Late-Summer Flowers: Annuals ensure color throughout the season

There are a few perennials that save their big show for the end of the summer. Among them: Rudbeckia (yellow flowers) and helenium.

The ultimate perennial garden. It's not difficult to bring that vision to mind. For me, it's a classic English border, with iris, lupine and poppies, that continues blooming right into the fall, with wave after wave of color and form: foxgloves, roses, delphinium, dianthus, hollyhocks, lilies and more.

The truth is, since I don't live in the British Isles or the Pacific Northwest, making that vision a reality in my own garden is all but impossible. Bloom time in most American perennial borders runs from late May through early July—a glorious but short 5 or 6 weeks. By late July, most perennial gardens are past their prime and look pretty dull for the rest of the season.

Fortunately, there are many perennials that bloom in late summer, including coneflower, asters, mums, Russian sage, cimicifuga, sedum, rudbeckia, and phlox. But I've found annuals are the real key to summer-long color.

Unlike many perennials, most annuals thrive in summer's heat and once they get started, will keep blooming right into early fall. With a little planning you can create annual-perennial partnerships that will keep your flower gardens looking terrific for a full 5 or 6 months.

I'll provide a list of my favorite perennial companions, but first, here are a couple things to keep in mind:

Heliotrope thrives in the cooler temperatures of late-summer and early fall.

1. Choose the right style of annuals. You don't want plants that are too billowy or too bold in flower or foliage. The best companions are vase-shaped, old-fashioned flowers with a casual form. The types of annuals that work best are those that weave among the foliage of your perennials. Good examples include verbena, nicotiana, salvia, diascia, and heliotrope.

2. Choose heat-tolerant annuals. Unless your perennial border is in the shade, you’ll want to select sun-loving, warm-weather plants such as ageratum, alyssum, cleome, morning glory, browallia, nicotiana, salvia, verbena and matricaria.

3. Don't neglect the tropicals. There are many fabulous heat-loving plants from zones 8 and 9 that can be used as annuals. Though many of these are quite large and possibly too bold to blend into the average perennial border, you may want to find space for them. Good candidates include canna, elephant ear, ginger lily, Mexican sage, and the many varieties of plectranthus.

I plant most of the annuals right into my perennial borders in the spring. Others get planted in the cutting garden and get moved over as needed to fill those inevitable holes that occur as the season progresses. You need to choose a rainy day to move these plants, which may already be in flower, but if you soak them well ahead, and keep the root ball intact, they should survive the move just fine.

Here are the annuals I plant in my perennial gardens:

Matricaria: I can't imagine my garden without this refreshing blast of white. I grow matricaria from seed since I've never found it offered in nurseries.

Mums: Some varieties will overwinter here in zone 4, but I usually treat them as annuals. Plant a couple fist-sized clumps in the spring. By fall each plant will give you dozens of long-lasting blooms. For good late season color, keep your mum plants pinched back until early July.

Coleus

Coleus: There are hundreds of incredible colors of coleus to choose from. Pinch them back to keep them bushy and remove the flower heads as they appear.

Anise Hyssop: I've interplanted this for so many years that it now self sows and I just dig up and move the plants where I want them. It's not exceptionally showy, but has good foliage and form, with fluffy purple flowers in August and September.

Salvia horminium (Salvia viridis): This is a great plant with purple, pink or white bracts. Like a poinsettia, it's the top leaves that provide the show, not the flowers. Salvia horminium looks good right through late fall.

Impatiens: I plant pink ones along the front of my long perennial border. The border faces north, so the perennials provide them with some shade. Impatiens bloom until frost, and the dependable splashes of pink pulls the border together.

Cleome: I plant these at the back of the perennial border. The four-foot high plumes provide both height and color from July through September.

Ammi majus: Also known as Bishop's weed, this plant looks like an airier version of Queen Anne's lace. Sow it successively from June through July since the plants fade after a couple weeks of blooms.

Sanvitalia procumbens: This low, spreading plant looks like a miniature black-eyed Susan. It loves the heat, and works well in rock gardens or at the front of a sunny border.

Salvia farinacea: The purple 'Victoria' has rich green foliage and spiky blue flowers. Its form is a bit stiffer than most good perennial companions, but I find it makes a great mid-border filler.

