Week 3 - Year 1: A Success Story

While the Clematis vines may not be flourishing, I'm really proud of the Black Eyed Susan vines. I bought these on impulse when we picked out the Clematis and I'm really glad I did. I planted them in a large container with special container potting soil and placed them in a sunny corner of the deck. Only three weeks in and they are flourishing.

The flowers are bright and cheerful and remind me of our wedding. I carried a sunflower bouquet and these flowers are just like mini sunflowers.

I haven't had to pluck any of the buds off and they seem to bloom on a daily basis without much help.

The biggest challenge has been getting the vines to wind around the spindles. I started out by just wrapping the longer vines around the spindles, but they kept falling. Last week, I used to string to tie them up and that seems to be working.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how well these guys are doing in such a short time. Even if the Clematis fail, it looks like these vines will be happy to take their place.

Week 3 - Year 1: The Clematis Files

I bought two Clematis plants with the hope of having them climb the spindles on our deck. So far, it has not been very successful. I think they could be on the brink of death, which is most definitely a product of my inexperience more than anything else. They might also just be ill suited for container gardening.

Week 1: May 15

Left: Cardinal Clematis

Right: Viticella Clematis

I planted both plants in large plastic containers (that drain well) in container potting soil based on instructions I obtained from a Clematis society. However, we did not get a lot of sun that week and the stems became brittle and the leaves started to die off to the point where I was afraid both plants were dying.

Week 2: May 21

Major surgery was required as it became clear that the ends of both plants were dead. So, I cut both down to the live growth. I also moved both into sunnier locations.

Week 3: May 29

I added peat moss to both containers to help spark growth and feeding.

I'm starting to see some new growth again, but it's slow going. I'm not sure whether these guys are going to make it or not, but I kind of figured this experiment would not be 100% successful.

I was really hoping I could get something to climb the deck spindles on the deck and I am disappointed that neither of these plants has been successful, but it's only been a couple weeks, so time will tell. However, the Black Eyed Susan vines are flourishing, so this may be a case of the containers. I knew it would be risky to plant Clematis in containers, so if these don't make it, we may just have to wait until we have a house to continue with the Clematis experiment.

I don't plan to post twice a day (or even once a day), but my husband wants to start his own blog and begged me to post another so that he could see how I did it (not that I'm the expert in this area by any means).

Week 3 - Year 1: The Experiment Begins

I graduated from law school a couple of weeks ago and immediately needed a hobby to fill the hours I suddenly got back. I've always wanted to garden and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to start a container garden on the deck of our apartment. I have no idea what I'm doing, but three weeks in and everything is still alive, so I thought I would share the progress of my garden over the summer. I'm sure hilarity will ensue, but so far, I'm pretty proud of the progress I've made, for a novice.

Here is the line up, as of Week 3:

Window Box #1:

1. Blue Wave Petunia

2. Blue Angel Pansies

3. Silver Wave Petunia

Window Box #2:

1. Sun Kiss Bidens

2. Fama Golden Yellow Pansy

3. Coral Calibrachoa

Window Box #3:

(from left to right)

1. Lara Dark Blue Nierembergia

2. Pansies (White with Purple Blotch)

3. Hot Blue Lobelia

Containers

Right Side

I placed three containers on the right side of the porch. From left to right:

1. Yellow Kalanchoe

2. Pink Cupido Roses

3. Blue Browallia

Left Side

From Left to Right:

1. Deep Blue Champanula

2. Jade Shamrock

3. A spruce tree - yes, a tree. Instead of the traditional flowers, my husband brought this little guy home with him one day. We call him Snowpoke.

Center

Along the center, I have a mix of climbers and sun happy containers. You can't see them up close very well in this picture, but I plan to give more close ups later. From left to right:

1. Cardinal Wyszynski Clematis

2. Blue Summer Snapdragon

3. Viticella Venosa Violacea Clematis

4. Purple Osteospermum

5. Lemon Star Black Eyed Susan Vine

Back Wall Containers/Hangers

1. Coral Mini Begonias

These coral mini begonias are planted in a cheerful yellow pot on the mini table between our deck chairs.

Hanger #1:

Includes a mix of:

- Dark Dancer White Clovers

- Sweet Potato Vine

- Coleus

Hanger #2:

Includes a mix of white, blue and light blue lobelia

That's all for now folks! More to follow.