Container Spillers

beautiful planter shirleyt! Is that a stacked combo of planters? Love the ivy!

Thanks Janet see you at the coleus forum.
Joyce

Hello everyone... It is Alabama sunset ....In full sun it gets very bright... In shade it is darker in color and in intense day after day sun it will fade. I no longer have that plant. It is off to a friends nursery. He took seventy-two cuttings from it and plans to take more as it puts out again. I will get some plants back in the Spring and he will sell the rest for the school. Works great for both of us. I just cannot get any to over winter for me. The container is my favorite. It is very heavy and three tiered in one piece, with holes in it for drainage. It can also be made into a fountain. We are planning to change it to fall plants this week. Here is a pic of last years fall look.

Aunt B if you are around I wanted you to see how my kimberly grew this year. How is yours doing. I do not remember seeing yours this year. I guess I will have to go on an Aunt B search. I have not been on as much lately ...shirleyt

I am new to SPV I have three colors and I need to know how to handle in zone 8. Two are in pots and one is directly in the ground... what do I do. I love all the spillers. Got lots of plans from them for Spring... Thanks for sharing...I have another one that I just moved inside that I will share with you when I have time to take a new up to date pic..shirleyt

Hi Shirley! It's pretty! I've been busy, away from the computer at home and busy with my j-o-b during the day... In spring, I ended up repotting one... then I had to investigate to see what was under the soil....pretty much destroyed it, but I have some babies in small pots... I just cleaned out the brown fronds on the other two, they grew back to the same size or larger than the year before.. And I bought another one to replace the one I mangled during my moment of curiosity... Here's a couple in my Asian/Tropical sitting area this year... they are in my basement, now and I hope to offer them a little more water this winter, in effort to not have so much brown next spring... Okay, (senior moment?) I must have missed something... what is SPV?

Aunt B It is sweet potato vine. I have the green the purple and the combo of green and purple... I am less than happy with mine. The big ole grasshoppers love them... But since I am new to them and I only got them late this year, I wanted to know how to save them. I would think since I am in 8 and lots of things go dormant for me and then pop back that maybe it will too.???????edited to say. I love your area and your plant choices... peaceful for visiting reading a book or just catching a cup...yeah enjoy. My space is in the morning sun and evening sun.. In the middle of the day it is perfect for about three hours. Of course that is my busy time of day.. I really must do something about that...lol shirleyt

This message was edited Nov 6, 2007 12:06 PM

i tried to root the sweet potato vine and that didn't work at all--and i wasn't as pleased with mine either--our local nursery had them growing all around the front and they looked so beautiful there--i do not think they will come back (i am also in zone 8)

Not sure why but for a few years, a chartreuse sweet potato vine came back while planted in beds. Possibly one winter was colder or plants not mulched well enough but one spring, they just didn't come back. Maybe too wet a winter and they rotted?

I just love all these spillers and have been hunting for something here in Fla to put into my fall/winter planters. The pickings are really slim around here for some reason this year and the only thing I could really find was Calibrachoa and Supertunias.

Talking about sweet potato vine...I discovered this for the first time last year and it's just one "crazy" plant! I've got the blackie, chartreuse and pink/green variety and it's just taken over...

Planted this one in my upside down tomato planter and it went nuts...Poor tomatoes didn't have a chance! hehe

I spent last weekend cleaning things up and renovating containers...I pulled a lot of my SPV out because it was just too unruly. This is what I took out of one of my pots. I'm sure it's been addressed somewhere on this site, but do you think they would grow the same way as potatoes - with pieces cut up and stuck in the dirt? Would anybody like some? I have ton's of these.

Kat

See what I mean about wanting to take over a yard!

Although it is really a beautiful accent. (This is the one pot that all the tubors came from!)

I haven't visited this thread in a while but I should. You Southerners still have beautiful containers!!! I threw my container plants away almost 2 months ago. KatG, AuntB, shirleyt, and others in warmer climates, keep posting those beautiful pics!! Eleanor

kat--i looked up the potato vines and someone posted that to grow the plant from the tubor you must make sure you have the growing tip end--not sure what they mean but maybe you can tell from looking at the tubors

I'm not either Planolinda...I just remember growing Potatos as a Kid... cut them up in pieces, plant them, and they would spout. I'm going to try it!

After complaining about my lack of spillers,I came across a few in my yard...

Rhapsilis??? Cute and Shaggy!

Creeping Jinny, SP Vine, Blue Daze and Devils backbone...

well i am going to dig under my potato vines this weekend and see if i find any potatos to cut and grow from!! i like your pics--i saw what i guess is the devils backbone in a hanging planter at lowes marked down and thought about buying it but then felt a little guilty because of all i had in my cart already!! after seeing yours i will have to go back and get one!!

Plano...that Devil's backbone will grow anywhere and seems to thrive in the worst conditions. I had one sitting in a pot, roots exposed for a couple of weeks as I didn't have anywhere to put him at the time. Popped him in a pot and "voila" absolutely just flourished!