Source: http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/late-summer-flowers/5014.html

A Guide to Successful Pruning, Pruning Evergreen Trees

Anatomy of an Evergreen Tree

Evergreen trees have leaves that persist year round, and include most conifers and some broad-leaved trees. Evergreen trees generally need less pruning than deciduous trees.

Conifers are distinguished from other plants by their needle or scale-like leaves, and their seed-bearing cones. Because conifers have dominant leaders, young trees rarely require training-type pruning. The leader is the vertical stem at the top of the trunk. If a young tree has two leaders, prune one out to prevent multiple leader development. Selective branch removal is generally unnecessary as evergreens tend to have wide angles of attachment to the trunk. 

Evergreens are grouped on the basis of their branch arrangement. Pines, spruces, and firs have whorled branches that form a circular pattern around the growing tip. The annual growth of a whorl- branched conifer is determined by the number of shoots that are pre-formed in the buds. Whorl-branched conifers usually have only one flush of growth each year in which these pre-formed shoots expand into stems that form the next whorl.

The second group of evergreens are those with a random branching habit. Yew, arborvitae, cedar, false cypress, and juniper are all random-branched species.

What to Prune

Corrective pruning for evergreen trees consists mainly of dead, diseased, or damaged branch removal. Remove dead wood promptly, by cutting dead branches back to healthy branches. When pruning diseased branches, make thinning cuts into healthy wood, well below the infected area. Thinning cuts remove branches to their points of origin or attachment. Disinfect tools between each cut with products such as "Lysol," "Listerine," or rubbing alcohol. Tests have shown that "Pine-Sol" and household bleach are highly corrosive to metal tools. 

Allow evergreen trees to grow in their natural form. Don't prune into the inactive center (no needles or leaves attached) of whorl-branched conifers because new branches won't form to conceal the stubs.

When a tree's leader is lost due to storm damage or disease, replace it by splinting to a vertical position the upper lateral on the highest branch. Prune all laterals immediately below the new leader. Use wood or flexible wire splints, removing them after one growing season.

How to Prune

Current pruning recommendations advise against pruning branches flush to the trunk. Flush cutting is harmful in several ways: it damages bark as pruning tools rub against the trunk, it removes the branch collar, and it goes behind the branch bark ridge. The branch collar is the swollen area of trunk tissue that forms around the base of a branch. The branch bark ridge is a line of rough bark running from the branch-trunk crotch into the trunk bark, less prominent on some trees than on others.

The best pruning cut is made outside the branch collar, at a 45 to 60 degree angle to the branch bark ridge. Leave the branch collar intact to help prevent decay from entering the trunk.

Whenever removing limbs greater than one inch in diameter, use the three-cut method to avoid tearing bark. First, about 12 inches from the trunk, cut halfway through the limb from the underside. Second, about 1 inch past the first cut, cut through the limb from the top side. The limb's weight will cause it to break between the two cuts. Make the third cut outside the branch collar, as described in Publication 430-456.

Don't coat pruning cuts with tree paint or wound dressing, except for control of certain disease-carrying insects. These materials won't prevent decay or promote wound closure. Some tests, however, have shown wound dressings to be beneficial on trees that are susceptible to canker or systemic disease.

Pines and other whorl-branched conifers become denser if new growing tips ("candles") are pinched in half as they expand in the spring. Pinch by hand, as pruning shears will cut the expanding needles and leave them with brown tips. 

When to Prune

Most evergreen pruning is done for corrective reasons, so seasonal timing is not as important as it is for deciduous species. Pruning during dormancy is the most common practice and will result in a vigorous burst of spring growth. Whenever unexpected damage from vandalism or bad weather occurs, prune immediately.

There are, however, certain evergreen pruning activities for specific times of the year. Prune random-branched conifers in early spring when new growth will cover the pruning wounds. "Candles" of whorl-branched conifers must be pinched back in mid to late spring. Maintenance pruning of random-branched conifers is done in summer to keep plants within a desired size range. Remove spent flowers of evergreen magnolias at the end of their blooming season to stimulate new growth and development of a thicker crown. During the Christmas season, minor pruning for decorative purposes usually causes no harm.

