Hanging baskets & window box - suggestions?

I'm ordering seeds for my containers & baskets now. I got the usual suspects (Petunia, verbena, begonia) as well as that bronze
sedge. I'd love to hear suggestions for plants that would do well in hanging baskets and flower boxes. I've got both sun and shade
so no limits on conditions!

Thanks
Tam

I ordered seed for tomatoes that grow in hanging pots..

Hi,Tammy--

I look forward to checking this thread....and I wish Tom-Tom would add some thoughts. She always uses interesting and original and eyecatching combinations.

I saw a window box near a kitchen last year that had white round Japanese eggplants and green herbs to contrast with the usual petunia/million bells, etc., etc. in the box. Lots of fun. And original. Vining tomatoes combined with dill or other herbs might be fun, too. Very french. Or would that one be Italian?

I think window boxes can be so beautiful and fun and add so much more to the building architecture. I want to play off the color already in my paint trim and brick (not nearly as interesting as your 'blue' though. (blue, right?) to add some character to our house. Otherwise it will look like every other suburban house around here... color echoes, you know...

And I'm particularly looking for original ideas for Hummingbird Plants for my window boxes and a large container. (I started a thread for ideas on that.)

Our flower show has a competition every year for the best window box display and I might try to enter this year.

Tabasco - wow! You remembered my blue trim???? I use the window boxes along
a wall by the stairs to my greenhouse. All my windows are casement types - the ones
that crank open. I don't think window boxes would work there but I sure would LOVE to
have them.

I'll go find your hummingbird plants thread... sounds interesting!

Here's a shot of one of my "window boxes" from last year (July - maybe not its peak time)

Of course I remembered your blue trim. I thought it was Great!

I think all you need are some white Japanese eggplants in that window box. LOL ;-)

Stipa 'Ponytails' aka Mexican Feather Grass. Got seeds from Parks. From the directions on the seed envelope, I estimated germination by Feb. 10. They're already 1 inch tall.
Also from Parks:
Helichrysum 'Silver Mist'
Lobelia 'Fountain Blue'
Chaenarrhinum 'Summer Skies' - Another that's growing well ahead of time.
Pennyroyal
Dichondra 'Silver Falls'
Dichondra 'Emerald Falls'
Thunbergia aka Black-Eyed Susan Vine - also comes in white & lavendar

From Plant Safari (plants, not seeds)
Plectranthus madagascariensis 'Variegatus'
Scirpus cernus
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
Some coleus are cascading and the colors are endless. Try Rosy Dawn Gardens.
Careful! Couple of these are "invasive" but in containers, O.K.

I can't vouch for all of these, because they either haven't shipped yet (too cold) or I'm staggering the dates for starting seeds ( I don't have a whole lot of under-light space and will have to wait until they're big enough to transfer to my bay window) I don't anticipate any problems, though. My neighbor says I magical hands. It's not me. Stuff just grows.

Oops. ALmost forgot nasturtiums. Some are cascading. Plus, a couple blossoms scattered on top a salad are not only exotic looking but they add a pleasant peppery taste.

Tootsiepotts (love that name!) - I tried dichondra "silver falls" and they did nothing for me.
Just straggly little trailers. Nothing like the pics. I'm not sure what I did wrong - maybe they
didn't like being crowded with their neighbors? Also, I tried Chaenarrhinum but different
hybrid (can't recall which). It was OK but I'd prefer lobelia or laurentia. I loved the thunbergia!

You'll post your baskets/containers when you put them together? I"m curious to hear how
you make out with the ones I didn't have such luck with too.

Well...what I'm trying to do is start a mini-business. My kitchen/dining room and living room are part of the project, so you can only imagine how much "stuff" there is. I have two four-shelved grow-lite stands, one in each room. They are aluminum with green plastic trays, so they don't look too tacky. Tacky are the piles of seed catalogs, and the equipment for starting seeds: paper pot makers, empty containers waiting to be used, and on and on. I try to keep it neat, but there's always something that needs attention. I plan on concentrating on plants you'd never find at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc., etc. Small and exclusive is what I'm aiming for. Thought I might advertise by wandering around my neighborhood with a pick-up and a few small plants - a little shiny paper wrapped around and a business card attached to say who I am and what I'm doing. Any house with a flower bed will be my target. Not because I want to get rich, but I figure it'll keep me off the streets and out of trouble. And perhaps encourage someone to branch out from the "petunia" mind set. Not that they aren't pretty, but why stop there?

