Monday, January 30, 2012

Flowers my patio gets late sun what are the best flowers to plant for that and the ones with low maintance?

I have two medium size pots that I would like to put an arrangement in and 2 small pots. The sun usually get there at around 3pm in the afternoon.

Flowers my patio gets late sun what are the best flowers to plant for that and the ones with low maintance?
You don't mention what state or hardiness zone you live in, which would help to know what plants to recommend for your area.

You also don't say how big your medium and small pots are. The smaller the pot, the more often it has to be watered. I have large pots on my patio approximately 2 feet high and I have to water the plants in them every day. So to me, low maintenance and pots don't go well together because of the watering alone. Then there is the fertilizer needs of potted plants which make them even more of a hassle. Because pots are filled with potting soil that dries out quickly, you need to make sure to get potting soil that has fertilizer mixed it it already. I've tried every brand name of potting soil on the market. In my opinion, the very best is also the least expensive. Walmart Professional Growers Expert brand (yellow bag).



That said, if you will be able to water them every day or every other day at the minimum, any sun loving plants should do well.



I live in Ohio, hardiness zone 5. What is available at MY garden centers may not be available to you at yours depending on which state you live in.



I design custom large containers for my landscaping clients. One of my favorite layout designs is 4 equally spaced draping types of plants on the outside edge of the container, almost to the side of the pot, like my favorite, scaviola (come with a blueish- purple bloom or white) with Rubrum grass, which is a burgandy leaf grass, in the very center. In between the scaviola plants, I plant lantana. D a google search for both these plants so you can see how they look.



Another thing to keep in mind for designing potted containers, is the mature height of the plants you put in it.



The rule of thumb for a good design, is to use a center plant that will get as tall as your pot is tall. So, for my two foot tall plants, I would want my center plant to get at least 2 feet tall as well. Nothing looks worse than a tall pot with plants that only get 4 inches tall and hanging over the sides!



I moderate a gardening message board at Yahoo Groups, called therookiegardener (all one word). We have alot of rookies as well as professional gardeners on there. You might want to check us out. It's free of course. Good luck in your gardening efforts!



Becki
Reply:One of my favorite combinations of annuals for part sun areas is impatiens, annual salvia and sweet potato vine. None of these plants require much sun to thrive and you will be rewarded with nonstop bloom and gorgeous color all summer long. They are all tough, reliable and readily available, cheaply. Each plant comes in a variety of colors so you can even plant the same basic plants in each container yet have them look entirely different from one another. I particularly like this combination because of the shape contrasts it offers. The impatiens are round and full, the salvia are tall and spiky and the sweet potato spills wonderfully.

Here are links to pictures of each plant:



http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/im...



http://www.virtualplanttags.com/suite/?c...



http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/im...



I love doing containers, have fun with yours! Just be sure to keep them watered, you'd be amazed at how quickly they can dry out!
Reply:petunias---"wave"," supertunias",. Calibrachia(I found these at places that have Jackson Perkins Roses) many colors .Red with Japanese blood grass would be a good combo a variegated ivy would make a good complement and as it is perennial you could put in an out door spot and grow your own for next years pottings.
Reply:Sun coleus,vinca,marigolds,petunias, million bells,geraniums,4o'clocks(night bloomers),hibiscus or herbs also do well with full sun and smell nice too. You can even mix some things together. Enjoy!
Reply:Depending upon where you live, fuchsias would be a good plant for a coleus which have several different color or maybe even some pansies.
Reply:You might try petunias or impatiens both are low maintainence amd should tolerate that type of lighting.


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