Whenever possible, avoid pruning evergreen trees in late summer and early fall. Pruning at this time can stimulate new growth that may not harden off before winter, and thus may be damaged or killed by the cold. (See VCE Publication 430-461, Evergreen Tree Pruning Calendar)

Source: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-457/430-457.html

Summer Garden Checklist

Mulch

Spreading a 2-inch-deep layer of mulch over your soil is one of the best things you can do for your garden. The mulch blankets the ground, shielding the soil from the sun. This keeps it cooler, so your plant roots are happier, and prevents moisture loss from evaporation.

Happily, there's not a single best type of mulch. Anything made from organic matter -- shredded wood, pine straw, a mix of grass clippings and shredded leaves, etc. -- is going to help your soil in the long run as it decomposes and adds to your soil structure.
Learn more about mulch.

Weed

Many pesky weeds love summer heat and quickly take the jump from tiny to gigantic. It's important to pull them from your garden, because weeds steal moisture and nutrients from your plants. Many weeds also encourage insect pests and diseases to pop up in your garden.

Weeds are easiest to pull when they're young and small. They also come out of the ground easiest when the soil is moist. Another reason to get them while they're young: You can stop weeds from producing seeds. A single dandelion plant can produce 2,000 seeds in a year. A weed such as lamb's quarters can produce 150,000 seeds in a year. That's a lot of future weeding you can save yourself from doing!
Check out our Weed Identification Guide.

Video: Get weeding tips.

Add Color with Summer Annuals

Once summer heat arrives, many spring-blooming annuals such as pansy, viola, and osteospermum fade. Make your yard look its best by pulling out the spent plants and replacing them with heat-loving varieties such as angelonia, lantana, ageratum, coleus, pentas, portulaca, salvia, sweet potatovine, and zinnia. Heat-loving annuals grow quickly in warm temperatures and will soon provide a beautiful burst of color.

Note: Don't be afraid to renew color in your landscape by replacing summer annuals damaged by drought, pests, or diseases.
Discover top annuals in our Plant Encyclopedia.

Plant Summer-Blooming Bulbs

Summer bulbs such as calla, canna, and dahlia are surefire ways to add color and drama to your landscape all summer long. These varieties are tender, so if you live in a Zone where they're not hardy, plant them after all danger of frost has passed. Once temperatures rise, they grow quickly.
Discover our favorite summer bulbs.

Pinch Mums and Other Late Perennials

Keep mums, sedums, asters, and other fall-blooming perennials standing tall by pinching the top inch or two of new growth. You can do so up to the Fourth of July.

Pinching the tops of the plant typically gives you a more compact, sturdy specimen. It may also give you more blooms from the sideshoots that develop, though the blooms are typically a little smaller and appear a couple of weeks later.

Other perennials that you can pinch in May and June:

• Balloon flower
• Bee balm
• Goldenrod
• Joe Pye weed
• Perennial sunflower
• Phlox
• Russian sage

Remove Faded Flowers

Remove spent blooms from many of your annuals and perennials, and you might see more flowers! Called deadheading, this process prevents plants from producing seeds so they put more energy into beautiful blooms.

Deadheading cuts back on future efforts, too, for plants that self-seed. Perennials (such as columbine, coneflower, cup plant, false sunflower, garlic chives, and verbena) and annuals (such as datura, flowering tobacco, kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate, larkspur, and spider flower) can self-seed to the point of being weedy in the garden.

Watch for Pests

Like weeding, keeping an eye on pests and diseases in your yard should be done all year. But midsummer seems to be particularly popular for these gardening obstacles.

Some of the more common midsummer problems to watch for include:

• Black spot
• Cucumber beetles
• Grasshoppers
• Japanese beetles
• Powdery mildew
• Rust
• Squash bugs
• Tomato hornworms

Water

If you experience dry summers, or a dry weather pattern, you may wish to water your garden to keep it looking its best.

Most common garden plants prefer an average of 1 inch of water a week. It's best to apply that inch all at once to encourage plant roots to sink down more deeply in the soil.

When watering, apply water directly to the ground rather than getting a plant's foliage wet; water sitting on the leaves can lead to disease. Soaker hoses are great for this!

Raise Your Mower

Raise the height of your lawn-mower blade if you have cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, or fescues. More leaf surface keeps the plants healthier during hot, dry weather.