Cool! You could put a sign near a beautiful container near the road too.

Folks around here take their plants to the flea markets to sell. I'm not sure
that's the way to get the best $$ for them though.

Good luck! Sounds like a grand idea. (And now I need to look up Harmony.
It must be on the other side of Pa from me, by the zone.)
Tam

tootsie-- sounds like an interesting idea--- fun, but loads of work, too! Another idea that might go along with growing the unusual flowers is 'contracting' to care for homeowners' container plantings around their patios and pools, etc. That is getting to be big business around our area.

I spent today starting some seeds under lights and some wintersowers. All of this seed starting is pretty new to me so I am exhausted from trying to keep the different varieties organized and labelled, etc. I can't imagine having two big light racks to keep track of! :=)

I can't remember who originally posted this, but here's a site in Canada and they have some seeds I'm not familar with and that would look nice in baskets and window boxes. Give this a looksee:

http://solanaseeds.netfirms.com/new2006tempo.html

Anything is worth it if your'e passionate about it? One of my first seeds to germinate is Mexican Feather Grass. I find I get such a chuckle about checking to see how they're doing every day. Looks more like a green crew-cut than a plant! And, like all babies, they're cute. That's why babies survive...we can't drown 'em when they're so adorable! LOL!
And I'm such a sucker...Had a horrible day at work today and knew that the only thing that would give solace to my poor aching soul would be a couple orphan plants to bring home and nurture back to greenness (I just made up that word.) Went to Home Depot. Sometimes I know it's written in the stars. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday searching for calatheas. Wandered into H.D. and there they were! Limp, half dead from lack of water, but still a possibility. Asked for a disount. No way - Exotic Angel will refund them the full price for all the plants that die. How sick is that? All they need is water.
But if they don't make it, I can get a refund. Those puppies are gonna survive or else. Wish I had a digital camera. I'd send a "before" and "after" picture to Exotic Angel and ask them if they were willing to refund the price to H.D. just because no one bothered to water the poor things!
Okay, I'm off the scale here, and ranting to boot, but how could I just walk away and ignore a call for help? You wouldn't believe how many orphans are rewarding me with growth!!!
G'night all.....

PS. Tabasco, this one's for you. Contracting to care for plants in someone else's home probably would be one way to go. But I'm already working full time, and any time I have left, I'd like to spend wandering around the house with a watering can in one hand and a beer in the other. A friend of mine says that why everything grows so well for me...I talk to them all, pat them on their leafy little heads, and they love my beer breath! Just hope I don't get confused, 'cause I'll be drinking plant food and watering with beer!!!

Hi I just thought I'd jump in here with a few of my ideas have you ever tried the mixed colors Fountain Lobelia it's great,with some of the Glory Vine Fireworks climber..I've done those in widow boxes and hanging pots they sure get lots of attention..They grow in sun or shade you might wanna try a combination of those...

Loretta...

Yes, toots, if you already have a day job, creating and nursing along planters for someone else wouldn't work too well... my sister starts and grows rarer perennials as a hobby and just sells them off a little table in her front yard on Saturdays so it seems your plan would work as well. She enjoys getting to know the other gardeners in her area that way.

Speaking of HD--did I already post that I bought seven fibreglass window boxes at HD this week on sale --were $50 each and I got them for $6. each! (Guess they couldn't return them to the grower!) They are a little scratched up but who can tell when they're planted!

Good luck with your HD calantheas, tootsie! Sounds like they need some TLC.

Plan to grow the Glory Firecracker vine and Lobelia combo in two of my planters. Started the Glory Vine seeds yesterday. Hope they take.

I love the idea of a little table out front! Never even thought of the chance to get to know other gardeners this way. Recently, though, I've had a lot of interest in my garden. I started on a landscaping project three years ago and have done a major job of turning a "cow pasture" into something that has strangers stopping in front of my house to ask it they may stop and look. One lady I remember very vividly was on her way from Georgia to northern PA to take her mother's ashes to their final resting place. Saw the sign for "Historical Harmony" on the Interstate and decided to stop. We had a lovely chat and she took pictures to take back home. She's a teacher and always returns from trips with photos to show her students that there's more out there than their own little corner of turf. So the moral of the story is that plants can do a lot more than grow!

