Container Gardening

Container Garden Tour Zone 9a August 7th 2022


22 Comments

  1. Yay!!!! Its so nice to see you this morning! This video was a perfect way to start my day! Awesome video hun so happy you had an amazing time in Gods beautiful creation! 🧡❤️💜💙💚 Your garden still looks amazing. God took care of things while you were gone. I love that Verbena I have that too in my garden.

  2. Asclepias curassavica is tropical milkweed. You may want to read about the problems associated with tropical milkweed and monarch butterflies before you plant it in your garden.

  3. Couldn't wait to tell you, MANY bumblebees and a few more butterflies. I even saw the only chrysalis on my fennel hatch out and was shocked to see what was a yellow swallowtail with black spots BUT the normal curved line of spots was not spots but a straight line. I kept looking but it was a straight line of tiny spots not curved like any others I've seen but a straight line crossing both wings at the top! Only one on the fennel (and one caterpillar ready to 'sleep' ) but it flew away and I haven't seen it since. Happy you had such a great time and glad you are back safe and sound. Your coleus looks like a Wicked Witch -one of my favorites along with Chocolate Drop. When we first moved into our home with it's bare front yard, I planted sweet potato vines all around the three trees out front. They finally began and I was glad to have this island of color until I got grass to grow. My new SIL had other plans – grass everywhere and he mowed the sweet potato's down. I dug around later and found a massive spud – I think they are edible but don't taste good. I don't know if the leaves are edible like regular sweet potatoes.

  4. SOOOO HAPPY YOU GOT RAIN!!!
    HOW NICE!!!!

    In times like those, when you find you've got containers with rain water, do you save any of it?
    I always feel like I should save it!!
    I do try…
    I mean, at my house, it seems silly to just pour it out into the already saturated soil.

    What do you do with it?

  5. You're REALLY pulling off the container gardening SO WELL!!!
    It seems like these days my pots are never happy with the moisture content…
    Like- they are usually just too dry.
    (Unless I water EVERY day, which I do not do, so there's THAT.)
    Then I try to adjust the soil mix to retain more moisture.
    And even if I only make a slight increase in that direction, it creates a pot with TOO MUCH moisture.
    …sigh…
    I'm always chasing the right mix.

    And I end up just planting everything in the ground where the plants are much happier.

  6. Here's an interesting thing happening in the driest part of my garden:
    There's this one smallish section, picture a triangle shaped plot on the corner of my property. Which borders a small public park on one side, with no fence.
    It's about 15 feet on each side.
    And it's on a slight incline.
    Ok.
    A quick backstory-
    I'm in the middle of a redo with this area, and all work has been on hold ever since the temps hit 112°.
    So what I do is,
    once a week I walk by,
    and just stand there in observance of whatever nature wants to do to this space.
    Live and let live is the current theme.
    I refuse to even water it.
    Oh, I forgot to say it's in
    FULL,
    HOT,
    BAKING,
    SUN.
    Many times I've looked at it and compared it to something that might be happening on Mars.
    Simply in terms of how hot it MUST BE on Mars!
    At least that's how I think of Mars.
    AND this triangle.
    I'm SURE the soil is hydrophobic by now.
    I mean, it's SO DRY, there aren't even any BUGS over there!

    Anyway, it's been interesting.

    Back in the Spring,
    (before the desert blew in)
    the entire space got covered with wild Petunia plants, and the flowers that brings.
    Which I thought was just fine, for now,
    during this "construction phase".
    I do love wildflowers.
    So – kudos for them for being the first to move in!
    Did I mention I NEVER water this space?
    But I did add about 3 inches of soil across the entire triangular area.
    The new soil was mixed with A LOT of mulched leaves, so in the future the whole area will have nice loamy soil.
    I plan on topping this entire area with a minimum of 3 more inches of soil.
    (Basically, the land under the new soil is a lot of rock mixed with hardly any soil, so very difficult to plant & dig in. I just thought the easiest thing to do is add soil on top & start over that way.)