Start a Fall Vegetable Garden

Vegetables fall into two basic categories: Cool-season and warm-season. The warm-season varieties -- tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash -- are all going now. Once temperatures cool, these plants will fade.

Enjoy continued harvests by planting cool-loving vegetable seeds -- including broccoli, carrots, kohlrabi, lettuce, and spinach -- now so you can enjoy fresh, delicious harvests this autumn.
Learn more about fall vegetable gardening.

Divide Tall Bearded Iris

Most types of iris typically enjoy being divided every three to four years to keep them vigorous and blooming well. The best time to divide them is in summer, when they're dormant.
Learn more about dividing iris.

Add More Color to Your Yard

Keep your yard colorful by adding flowers that bloom in late summer, especially if your garden is starting to feel tired. Many shrub roses are excellent picks for bold color in August, as are new sterile varieties of butterfly bush (such as the Flutterby, Buzz, and Lo and Behold series). 

Harvest Vegetables

Don't let hot weather keep you out of the vegetable garden. Keep up with your harvests to encourage your plants to continue producing and limit pest and disease problems. Insect pests in particular are attracted to overripe vegetables that fall off the plant and begin to rot.
Get tips for harvesting your favorite vegetables.

Get tips for preserving and canning your harvests!

Source: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/summer-garden-checklist/

5 Weed Killers that Won't Harm Plants

Weeds are also called "invasive plants" because they invade your garden and spread. If left unchecked, a weed infestation can take over an entire yard and turn it into an eyesore.

Many people have trouble dealing with aggressive weeds because the poisons and weed killers that work on the weeds also harm your regular garden plants.

The following are all options you can exercise that will target weeds specifically and leave your other plants safe and sound.

1. Cornmeal

This method is useful if your yard or garden is new and not already established.

Wait for your plants and seeds to start growing, and then treat your lawn to prevent weeds from appearing. Using your hands, broadcast a thin layer of cornmeal over garden and landscaping areas. The cornmeal prevents seed growth, in this case you're aiming to stop weeds from seeding, so this is why you want to wait before spreading it on the ground. Doing it sooner will stunt the good seeds for your plants. Cornmeal will also attract worms that naturally churn and enrich the soil, so cornmeal is a good idea even if you don’t have a big weed problem.

2. Vinegar

You probably have a weed killer in your home right this very minute. If not, you can buy one at any grocery store: vinegar.

Get undiluted white vinegar and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray the vinegar directly on the weeds you wish to eliminate, and you'll notice results within hours. Unlike many chemically-created weed killing agents, vinegar is a natural and perfectly safe substance for you, your children, and your pets. Vinegar can be safely ingested (though the taste is rather unpleasant), and it can be touched with bare skin. Vinegar is also affordable when compared with formulated chemical killers.

For best results, spray vinegar during a sunny day with minimal wind. The wind can carry vinegar away from weeds, and that’s not what you want. Vinegar can have adverse effects on other plants, but if you spray weeds directly it will not harm your other greenery or the soil itself.

• Vinegar is also an effective way to control garden bugs and pests. Spray it in areas where you’ve seen ants, slugs, or stray cats. The smell will keep them away.

3. Baking Soda

You don't have vinegar on hand? What about baking soda? This is another safe product that can be used for weed control. Spread baking soda directly on weed-ridden areas to make the soil less hospitable to weeds. Baking soda can easily be sprinkled into cracks and crevices where weeds appear, such as sidewalks and driveways.

4. Salt Water

You can also boil two cups of water on the stove and add one cup of salt. Be sure to handle the boiling water carefully as you pour it directly onto weeds.

• Plain salt can also be used without the water, but you want to exercise caution with this. “Salting the fields” is known for making the soil inhospitable to plant life of all kinds, so you want to be judicious.

5. Mulch

Spread mulch in garden and landscaped areas to smother weed growth. If you notice weeds appearing in these areas anyway, cover the area with newspaper. The newspaper will prevent light and air from getting to the soil, and that will kill weeds.

• Don’t cover the plants you want to save.

Conclusion

The best natural way to prevent weeds is to maintain a healthy lawn. Thick, lush grass offers little bare soil that weeds can latch onto. Keep your lawn looking good, and you’ll see a lot fewer weeds.

