Potted Plants Outside My Home
The stone ledges outside my Winter House are now filled with beautiful potted plants.
I always display a variety of warm weather specimens around my home during spring and summer - potted flowering herbs, succulents, and even some ground covers that look good planted together in urns. Yesterday, my gardener Matthew Orrego, potted up a collection of faux bois vessels outside my carport. 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.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Dressing up a stone ledge with lush green plants makes a space more inviting. I love to display a variety of healthy specimens around my home this time of year.
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- First I select what vessels I will use in a certain location. This year outside my carport, I decided to display a series of faux bois pots – decorative planters that look like real wood using materials like reinforced concrete, plaster, or ceramic. The term comes from the French faux bois, meaning “false wood.” Some are old and some are from my own collection on QVC.
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- Each pot has drainage holes at the bottom. Matthew covers each hole with a stone to prevent soil from clogging or escaping. Good drainage is very important.
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- Matthew fills each planter with gardening or landscape fabric. The fabric is made from a solid sheet that allows water to soak through. It is available at any garden shop. He also checks that each plant fits nicely in its designated pot.
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- Matthew places a layer of fabric in every pot 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 or planted outdoors.
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- Then 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. I use Miracle-Gro Organic Outdoor Potting Mix.
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- Here, Matthew removes a flowering rosemary plant from its plastic container.
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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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- Matthew carefully places the plant inside the designated vessel making sure the plant is straight before filling it with more soil.
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- Matthew fills the pot with soil to just under the urn’s lip.
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- Rosemary produces needle-like evergreen leaves and small, tubular flowers that grow in clusters along the branches. The flowers are delicate, fragrant blooms ranging in color from pale blue to deep purple, white, or pink.
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- After each specimen is planted, it is fed with a sprinkling of Osmocote, a slow-release fertilizer that provides essential nutrients to plants over several months.
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- Matthew also plants succulents. A succulent is a type of plant characterized by its thick, fleshy leaves that store water, allowing it to survive in arid environments.
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- As each plant is potted, he cuts off the excess fabric. Any that can be seen afterward can be tucked into the soil.
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- Some of the succulents are underplanted with Lysimachia, a low and fast growing ground cover that will spread and flow nicely over the pot edges.
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- This agave is underplanted with Dusty Miller, a silvery ornamental plant valued for its drought tolerance, low maintenance, and pretty color contrast. 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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- On this ledge, I also chose Capsicum annuum ‘Purple Flash’ – a herbaceous ornamental pepper with near black foliage accented with flashes of bright purple or white and tiny jet black fruit.
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- Capsicum annuum ‘Calico’ features variegated leaves with shades of green, cream, and purple.
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- Cuphea ramosissima ‘Pink Shimmer’ is a compact, heat-tolerant ornamental shrub valued for its petite pink flowers and low maintenance needs.
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- Using potted plants to decorate the outside of one’s home can totally transform a space and add interest and color. These plants will thrive in this location.
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- After everything is planted, Matthew gives all the plants a good drink. Don’t forget, if you drank today, so should your plants. I hope this inspires you to take out your potted plants and display them outside your home this season.
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