    Back to what's been happening-
    The 1st wave of hot weather this Summer brought in a few grassy weeds.
    I did not pull them, altho I should have!
    But now…
    Since this triangle has been essentially baking in super hot sun for what – about 6 weeks now? Wait, it's probably longer than that…
    Well anyway, now when I walk over and look at it, I'm amazed to see how DRY the whole thing is!!
    I don't know WHY I'm amazed.
    It's doing exactly as anyone would predict under such circumstances!!
    I guess it's just that all the other places in my yard are NOT so dry,
    with nothing but brown,
    dead leaves,
    that look as if you could squeeze any chosen leaf
    and it would instantly crunch like a pile of Fall leaves
    which I so love to skip thru just to hear that lovely crunch!
    I mean, not even those grassy weeds are growing!
    They didn't even get TALL !
    It's enough to give an HOA Hall Monitor a heart attack!!
    (Are they called Hall Monitors? Well, whatever they're called, that's what they remind me of!)
    And lately,
    with that whole area,
    I have daydreams of taking a garden weed blow torch to it – just for FUN !
    But of course, I will not do that. Bcuz it would be just my luck that Murphy's Law would strike hard on THAT day & the headlines would read:
    "Neighbor Torches Yard – Forest Fire Follows,
    The Whole Of Texas Burns To The Ground!"

    Or something to that effect!

    Anyway, it's just that one corner of my yard that's now a brown (not red) Mars landscape.
    However…
    Interestingly…
    On the one corner of that dry, dead, triangle which connects to my yard there is a Pomegranate bush who has been living in that spot for more than a decade.
    At the beginning of this renovation,
    I did want to move it.
    Delusions of grandure.
    I have since come to my senses, and realized this bush will never be moved.
    Nor will it EVER die.
    It miraculously came back from the dead after that horrendous & now infamous Texas Arctic Storm in Feb. 2020.
    It took it a solid 6 months to show ANY above ground growth after that storm.
    I really did think it was a gonner.
    And in the next Winter (of 2021) it also died back after a hard freeze.
    Again, I thought it was a gunner, and it just wasn't able to take 2 Winters in a row of freezing back.
    But no.
    How wrong I was!
    Plus, I do believe I would have to dig a hole to China to remove that root system.

    THAT bush has the "fight for life" like I've NEVER seen in any plant!
    And right now, it's on the surface of Mars, whistling thru weather conditions that not even fire ants will attempt to live thru!!
    (I do believe all the ants have headed for the hills, and are now buried deep in any heavily shaded parts of my yard, or wherever, and who could blame them!)
    But there IT is.
    That Mars Pomegranate.
    It's standing there,
    now tall as me,
    and twice as wide,
    bushy as can be,
    with bright green leaves,
    that gently wave at me in the hot breeze,
    and not a crispy edge anywhere!!
    IT'S AS HAPPY AS A CLAM
    IN DEEP WATER!!!

    And speaking of water,
    here's the kicker-
    I NEVER water it.

    I tell you it's a sight to behold!

    It may seem mean that I never water it.
    But really,
    to me,
    it's all part of the Mars landscape.
    And if it were to leave of its own accord,
    I would be ok with that.
    Truthfully, I'm a little bit tired of it in that exact location.
    (The arrogant human gardener in me strikes again.)
    It blocks a good view,
    and while it does give fruit,
    only the insects have been beneficiaries of its harvest.
    And I mean every year.
    Which is unfortunate for us.
    (But THAT'S a whole other story!)

    At any rate, I'm discovering a new found respect for this alien Mars bush!
    It's truly a miraculous being in its own right.
    And even though it hasn't even TRIED to flower since that Arctic Storm 2 years ago,
    (and who could blame it for THAT?!) the sight of it growing so profusely in that Mars landscape just blows my mind every time I visit that space!
    I wish I could show you a picture!

    And THAT'S the most interesting thing happening in my yard right now.
    All other plants are in a holding pattern until it cools off.

    Your garden is glorious!!
    And I really LOVE walking thru it every week with you!
    Thank You for sharing! ❤️

  7. Just a quick note to say Thank You for caring enough to ask about my daughter last week.
    ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

    I do believe I forgot to say that before.
    I meant to.
    I think I just get caught up in all the feelings of the circumstances.
    (Also, no news this week of any significance.)
    It's going to be a slow process of getting any concrete information…

    So Thank You So Very MUCH for caring. We really appreciate you for it. ❤️

  8. Washington state & Oregon has definitely been on my bucket list for this southern girl. I’d like to drive down the entire coastline. I love visiting the Rockies in CO…it’s mesmerizing to see the snow capped mountains.
    I’m visiting my daughter in Oklahoma who is having a serious problem with gophers…& guess what she lives next to…yep, a golf course. Lol (Caddyshack)
    Your garden looks amazing! Rain sure helps brighten things up, as well.

  9. Hi Rachel, you have inspired me to start a pollinator garden but need to learn a whole lot! I live in Spring, zone 9a….should I plant some bulbs next month or in October for them to sprout in spring? Thank you for all your help🙏🏻 Oh, I am thinking tulips only for my first time.

