Week 18, Year 2: New Beginnings

Well, it's time to start again. Having survived my rookie year, I'm heading into Year Two with the hopes of cultivating another beautiful container garden, having fun and learning a lot more along the way. Unfortunately, I had to give up on last year's perennials. Life intervened, and I was too busy to nurse them along, so I've decided to start fresh. The lone survivor was snoke poke, our blue spruce tree. So, on this beautiful Mother's Day, my faithful assistant (pictured above) and I spent the morning on the deck planting the first group for 2011.

My sister also contributed a wonderful addition to the garden - a basket for my supplies! Last year, I got really sick of looking at all of these items strewn about inside the deck door. So, I'm really enjoying this new addition.

Although none of my flowers survived from 2010, I did pick up some repeaters of varieties that I really enjoyed. My main goal, however, is to keep learning and trying to grow new kinds of flowers in my containers. My first batch comes from Johansen's Greenhouse in Madison. Like last year, I went for a mix of annuals and perennials. I planted all of them with an outdoor potting soil. I'm not sure if all of these are going to make it in containers, but that's part of the adventure! Now, without further ado, it's time to welcome the initial members of the Class of 2011:

Papavera Poppy - This is probably the riskiest plant to try to grow in a container. I just love poppies, so I thought I would give it a shot, but I'm not sure how successful this will be.

Snowpoke was the lone survivor from year 1. He doesn't have a lot of room to grow, but he continues to plod along.

Oceana Blue Salvia - This member of the sage family produces bright blue, stalky flowers.

Lisianthus - I'm not sure if I will like this one or not, but I was curious enough to give it a go. It produces tall flowers that have a more old fashioned look to them. I'm not sure what color I will get, the tag claimed "blue" but the picture had a mix of pinks.

Black-Eyed Susan Vine - Last year's favorite is back, but this time, we are trying it in orange!

Rieger Begonia - this is another repeat from last year. Its shade loving nature makes it a great option for my deck and it was so successful last year, that I had to go for it again.

Window Box #1: Hungarian Speedwell, Portucala, Plumbago

Plumbago - this plant is supposedly a pretty good climber, and produces light purple blooms. I'm hoping it will climb down like the petunias.

Portulaca - this plant, also known as moss rose, produces bright yellow flowers with red centers. The cactusy like leaves give it a little edge, and I think it should be a good contrast to its purple box mates.

Hungarian Speedwell - not to be confused with the feisty Hungarian Horntail dragon that Harry

Potter defeated in the Triwizard Tournamnet, this plant is a variety of Veronica that produces purple flowers (a.k.a. "Crater Blue").

Window Box #2: Verbena, Mexican Heather & Lisianthus

Verbena - This was a great success last year, and loves the partial shade, so I picked it up for a second turn at bat.

"Allyson" Mexican Heather - a tough sprawler with fuschia buds.


Finally, I had extra lisianthus, so I stuck them in this box. I don't think they will stay here, but until I decide what to do with them, they'll be hanging out in here.

Window Box #3: Petunias

I just loved the way these trailed down the balcony last year. The deep blue purple and silvery purple flowers also made for a lovely contrast, so I've decided not to mess with success. They are back and in the same spot.

Hanging Basket #1: "Bonfire" Begonias

This hanger houses a unique variety of begonia with fire red blooms. Although red is not in my usual color palette, I couldn't resist the bright, cheerfulness of this hanger.

Week 6, Year 2: Winter Notes

Since shutting down my garden for winter, I've kept a pretty low profile gardening wise. However, I do have one project in the works - my herb garden. For Christmas, my in-laws bought me these cute and arty seedling kits from Restoration Hardware. They are part of a gardening collection designed by local Wisconsin potter, Guy Wolff. The first set is the "Italian" Collection with Parsley, Oregano and Basil.

The second set is the "French" Collection with Thyme, Sage and Rosemary.

My new nursery was born in the new year and at approximately 5-6 weeks is doing pretty well.

In researching herbology, I learned that most herbs like to be "misted" (like African Violets) rather than watered directly. So, my husband bought me an industrial nozzle sprayer and a small travel hairspray bottle to experiment with. The heavy duty one emits a large spray, but it can be a bit like a tidal wave on some of the more delicate babies (e.g., the Parsley). The hairspray bottle is so small, however, that it needs to be refilled 2-3 times per watering. My research also suggested that herbs should not be overwatered either, so I've been keeping them fairly dry.

All of the pots have growth, except the Oregano seems to be a bit stunted. I'm not sure if it requires more water than the other ones or if it is just a slow bloomer. I've never actually grown something from the seed up (well except for bean sprouts in elementary school), so it's hard to measure my progress.