Eliminate weeds safely by treating them directly and keeping your soil healthy. If you treat the weeds directly, you can get rid of the ones you don't want and save all the others.

Source: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/diy-fixes-for-weeds-that-wont-harm-plants

20 Colorful Plants For Shade Gardens

Plant some of these beauties for great garden color, even in shade

Astilbe hybrids

Feathery, plumelike flowers have an airy quality; they come in shades of pink, salmon, lavender, red, and white above fernlike foliage. A mainstay of shaded perennial borders, they’re also great beside garden pools, along shaded paths, and in pots. Give them moist, rich soil.

Amethyst flower (Browallia hybrids)

If you love blue flowers, this annual is a must. Amethyst flower has star-shaped blooms of brilliant blue and sky blue, as well as violet and white; they nearly cover the 1- to 2-foot-tall plants. Put them in hanging baskets or containers, then make them really happy by displaying them in a location that gets warm shade or filtered sunlight. Leaves are small, roundish, and green.

Begonia (Tuberous)

For sizzling color in pots and hanging baskets, it’s hard to beat these perennials—each blooms as flouncy and vibrant as a Mexican dancer’s skirt. Flowers come in every shade but blue. Hanging types bloom more profusely, but upright strains have larger flowers—you choose. These begonias grow best in filtered shade and rich soil; water them enough to keep the soil moist but not soggy, and mist regularly.

Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides)

This perennial's brilliantly colored leaves range from ruby red and yellow to pink, orange, and blends. But for a lightly shaded patio, we’re partial to lime green hues like ‘Dappled Apple’, sunny yellow ‘Lemon Twist’, or brown and lime ‘Chocolate Drop’. Either one would look refreshing in an apple green glazed pot; they’re so striking, they can hold their own! Pinch the tips to encourage vigorous growth.

Copper plant (Acalypha wilkesiana)

Bronze-green, red, and orange hues splash these long oval leaves like watercolors that have run. More colorful than many flowers, copper plant is hardy only to 40°, so it’s often used as an annual. But we grow it in a big caramel-colored pot that basks on a lath-covered patio in summer, then gets moved indoors for winter. The tender evergreen shrub has thrived in its 16-inch-diameter container for about three years now—pretty good for Menlo Park, California, where winter temperatures regularly dip into the 30s. It grows 18 to 36 inches tall.

Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea')

Roundish chartreuse leaves and yellow flowers on trailing stems make this mat-forming perennial ideal for softening the edges of tall urns or hanging baskets. We grow it in an  olive green glazed pot, where it spills out around a yellow-flowered abutilon. In the ground, it grows 4 to 8 inches tall, and spreads to 2 feet—rooting as it goes.

Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum)

There’s nothing “dead” about this beauty; the leaves of its many varieties have a silvery sheen that nearly glows in shade. ‘Ann Greenaway’ has green leaves edged in yellow, with a silver stripe down the center, and pink flowers. ‘Beacon Silver’ has silvery gray leaves with green edges, and pink flowers. ‘White Nancy’ has silvery gray-green leaves with green edges, and white flowers. Spreading to 3 feet wide, this perennial is great in hanging baskets and as pot edging.

Fancy-leafed caladium (Caladium bicolor)

Translucent as stained glass, caladium’s large arrow-shaped leaves on long stalks are banded or blotched with various combinations of red, rose, pink, white, silver, bronze, or green. Outside the tropics, grow these tender perennials in rich, well-drained soil in big pots to display on a shaded patio in summer. We love the combo pictured: The green and white caladium grows in a 6-inch plastic nursery pot nestled inside a big green pot to jazz up the striped amaryllis that lives there year round (but goes dormant in winter).

Flowering maple (Abutilon hybrids)

Bell-shaped blooms of yellow, white, pink, orange, or red dangle in clusters among maple-like green leaves that are sometimes variegated with white. The evergreen shrub grows about 8 feet tall, but we love the dwarf varieties for pots and small spaces; coral salmon ‘Melon Sorbet’ grows just 18 to 36 inches tall. The white and yellow forms flower almost continuously. Give the plant part shade in the hottest climates.