  10. Hi! So happy you mentioned Seattle and Mt. Rainier that's in the south from Seattle because I live there…great to hear you enjoyed your visit. I love watching your flower-filled garden and the precious, gorgeous butterflies there. Looking forward to all your future shows!

  11. I am so glad your garden thrived while you were off adventuring!! I love seeing all the changes that you make and how you play around with different things!!

  12. Hi Rachel so lovely to see your beautiful, newly rained on garden. Doesn't it look beautiful 😍. I got back from a visit to my sister and family in UK Wales yesterday too. They've had some rain there too and everything is so lush and green. We did some great hikes and visited gardens, it was just what I needed. We still have no rain but blue skies and heatwaves, so I must water my garden. The good news is that we're coming up to the 15th August when the season changes, shorter and cooler days, more dew and maybe some rain 😃. It's been almost 6 months with no substantial rainfall. It has to be a first since I live in a temperate climate…..normally. the dahlias are in bloom and the tomato plants are doing unusually well for this region. It's been hard work so I will be changing the layout in the winter months. Take care and try not to fall again, especially when trimming that crazy rose 😉

  13. Hi Rachel, I’m so glad you got to go visit with family. Thank you for sharing the mountain video, looks really beautiful. Your rockin the container garden, isn’t it fun to move plants around & create different layers looks! I’ve been very busy with butterflies-released 25 in the last 2 weeks, Monarchs, Queens, Gulf Fritillary & Zebra Longwings. Have 15 more in chrysalis & struggling to keep up with the milkweed LOL
    My biggest enemy at the moment is a resident basilisk lizard that likes to hang out on my passion vine & eat the caterpillars & butterflies too if I don’t see him in time. I know he needs to eat too but not my butterflies 🙁
    Nice to see you my friend, hope you have a very Blessed week!

  14. Awesome garden…. yours and Gods! Well they are all Gods gardens! We have been seriously blessed!

  15. I like how you're rambling off the names of the plants and I'm still like "the purple flower with the striped leaves…etc" Lol. Hope I can learn the names eventually. And I think I made a mistake planting 2 potato vine plants next to each other in sunny humid south Florida. It's like they're on steroids in this place. I'm now scrambling trying to keep them in check on a daily basis. Crazy little things..

  16. Southeastern Alabama….we got the wonderful rain on Saturday and Sunday….I aspire to having a yard like yours, and I incorporate lots of pots too….thank you so much for your enthusiasm and inspiration ❤

  17. By the way… i forgot to mention. The sweet potato vine with the hint of pink is sooo pretty! 🌸🌸🌸

  18. So beautiful!
    I have got to look for some Coral Nymph salvia. Yours is so pretty!

    Omg, I cracked under the pressure of how cute it was, and bought a small terracotta pot. First plant died when I went out of town for a week in June. I’m hoping plant #2 will be alive when I get back from this England trip. My daughter took it as a challenge to not kill it like her dad did last month! Lol. But the real problem is that I bought a tiny pot! What was I thinking? (It’s so cute tho!) I need to follow your advice and plant in big pots!

    I do love a sweet potato vine, but, like, mid-summer I’m all, “Help! A sweet potato vine ate my garden!” Then all of a sudden you’re Edward Scissorhands out there.😂✂️🌿

    I love your Mount Ranier butterfly! Gorgeous! I’ve been chasing butterflies all over England trying to get a picture. They’re all “FlapFlapFlappity NoPhotosPleaseFlapFlapByeee”

  19. Everything looks so fresh from the rain! Nothing like rainwater for plants! Just beautiful!! So much of what you have I also have here in central Florida but not looking nearly as beautiful. My gardening came to an abrupt stop in late June when I fell while gardening and broke my wrist so that, added to very little rain in July, has caused my plants to be on the "struggle bus" during the hottest part of the summer. Anyway I am mending well and luckily I have been able to go out for about an hour in the morning to attend to the poor things and we are getting some rain so things are improving. So, please be careful in the garden!! Don't want you getting injured like I did ( I had planted a lovely white pillar rose of Sharon, stepped backwards to admire it and tripped over my tool bucket!! Now I never walk backward lol!!!) My salvia, rose of Sharon, vincas, Coleus, caladiums, firecracker bushes, firebush, duranta, Angelonia and alternanthera and lemon coral sedum all are recovering. Thank goodness I chose to plant mostly drought tolerant and easy care plants this year or I would have wasted a lot of money on plants that wouldn't have made it. Sorry for such a long post, lol. Look forward to your next tour tomorrow 😊

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