agave Ryan potted up last May in this faux bois container.
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- After he backfills with soil, he tamps down lightly to ensure good connection between the plant and the soil.
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- Two months later, this plant is looking so bold green and lush. The recent rains have also kept the plant quite clean.
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- And remember the hens and chicks we planted in the troughs this spring? Those charming mat-forming succulents with fleshy pointed leaves arranged in rosettes. These plants are among the first I see when I walk out of the house and some of the last I see when I return.
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- Hens and chicks are members of the Sempervivum group of succulent plants. They are also known as houseleeks. Hens and chicks are so called because of the rosette shape and habit of the plant to produce numerous babies.
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- Here they are now – growing so beautifully. One can hardly see the soil around them.
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- All the hens and chicks are thriving. These drought-tolerant plants need very little water once they’re mature and can go weeks without watering. Once established, water them only when the surrounding soil dries out.
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- If you decide to display some plants outside your home, be sure to check them regularly. Weed them if needed, and don’t forget to water them if the soil is dry. Potted plants in pretty outdoor containers are a very good thing.
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