Garden Hose Containers

I planted these to enter in Fine Gardening's 2005 Container contest. I'm a big fan of foliage plants and was excited to see their contest rules this year - Foliage Only, No Flowers! My biggest problem was finding the right container. I don't like most of the containers that they sell at the local Walmart and Lowes and was looking for one with a simple design and one that wasn't too expensive. Because I wanted to fill it with as many as plants as I could possibly fit to make it look full, it was hard to find one within my budget. As I made my final decision and headed to the check out, I found these - garden hose containers! Simple enough, reasonable price and the hole in the bottom of the pot for the garden hose provided excellent drainage!

Here's the first one I planted:

I had so much fun, I planted a second one and now they both reside on my deck where I can see them every day.

Gorgeous! What's in them? Hope you win that contest.

Thank you :) I used all perennials that do well in the shade.

First one clockwise, Sambucus racemosa 'Sutherland Gold', Caryopteris divaracata 'Snow Fairy', Hosta 'Stained Glass' (just found out this is 2006 Hosta of the Year), Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls' around the edges, and Cimicifuga 'Brunette'.

Second one, Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate', Victoria Lady Fern, Tiarella 'Neon Lights', Hypericum calycinum 'Brigadoon' around the edges, and Brunnera 'Jack Frost' in the middle.

I originally started the project with all the new Dolce series of Heucheras which were bred to be superb container plants, but they didn't create the look I was going for. Despite the fact the heat and humidity was brutal this summer, all the plants have fared well.

great looking containers. good luck with the contest.

Thank you, even if I don't win anything, I had fun doing it! When I was trying what to use for them, I'd wake up in the middle of the night with all kinds of ideas popping into my head. Of course, nothing looked as pretty as 'in my dreams' :)

You must have really great dreams if these terrific containers weren't as good as your dreams! Good luck: hope you win.

Last year I won a rose tip contest and it was so exciting!

thanks pirl. Every spring my dreams are filled with ideas for planting, combos, etc., only problem I have is remembering them in the morning :)

Oh!!!! Your planters look great. Beautiful cominations. Good luck. dixie

Your containers are beautiful. Don't know anything about the contest, so .. when is the judging? Best of luck to you.

Your combinations are wonderful! Love that magazine and your containers look every bit as good and better than others I've seen there. I sure hope you get the recognition you deserve.

How Cool! They are wonderful...

Thank you everyone! I just found out yesterday that the container with Hosta 'Stained Glass' is one of the ten finalists!!!! So regardless if I win, my container will be in Fine Gardening magazine, probably next June's issue - as that is the month they published 2004's winners!

They are fabulous! You could make a living doing this. Do you leave these outside all winter and they come back "as is"? Or do you do something different and plant them all in the garden? I was wondering how they would do in a pot all winter etc.

This message was edited Sep 13, 2005 8:34 AM

Gorgeous! I'm really impressed :)

levilyla, this is the first time I've potted anything this large and with all perennials, so I'm not sure. But my plan is to just leave them on the deck but in a protected spot where they won't get too wet. We're in a cold Zone 6a so they should be ok, but if they stayed too wet over a long cold snap I'm afraid it would do them in.

I will be interested to see next spring..keep us informed.....again you are very talented and creative.

Congratulations!!!

Hi again :) I'm still interested in hearing how your container did in the finals :) It's really a stunning planting. I'm hoping to do some more containers this year, and larger than before, so I may just have to borrow a few of your combinations ;) I love the all foliage look, too!

Huga

I also...please post another picture of the same containers NOW

Very pretty combinations, congratulations!!

gosh, I'm blushing :) the containers are filling out nicely this spring and some of the plants are growing gangbusters - we have been so busy I haven't had a chance to grab any pics, but will try to get some this week since all of you are so sweet to inquire.

Debbie

Debbie, please show us your progress. I love your designs. great inspirations to us.
hilary

Gorgeous container plantings!!! I'm very keen to see them this year too!
Did you win the contest?

Steve :D

Thanks again for your comments :) I still haven't been able to get photos of the containers now, but I'm pleased with how they're shaping up for this year. Hopefully I'll get some "after" photos for all of you soon.

Steve, I didn't win, but I was one of the ten finalists.