I posted this on another thread, but there are quite a few varieties of this plant. I came across this one last year and just love it as it's so unique. I stake and tie it and plant things with it that soften it's look. It's just so gnarly looking and really cool!

Planted with some circuma...

Eleanor...I feel for you! (I really do as I used to live up there) I'm sitting here complaining that I only have about an hour of light to work in my garden, when I get home from work at night! Just give me a slap!

I've seen you containers and they're gorgeous! If there's any comfort in this...think about all the planning you can do for the upcoming planting season!

Keep warm...

Kat

Eleanor...There really isn't a big variety of plants available here at this time of year. I told my landscaping friend I was looking of something tall to put into a couple of planters that I had previously planted sagos that were consumed by scale disease.

Came home Tuesday and found these 2 gorgeous Giant bird of paradise (white) on my lanai. Planted them but also added Purple Supertunias and calibrachoa as a spiller. Remembered seeing how gorgeous your planters were!

Thank-you

KatG - you're right. I have lots of time to plan my containers for next year. I really do like the change of seasons. I don't care for the cold of winter and I tend to hibernate as much as possible but we couldn't have spring without winter. I love springtime when everything comes back alive and I can buy plants, plant my containers, and watch for things coming up in my garden!!! There is something special to me about every season. Even the winter months give me a chance to rest, dream, and plan to get ready for the new gradening season!! Eleanor

I lived in MN and miss the winter for hibernating with my gardening books. Seems now there is not time to sit and enjoy them. THAT is the only thing I envy y'all for! But like you KatG, I whine about short days too!

Well, beginning tomorrow the length of days will be getting longer! Yay!!

Do 'ya think we are going to be able to tell ? *lol*

All I know is that we're on our way to spring!

Good News!! Christmas is the first day that longer days are noticeable!! That's why December 25 was actually chosen as the day to celebrate the birth of Christ. Christ is the light of the world and his birth is celebrated when we start moving into more light in the weary months of winter. Can't remember where I learned that (other than in church)!! Eleanor

Double YAY! I'll be able to tell ~ LOL My weather site gives that info. Today it says

Actually, the date of Christmas was chosen by the Emporer Constantine in 325 at the Council of Nicea in an attempt to Christianize the pagan festival of the Sun God, which was dated right around the winter solstice.

In any event, I'm THRILLED that we're headed toward spring!

I can't believe people buy dichondra when it seems to be the only thing in my yard sometimes! If your in the south, this stuff lives all year long and borders on being invasive (well, it is but it is so pretty). I considered using it in a container recently but I already look at it so much already LOL

Anyway I have PLENTY to share if anyone reading this thread wants some to trade.

Is your dichondra silver like the domesticated kind? Or is it green.

Has anyone grown these from seeds?
Dichondra "Silver Falls"

Joyce

It's green, just regular old dichondra :)

happgarden,
I think Silver Falls roots so easily you wouldn't want for a seed to sprout.... I don't even think they have seeds... no flowers.

So nice to look at the pretty container pics! I needed to see some color. All the brown (trees and grass) and white (snow) is getting boring. Joyce, I've seen seed packets in Thompson Morgan or Park Seed... I see them in 6 packs as annuals in Spring. . . . spring..... I can hardly wait.

I got Dichondra Silver Falls at Lowes last year for free. Happened to stop there on Mothers day and they had a rack full of small plants that they were giving away to mothers.. I didn't notice it, but the cashier asked me if I had any kids ... I thought that was kind of odd, but answered 'yes', so she told me to pick out a plant.

I love it! I tried to overwinter it, but it didnt' make it. :o(

I love to try it from seed sometime.
toofew

I used Dichondra and Bacopa (i thought is was called Bicopa-lol) in the same window box last summer. Grammyphoeb, DH thought the picture you posted was taken on our deck. It was so hot out there, I don't think I even took any pictures. I'm looking at the plants out the french doors right now. They are very brown and sad looking, but the birds seem to like to forage around in the boxes, so I left them. In a couple of weeks, I'll be changing everything out. I tried pullinig at the Dichondra, and it seemed like it might even come back. Good, I won't have to buy it again. I'm on a tighter budget now that I don't work.

I just love all these container spillers but unfortunately I don't ever come across any of these plants in Florida. The closest I've found lately is Calibrachoa (million bells) and that's a real hit and miss with me! Trailing petunias are beautiful, but this plant just will not co-operate!

Question. I planted a bunch of Calibrachoa about 2 months ago and some of it died right away. I still have 3 big containers mixed with other plants and the foliage is spectacular...but no blooms. Last week I had 2 little blooms and thought it may be starting to do something, but am not seeing any more buds. Do you think it has a specific time that it blooms? Does it need something? Any suggestion or info would be appreciated.

Kat