Potted Plants Outside My Winter House
It's always a joy to see beautiful potted plants displayed around the farm during the warm season.
Every year, I take out many of my outdoor ornamental urns and fill them with plants. They do so well outside in the summer months and look great arranged around my home. Last week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted several containers with an assortment of plants including English lavender, Dusty Miller, Lamb's Ears, and ferns. He also planted a pair of urns with hens and chicks - those charming mat-forming succulents with fleshy pointed leaves arranged in rosettes. Planting season is here!
Enjoy these photos.
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- It’s always so much fun to visit local nurseries and select plants for one’s own gardens and terrace containers. Neighborhood shops sell what grows best in the area and experts on staff are there to answer any questions.
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- Every urn has a drainage hole at the bottom. Ryan places a layer of weed cloth first 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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- The container is filled two-thirds of the way up with a good quality potting soil. Using a proper soil mix will help to promote faster root growth and give quick anchorage to young roots.
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- I use Miracle-Gro Organic Outdoor Potting Mix. It contains a quick-release natural fertilizer that feeds plants for up to two months.
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- Fertilizer is also added to the soil. This is Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed, an easy to use plant food that nourishes above and below the soil.
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- Ryan decides the plant’s placement first. Always try to arrange specimens strategically, so they look best.
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- Remember, whenever transplanting always scarify the root ball, meaning tease or loosen the roots, so they are stimulated. This will help the plant roots grow and form a good foundation in the pot.
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- Ryan places a variety of plants in this large faux bois urn. When planting different specimens in one pot, be sure to consider the growth habits of each plant to ensure there’s enough room to last all season.
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- Lamb’s Ears, Stachys byzantina, is named after its soft and velvety, silver-green leaves that resemble the ears of a lamb.
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- This is Dusty Miller ‘New Look,’ Senecio bicolor cineraria – an annual loved for its silvery-gray foliage. It grows about 12-inches tall and wide and will fill in the pot nicely along with the other plants.
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- In this container, Ryan also adds Scabiosa, the Pincushion flower, a charming perennial flowering plant.
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- This is an autumn fern, Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance.’ It is a handsome coppery red color that matures to a dark green.
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- Lysimachia is a fast growing perennial groundcover with small, round, yellow-green leaves. It complements the greens and silvers in this container.
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- Ryan adds more soil to fill to just under the lip of the container.
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- The soil is gently tamped down to ensue good contact.
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- And then Ryan trims the excess weed cloth around the pot, so it cannot be seen.
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- This antique faux bois planter is displayed on the wall outside my carport where it can be seen and enjoyed every day.
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- This container is one of a pair that is located on the steps of my terrace parterre outside my Winter House kitchen. It is planted with lavender and dichondra, another creeping groundcover. Displaying potted plants is an easy way to add color, texture, and nature to any space.
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- On the other side of my terrace parterre, two planters are potted with hens and chicks. 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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- 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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