Garden hydrangea

For light shade, it’s tough to beat Hydrangea macrophylla. The shrub is easy to grow, needing little fussing beyond watering, occasional feeding, and light pruning once a year. Yet it pumps out big mophead flower clusters—in shades of pink, blue, and white—that can reach 10 or more inches across. For really large clusters, grow H. arborescens ‘Incrediball’, which has 12-inch heads that open lime green, turn snowy white, then age to pale green on plants to 10 feet tall.

Geranium cranesbill

True geraniums—which make fluffy little mounds of foliage and small flowers in white or shades of pink or blue—thrive in the light shade of high trees. At Sunset headquarters, we grow G. x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’, which has white blooms with a pale pink blush in late spring and early summer, in a bed under a shapely oak (it doesn’t need much water). Other pretty choices include G. cinereum ‘Ballerina’ (pink flowers), ‘Brookside’ (blue flowers), and ‘Jolly Bee’ (blue flowers).

Heuchera

‘Electric Lime’ heuchera is the perfect accent for a mostly green garden; its big maple-like leaves add a pop of bright lime that’s guaranteed to wake up darker green shrubbery. Cluster several plants at the front of a border for striking contrast. Or try ‘Southern Comfort’ (a warm caramel color, like its namesake) beside peachy colored impatiens. Heuchera takes sun only in coolest climates, and grows to 28 inches tall.

Heucherella

Heart-shaped leaves on clumping plants 5 inches tall and 1 foot wide come in many beautiful colors. We especially love ‘Stoplight’ for its lime green leaves splashed with red, and the new ‘Sweet Tea’, which has orange caramel-colored leaves with huge cinnamon-hued stars in the center. Small spring flowers are a bonus. Grow this little perennial beauty in a shaded rock garden or as a groundcover in a woodland corner. It needs humus-rich, well-drained soil.

Hosta hybrids

Hostas come in a virtual wardrobe of shapes, textures, and colors. Depending on variety, their leaves may be heart-shaped, round, oval, or lance-shaped; glossy or dull; smooth or quilted; blue, green, or yellow. We especially love the cool, bluish green ‘Sagae’ (pictured); it grows 2 feet tall, and makes a stunning accent in a blue-green glazed container. The perennial also sends up white flowers in late summer.

Impatiens

Of all the impatiens out there, in a dizzying array of color choices, we’re partial to the New Guinea hybrids for their large leaves and 3-inch-wide flowers of pink, lavender, purple, red, and more. The vibrant orange-flowered New Guineas are positively sizzling in chocolate-brown containers. To edge shaded borders, go for the low- growing Busy Lizzie impatiens, which cover themselves in 2-inch-wide, five-petaled flowers in nearly every color but blue.

Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’)

Gracefully arching leaves give this perennial grass the look of a cooling fountain. Green with long yellow stripes, the leaves turn chartreuse in dense shade; in full sun in cooler climates, they turn creamy pale yellow. Display a single plant in a pot, or plant in drifts at the front of a border to create a drapey edging.

Meadow rue (Thalictrum rochebrunianum ‘Lavender Mist’)

Puffs of small lavender-blue flowers and lacy green leaves that resemble those of columbine make this perennial superb as an airy counterpoint among bolder plants; we love it beside ‘Star Gazer’ hydrangea. And its delicate tracery of leaves and flowers is especially effective against a backdrop of dark green foliage. Meadow rue thrives in the dappled shade of woodland gardens, and blooms in early summer.

Mirror plant (Coprosma ‘Tequila Sunrise’)

Glossy, jewel-like foliage blends lots of yummy colors on this amazing tender evergreen shrub. New leaves open emerald green with gold edges, then gradually marble themselves with orange, gold, and pink. The plant is gorgeous all year, and grows in a pyramid shape to 5 feet tall, but can be sheared to any size; it makes a great hedge in part shade.

Persian Shield (Strobilanthes dyeranus) 

Exotic any way you look at them, leaves of this soft-stemmed shrub are a gorgeous blend of purple and silver with sea green ribs; their undersides are bright purple. We grow Persian shield as a strapping accent in a large (18-inch) pot, along with Medusa ferns, fragrant, white-flowered bouvardia, and lamium. It grows 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow (Brunfelsia pauciflora ‘Floribunda’)

A quick-change color show is what you get from this aptly named plant. Blossoms turn from purple (“yesterday”) to lavender (“today”) to white (“tomorrow”). And all colors are usually present at the same time on this 10-foot-tall plant. In small spaces, you can keep it to 3 feet tall with pruning, or grow a dwarf form.