I'm already working on 'designing' my entry for this year's contest. Even though it's not restricted to "foliage only" containers this year, seems like my ideas for the container keep floating in that direction. Don't get me wrong, I love flowers but heck, if you can make a statement with the foliage all by itself, who needs flowers? This year's contest requirements are: one tree or shrub, one perennial, one annual, one grass, and one 'wild card'. I chose my Japanese maple for the 'tree' last month, now I'm just fighting with the other plants to group with it. I have a huge hypertufa container that I've been wanting to plant for two years and guess this will be the year. The darned thing is so heavy that my first project will be to just get it moved to the right location before adding the plants! As soon as the project is complete, I'll be sure to post pictures. Hopefully this year's entry won't "melt" in the summer heat like last year :)
Debbie
Debbie

Congrats, on making it to the final 10! Thats great! Your ideas for this years contest sound really good too. I'll be looking forward to the pictures. And just ask if you want any ideas or anything :D

Steve

LOL Steve, thank you, but my head is spinning with ideas - I just need to put them in soil :) I've even given my husband the boot - this is MY container! He tried to help me last year and I told him he could plant up his own and enter the contest :)

Debbie

Is the contest just for the US? Or is it open to Canadians too?
I've never entered a contest like this one before, but I bet it would be lots of fun :) Don't think I'd be able to enter this year, but theres always next year.

Steve

I can't imagine that it is just for US...Fine Gardening Magazine is a national magazine I believe. Maybe I am wrong but you could certainly get a copy and find out.

just checked into this thread rcn -- sorry for being so late in my congrats on your superb garden hose container. I absolutely love the "stained glass" hosta and have made it a must on my wish list this year. Hope you don't mind me borrowing your design for a container I'm making (not a contest - just for me!). Good luck in all your future contest endeavors.

Debbie, you are soooo talented! How did you learn to do containers like that? They are just so beautiful... Is there a class you took or a book you read? I am trying my hand at container gardening this year and am having a hard time coming up with ideas of how to coordinate sun/shade, loves moisture/hates it, rich soil/average-poor soil, what forms go well, how many plants should go in a pot, etc. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Tamara

There is a current Fine Gardening magazine called Container Gardens...it tells all. Beautiful pictures and you will be able to make yours look just like Debbies'. LOL

Debbie, can you show us some of your containers for this yr? Not the ones you're entering this yr., but the ones you do just for your own enjoyment. I love how you stretch the container by overloading it. I can't seem to get the heighth you do. Are you planting them in containers w/in the container? Make sense? I personally thought your containers both should have won first place.
hilary

Sorry it took so long to get back here but we've been busy! I haven't even had a chance to get a photo of the container, but then my husband told me he had already taken some pictures :) These were taken in the early morning light...would like to take some others on a cloudy day because you don't get the bright light on the blooms. It doesn't really show in the photograph but the flowers of the Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls' are really quite nice and have been blooming for at least three weeks now. The Caryopteris 'Snow Fairy' has to be pruned back to make it more bushy and temporarily open up a little more light for the black foliage of Cimicifuga to grow on.

Another view from the side - the Heuchera really filled out the brim of the container nicely.

hag49, I really crammed the plants in this one :) There were at least 8 of the Heuchera planted around the brim. In answer to your question, no they were not planted in pots within the container, but I did try to mound up the soil in the center a little to give a few of the plants more height.

Good news, I finally got my container entry for this year planted on Friday. I'll be taking pictures soon and will post them. Not quite as full as last year's entry, but hoping that everything will grow on as planned and fill in to make a spectacular container by the end of the summer when the deadline for entries comes around. This is my only container planting this year as I haven't had time to get the plants we purchased over a month ago in the ground let alone plant up more containers!

thanks so much for keeping us in the loop. I love your containers. I think yours far outshine the others in the contest. I'd be surprised if you didn't win this yr. You should have last yr. What were they thinking....
hilary

I agree

Really nice rcn! Thanks for the update. The 'silver scrolls' must be gorgeous, I've got one and the flowers really are quite showy for a huchera.
BTW, What did you do to overwinter the container? And is it completly filled with soil? Or did you put an upside down pot or anything in the bottom?

Thanks,
Steve

Thanks again for the compliments :)

Steve, the container was overwintered on our deck, although I kept it under a table so the 'winter wet' wouldn't rot any of the plants. Keeping it under the eaves of a house or garage would probably accomplish the same thing. The other container I had entered was left on our front steps without protection and although most everything did fine - I lost the Hypericum 'Brigadoon' that I had used to edge the brim of the container. Have to get a picture of that one also - the Eupatorium 'Chocolate' is huge and 'Jack Frost' Brunnera was gorgeous this spring.

The container is completely filled with soil - I used a fertilized container mix, mixed with half and half with a peat based potting soil and put newspaper in the bottom to cover the garden hose hole to prevent the soil from coming out. This year's entry is planted in a large hypertufa container and I'm not sure what I'll do with it over the winter because it's HEAVY! Hoping to get photos today or tomorrow and will post them. I was hoping to get some plants in the ground in front of the area where the container is to make the area a little more attractive, but still trying to find the time.

Thanks, rcn. I'm hoping to make a perennial container this year, but, I doubt if it will happen. Maybe next year. Or, do you think it would work if I planted one in the fall? Or would they not have enough time to establish before winter? Thanks for the info on planting one, so when I finally do I won't make some stupid mistake.

Thanks!
Steve