Tabasco, this one's for you again. I start my seeds in the clear plastic containers I get from the bakery section of my local grocery store. (I really don't have any fun eating the gourmet cookies that come in them!)
I make paper pots, have room for six or seven of them in the above noted containers. Then I use a strip of masking tape with the name of the plant and attach it to the container. Since I'm just starting this propagation thing, I still have to figure out the next step. I'll need to label all the individual 2" nursery pots with something when I transplant from the "cookie box." Won't use plastic labels. Wooden ones are my choice but seem to be a tad expensive when purchased from web sites. Anyone have any suggestions? Thought I'd try Michaels or JoAnnes for "popsicle sticks," but surely there's a less expensive more eco-friendly way?

And this one's for Tammy. I know I tend to be a bit wordy at times, but since I don't have anyone nearby to exchange chatter with about plants and seeds and things, I depend on 'youse guys' more than you know.
My zip code puts me about 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh. Let me know where you are. I would LOVE to go to the Philie flower show and a little guidence would be worth it's weight in gold...where to stay, etc., etc. Bet some others would benefit trom this info also...

Hey Tootsie! I love the chatter too. I've been going to the Phila Flower Show every year for over 15yrs.
It was in the Civic Center until about 7-8 yrs ago. The Convention Center is just wonderful - plenty of
ladies rooms (a major problem at the old place). I live about an hour north of Phil so drive in. There are
bus tours - if you get a room in a nearby hotel, you'll be able to go early in the morning and later in the day.
The crowds start pretty early but I've found they'll let you in about an hour before the official start time (don't
tell anyone hehehe). The bus tours ususally leave around 3pm so its a bit less crowded then.

There are lectures run through out the day - a good strategy is to go on a day which has lectures you are
interested in and then rest your sore feet while listening & learning.

There's a market place next to the convention center that's crowded but really filled with all sorts of foods.
The convention center has a food court with all sorts of options (all pretty expensive). Its also not too far from
Phila's Chinatown so you can get good chinese w/in walking distance.

I LOVE the flower show. I helped with the Rock Garden Society exhibit (in a very small way) a couple of years
and have "baby sat" the display for even more years. I hope you can come. Let me know if you have any other
questions and when you're coming (if you are). Maybe we can hook up.

Sounds fun having travellers stop and admire your garden! I wish you would post some pictures when you have time.

BTW tootsie--about seed starting/selling ideas--- have you checked Weezingreens threads? She has a home set-up for propagation and sells from her property, too. You sound very organized and 'together' on your project. I wish I could say the same for myself!

Another thought, from your location description it sounds like you are in the Ohio River Valley Ecosystem and DG has a new regional forum for that area, so don't forget to check in there, once in a while. We need more people from the Pittsburgh area to chat with, I think!

http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/region_orv/all/

I am gathering some good ideas for my window boxes on DG. I posted a thread on the Vine forum about Viny Combinations for extra punch and color and I think some of the ideas will work in window boxes, too. I rarely think of vines in window boxes and containers.

Tootsie - I'm going to use those little wooden coffee stir sticks that you can get at places like Starbucks. Someone left a whole handful out at one of our remote offices after bringing in coffee for a meeting and then left them there. I was wondering what to do with them and last week it occurred to me that they would make fine temporary markers. Just wide nough to write on. Bet if you went out for coffee, you could pick up a bunch ala Black Shoe Society; bless their little larcenist hearts (LOL).

Boy, what a lot of catching up to do in just a couple days! From the Parks seed that I've started in the last two weeks, seven out of eleven have sprouted. I'm nuts. I actually laugh out loud when I see a new batch of things popping their little green heads out of the dirt. What a miracle... Then, I went plant shopping again, and brought home pothos and philodendron that I know how to take startings from. Also brought home a couple ferns, two of which are sending out furry little roots with new plants growing off them. I need to find out how to propagate them. And a strawberry begonia with lots of babies hanging out of the pot just looking for a place to grow. Anyone know how to propagate Calathea? Might be the wrong forum for that question?
Tammy: After the comment about the Philie show, I have to admit that I don't know when it is or how long it's on. Just came upon the reference in the American Horticultural magazine. And I appreciate your
suggestion about the bus. Driving that far all by myself is just too daunting. Fly? Yes. Drive for hours? Well.....
Tabasco (I'm dying to hear the history behind THAT name): I think I'm a little further up than the "valley" of the Ohio River. The headwaters might be a little more accurate. By the time the Ohio gets to you, it's had a chance to warm up a bit? My zone is sort of 5a, 5b, 6. Depends on the plant and where I put it. I once read that the plants don't know doodley about zones, so we should just try it and see. I do!
Beaker: Great idea about the coffee stirrers! There's a Starbucks near my office and the guys go over there a couple times a day. I'll ask them to start bringing me some. In the meantime, I stopped at Michael's Craft Store on the way home tonight. Found what I call "popsicle sticks" @ $2.99 for 150. Not as good as free, but better that the garden supply websites.
Chore time. When the hamper is overflowing and the closet is empty, it's time to do some laundry. Then there's plants to water (big surprise) and yadda yadda yadda. Hope you all get a lovely slice of life tomorrow!