Source: http://www.sunset.com/garden/flowers-plants/color-plants-for-shade/

61 Cool Container Gardens

Beautiful container plantings for your deck, entryway, or yard

Wine punch

Start with the plants, then pick a container that will extend the color theme. Here, a 16-inch-wide olive green pot makes the brighter foliage pop.

More: Wine punch container garden

Starburst

Arching gracefully in all directions, ‘Vera Jameson’ sedum displays juicy round leaves and stems topped with pink, star-shaped flowers. Mexican snowballs (Echeveria elegans) anchor the right side, young pups bunched up against mother plants. In back,
the nonsucculent Pelargonium sidoides catches the light on its silver leaves, echoing the color of the Echeveria.

Pro tip: Pelargonium sidoides is a favorite to mix with succulents. Its fuzzy, ruffled leaves and wandering habit transform any combo from rigid to loose.

Texture play

This mix of (counter-clockwise, from top left) Kangaroo paws, Echeveria ‘Afterglow’, Adenanthos cuneatus ‘Coral Drift’, and Sedum reflexum provides a daring blend of textures. Container: $40; Home Depot (homedepot.com for stores)

Cool hues

A Chamaerops humilis palm (top left) and a ‘Frosted Curls’ carex (center) add texture to Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ (bottom left) and Goodenia affinis ‘Little Luna’ (bottom right). Container: $60; Pottery & Beyond (potsby.com) 

Fireworks

Calandiva Goldengirl Yellow kalanchoe (bottom left) pops between ‘Silver Shadow’ astelia (right) and Euphorbia characias ‘Silver Swan’ (top left). Container: $40; Target (target.com for stores) 

Star power

Agave attenuata ‘Ray of Light’ (center) takes center stage against ‘Silver Shadow’ astelia (top), ‘Black Adder’ phormium (right), and Plectranthus ‘Mike’s Fuzzy Wuzzy’ (left). Container: $60; Pottery & Beyond (potsby.com)

Succulent mini landscape

Plum-colored foliage is a rich accent against soft greens in these easy-care containers. Arrange taller plants in the center or back, trailers near the pot’s edges. For immediate effect, choose large plants and big pots (shown above left: 10 in. across, 14 in. tall; right: 16 by 18 in.). Start smaller for a less pricey combination. Design: Daniel Nolan, Flora Grubb Gardens (floragrubb.com)

Grow them: Pick pots with ample drain holes and use fast-draining potting soil. Set in full sun. Water well, then only when top several inches of soil are dry.

Container at left (clockwise, from bottom left corner of pot): Aloe humilis (6 in.); Phormium ‘Guardsman’ (5 gal.); Leucadendron‘Wilson’s Wonder’ (5 gal.); Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ (1 gal.); Echeveria pulvinata (4 in.); Aeonium leucoble­pharum (6 in.).

Container at right (clockwise, from bottom center of pot): Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ (1 gal.); Sedum adolphii (4 in.); Coprosma‘Evening Glow’ (1 gal.); Chondopetalum tectorum (1 gal.); Echeveria ‘Coral Glow’ (6 in.); Kalanchoe ‘Fantastic’ (6 in.); Euphorbia‘Ascot Rainbow’ (1 gal.).

Cocoa colors

Deep bronze, burgundy, and plum shades mimic the colors of autumn right on your porch.

More: Cocoa fall plant containers

Harvest gold hues

Orange-striped blades of grass, apricot-tinged leaves with purple undersides, and matching gold containers make for autumn-inspired pots.

More: Harvest gold fall containers

Planting ideas for garden pots

Splash of white

For a hint of spring on your patio, arrange several plants in a wide, low planter as you would in a garden bed ― layer by layer. Include pockets of green (grasses or ferns), bursts of color, and a soft carpet base (such as Irish moss).

In this garden pot: feverfew, ranunculus, licorice plant, Johnny-jump-up, blue star creeper, bacopa, and primula obconica

Plant a pot of living color

Like a canvas waiting for paint, an empty garden planter can become anything you desire: a meditation in violet, a carnival of oranges and limes, or a quiet study of leaf shapes and textures.

