I may "add" some Coleus, but I want flowers as well - scented would be awesome too..... I have this long front porch that has tall shrubs in front of it for privacy. It get's off and on shade, as the sun moves across the sky. Pansies only grow well there in the Spring and in the Fall, because we get very hot dry summers and they shrivel and die. Petunias don't do well because they just get leggy from lack of enough sun. I'm not very good at all with Begonias. I know I'm running myself out of options fast! Any suggestions? These are containers that I've always just grown annuals in because of my zone, plus I want blooms all summer long.....
Shade Container Gardening Ideas Needed no Coleus
No flowers but it's hard to beat the power of caladiums and they'll last until frost. DG's Bill is having his caladium sale now but there's just a few more days to take advantage of his 15% off for DG'ers.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1293496/
No deadheading.
No flashy flowers.
No big deal to plant.
They'd love the shade/sun siting!
I guess what I should say is no "foilage only" plants - I have those covered, lol. But thanks!
Impatiens.
When Ihad an east facing porch with LARGE oaks in the front I actually had pretty good luck with nasturtiums and violas. The nasturtiums were the vining type and trailed up the posts so I couldn't move them, but I also had petunia's and allysum in pots that I made 2 of each and had one out front and 1 out back in mostly sun and just switced them on the weekends. They didn't reach full potential but looked pretty good most of the time. I still do that with houseplants Because my house is just too dark to keep them in all the time.
You might have to compromise, but fuchsia, torenia, bacopa, oxalis, heliotrope, Brazilian fireworks, skullcap .....
Al
Bacopa can handle lots of shade? That would be great to add! I am definitely going to do impatiens, but want to research that a little - I really love the New Guinea ones, but they are so spendy to buy as plants, and not even sure if you can grow them from seed......
You Will have more success with the regular impatiens Karrie, and while you mentioned heat and droughty situations, It was the shadey-ish location that you mentioned that inspired my first thought. I know your gonna be watering the planter box anyway! 1 flat in spring from your favorite distributer and your set for the season!
David, I prefer the New Guinea ones - for their beauty, and they were easy to take care of in this climate. I have grown both. I am just wondering about starting them from seed, as buying them by the plants are spendy.
Begonias work here.
seeds are good!
I love Begonias - and wish they loved me - but they don't! boo hoo!
I'm out of ideas.
The Tourenia, wishbone flower, already mentioned by tapla is a lovely shade annual that comes in many colors and in a vining ground cover form and regular small bunching plant. They would look great with impatients and fushia. I imagine they would be could be grown from seed since I always had dozens growing in the gravel driveway the next year on their own but it was late in the season, late summer early Fall they appeared.
I think David was steering you to the regular impatients since the New Guinea likes more light.
You might consider the rose bud type impatients if you want a showier look.
This message was edited Jan 28, 2013 7:36 AM
I have grown torenias and the trailing-vineing ones are great in a container.
I've a question for you Karrie; do you still want to stick with just annuals in those containers? I saw that you'd mentioned you have always had them, but I guess I'm not sure if you want to continue with them. There's loads of great options if you want to add some perennials as well.
Bacopa (as Al mentioned) would work well, as well as Alyssum too. Yes, they can bloom profusely in shade, I've got them in a full-shade area and they have just swarmed the area with blooms.
Browallia might be nice too... hmmm, what else...OH!! Have you tried Fuschia!?!? ... ummm.... I wonder how Lobelia would do in your area?... (I'm picturing the annual tables at work during the Spring, please bear with me...)... Nicotiana maybe? How's about Dianthus?
That's about all I can think of at the moment. :)
EDIT: Oh, what about Cleome or Snapdragon? (picturing BossLady's container garden on her deck). =)
I hope I was of some help! :)
This message was edited Jan 28, 2013 8:23 AM
Speedybean.There are upright as well as trailing Fuschias.I am making notes on your suggestions.
I have used the small bloomed lobelia in containers.It loves some shade but dries out in July unless its kept watered here in Z6a.
Hiya Ge! =) Oooh yeah, those Lobelia we have at work need to be watered darn-near to drowning daily around here!! They're in little 4" pots, and you can just imagine when they're in the greenhouse, YOIPS they dry out like mad! When we scootch them into a bit more of a shaded area of the greenhouse though they tend to dry out a bit less, and get a little less leggy.
Hmmm, I'm not familiar with all sorts of fuschias, just the trailing ones, those are the ones we get in hanging baskets at work. They stay in the shaded part of the greenhouse.
I love so many of your ideas! I am going to get the fragrance I need, believe it or not, from some Brugmansias two out side of the porch for full sun, and one on wheels. All of them white. That reminds me, I need to go buy some dirt - I rooted a ground cover rose and it's going to die if I don't find it a home! Love you alll! Can I call myself Betty?
I over wintered some lobelia with my Martha Washington Geraniums! I put then in a sun room - cold, but they all survived,
I need to cut the Martha Washingtons now, and start fertilizing, as they are still blooming
anyone want cuttings? I hate to trash them!
Speedybean! Mine were in containers in well composted soil so they stayed cool and moist
.Z6a they are not happy in July heat no matter.
I liked the light colors but realized the lavander looked like white when the whole container was viewed.I think I will just stick to lavander when I use them again.
Karrie, no thank you, (on the cuttings), I will pass, but thank you for asking. :) I do hope some of my ideas are helpful for you!
Ge, yeah, sometimes some lavenders look really washed out if they're very pale. I don't grow many pastels, and I have very few white blooms, but the ones I do grow, I put amongst more vibrant colours, like the Alyssum around the verbena. The white really brings out the purple of the verbena nicely.
I will try a white next year
I am not going to use the Lobelia this next year - it is just so hot and dry here in the summer - they don't do well. I am going to go with Bacopa instead, and "hope" I don't kill them, lol. I am thinking Lobelia (sp?) likes cooler weather, like pansies.
You are right.Lobelias are kept going with water here until the cooler temps of late August and September.They revive a bit then.
Pix #1 lavender lobelia July
#2 September planter with torenia and lobelia at the back of planter
Oh yes, Lobelia can suddenly grow a million legs of about a mile long each when it gets too hot and dry.. and they're wilty legs, too. =/
Mmmmmm Bacopa! They smell wonderful, and they always make me sing that ever-popular Barry Manilow song, "At the Bacopa, Bacopa Cabana, the hottest bloom North of Havana....". < =D I am sure you won't kill them, just be sure to sing to them (while doing a little cha-cha) when you water them and they will keep coming back for more the whole season!
Hmmmmmmmm I wonder if cha-cha- would benefit all plants.?
I haven't trampled anything yet, and the bees sure seem to like it, they giggle at me! (or, is that the neighbors I hear giggling?). ;)
Or, maybe they're giggling at my singing at the top of my lungs, iPod plugged firmly into my head.."...Nada es para siempre Amor, Hoy nos toca compartir la misma luna, y maņana quien sabrā, si hay una separacion o habrā fortuna..." Aaaaaah, Luis Fonsi!!
Bacopa Cabana! Love it!
Boss Lady caught me singing it to the plants in the greenhouse my first year working there... it's never been the same since. ;)
Hey, if plants benefit from being talked to, surely they do even better if sung to! :)
...not if you sing like Lucy Ricardo, like I do. ;)
plants love music! try playing this song for them! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXXThSZjNvQ
Oh what a pretty song! I bet that would attract a lot more bees and butterflies than the head-banging metal that I prefer. < =D
LOL...love Manilow, and Kerrie, that's a perfect song :)
Would they grow in Texas????? I like cuttings. I'll pay for shipping if you still have them.
Jeanne