Don't you hate it when laundry (cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping....) gets in the way of the important
stuff (starting seeds, transplanting seedlings, digging in the garden, weeding ...)?

Phila Flower Show is first week of Mar. This year I believe its Mar 2-5 (Thurs through Sun). Its the largest
indoor flower show in the world. The pointsettia was first displayed at the (first or second) flower show.
Its really cool & is a wonderful experience. If you ever get the chance to go, you should!

I've got seedlings popping up too! So exciting. I've got bronze carex and lisianthus up just yesterday/today.
Its so fun checking to see what's coming up. I've got a lot more planting to do. I've got seeds from Hardy
Plant Society (35 types) and NARGS (25 types) coming.

Hey Tammy! My ratio is up to 10 out of eleven. The only thing that hasn't started yet is the asparagus ferns. Not a bad average, but I repeat, it's not me. It's like someone growing up with a mole on their cheek...it's just there. Sounds like we're on the same gardening page...first thing I do when I come home from those stressful days of work is mix myself a mini-cocktail and wander aroud. First the bay window, then the grow-lite stand in the dining room, then the grow-lite stand in the living room. It's a ritual and I'm beginning to believe I wouldn't survive if I didn't have this connection to new beginnings. Think that would make a good forum subject...how many of use this connection to flowers and plants to keep us from going postal? Think I'll try it and see how many people resond. Please bring me up to date on Plant Society and NARGS...I have no idea!
Our motto should be "Keep On Planting!"
P.S. Would mark my calendar for the show, but my job requires my presence on the first 10 days of the month. No matter what. I think they'd actually hook up the computer systems to my hospital room if that's what it took!

Hardy Plant Society - Mid Atlantic Group: they have various tours and activities
but I joined primarily for the seed exchange. I've been donating so I get 10 extra
picks plus first dibbs. Tony Avent from Plants Delights and a few other big name
horticulturalist donate plus several botanical gardens donate too. I get 35 picks
(I think for $15). And NARGS = North American Rock Garden Society. They
have over 5000 seed offerings in the exchange. Lots of stuff you absolutely would
never find elsewhere. I don't donate so I only get 25 picks (I think $12). But they
have second round for ?$5 so I get more in that too.

I'm a seed-a-holic. I love the anticipation of the germination & I love how little money
I need to spend to try out so many new plants.

Too bad about the Phila Flower Show - some day you'll have to come. Its a terrific
experience.

If anyone is interested, I have probably a couple hundred or so popsicle sticks. My DH eats a fat-free fudge bar every night before bed. He teasingly saves me every stick for my gardening endeavors. No way I can use that many! They are shorter than the craft variety, and rounded. I can get a picture later if anyone really wants to see one. I'd be glad to send some out for postage. They last a season, is all, before they get wet and not pretty any more. But a permanent marker writes right on the wood, and works great. Let me know.....

Also, window box and hanging basket wise, are sweet peas a possible choice for a basket? I bought many varieties this year, and was thinking of trying them in some baskets around my front door, for the fragrance. Curious to know if anyone has tried them.

Sanna

I love sweatpeas! It gets pretty hot here in the summer so I have had only moderate success.
I got a variety advertised as good for hanging baskets (maybe from Thompson & Morgan) last
year but was not happy with them. Only a few flowers. The best success I have is when I plant
the seeds directly in a protected area (very bright but no direct afternoon sun) very early in the spring.
I keep trying every year. I've got quite a collection of seed packages (partially used).

I use those popsicle sticks. I love a cold fruit pop while taking a break from gardening on a hot day.
I've got a goodly supply so someone else should get them. They work well for seed starting but I can't
say they even last a full season for me.

Tam