Here, Seattle container designer Marsha Davis-Thomsen used Purple fountain grass, Zinnia 'Profusion Orange', Pelargonium'Tango Violet',variegated English ivy (Hedera helix 'Gold Ripple'), Calibrachoa 'Liricashower Blue', and Acorus gramineus.

More: See the planting plan

Colors that complement

Designer Kirstin Erchinger of Santa Fe is a horticulturalist with a floral-design background. She starts with a plant she falls in love with, then selects companions that flatter it, not compete with it.

She filled this 24-inch pot with Hibiscus 'Maple Sugar', Agastache 'Sunset', Nassella tenuissima, Lantana 'Landmark Flame', andPetunia 'Suncatcher Saphhire'.

Maximum impact

Container designer Mark Bartos likes to create maximum impact with a minimum number of plants. "Because this container was so narrow, everythying in it had to be [visually] strong," he says.

The galvanaized metal container, 16 inches wide by 28 inches tall, is from Ikea (about $18). Bartos raised it on a stack of concrete pavers.

The plants: Adenanthos sericea, Sedum morganianum, rattail cactus (Aporocactus flagelliformis).

Big entrance

Designer Bartos created these planters to fit a ranch-style home with a bit of art deco thrown in.

They're simple and contemporary; they're large and have strong architectural shapes. Bartos prefers big pots ― 24-inch-diameter minimum. You need that scale to create drama.

Each pot contains Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Marjorie Channon', cotoneaster, red 'Dragon's Blood' sedum, and chartreuse juniper.

Woolly pocket wall garden

Try a modern take on traditional hanging baskets with a wall of these Woolly Pockets. Since they're lined with moisture barriers, you don't have to worry about any leaking.

More:  How to make a hanging plant display

Mini garden in a pot: 3 easy pieces

With copper-tipped Echeveria subrigada ‘Fire and Ice’ (center) playing off rich chocolate Aeonium arborescens ‘Tip Top’ (left) and cascading Sedum rupestre ‘Blue Spruce’ (right), this pot of sculptural succulents creates a dramatic focal point, yet takes just moments to pull together.

How to plant this succulent pot:

Buy the plants in 4-inch pots. Transplant them into a container, with drainage holes, that’s partially filled with potting mix. (The oval stone planter pictured is 7 inches wide, 14 inches long, and 6 inches deep.)

Care for these easily maintained container gardens by providing a sunny or partly sunny location and watering when the soil gets dry. They’ll fill in fast. — Julie Chai

Vertical container garden

Containers don't have to sit on the ground. Here, cuttings of assorted succulents knit together to create colorful, textural living tapestries for a garden or entry wall.

More: See how to make a vertical succulent garden

One-pot vegetable garden

Not everyone has the room or time for a big edible garden. But even if you’re limited to a lone container, you can still enjoy a summer’s worth of homegrown produce for pasta, Gazpacho, and even garden-fresh Bloody Marys.

How to plant this one-pot vegetable garden

Potted bamboo and maples

Potted bamboos and maples dress the gravel-covered patio inspired by the architecture of Japan.

More: See this Sunset reader's Japanese-inspired garden

Small pots

When speckled with blooms, Copia 'Gulliver's White' bacopa looks especially cheerful in 5-inch-wide, glossy green pots.

Beach garden in a pot

If you yearn for the beach but live miles inland, you can re-create the look easily in a pot.

You'll need:

• a low, wide pot or bowl, approximately 14 inches in diameter
• potting soil
• 3 small, slow-growing plants in 4-inch nursery pots
• horticultural-grade washed sand (a 1-qt. bag is enough for a 14-inch pot)
• small pieces of driftwood or other found objects

More:  Get our step-by-step

One-plant pots

Just one plant went into each of these white ceramic ‘Cylinder’ containers, from Gainey Ceramics.

A single plant with a bold, sculptural shape is easier on the eye than a mixed planting. And a white pot allows it to shine.

You don’t have to buy large, expensive specimens―smaller agaves, ferns, other other plants suitable to your area will work this way, too.

Country charmers

Nasturtiums are carefree creepers with a range of flower colors.

Dwarf kinds form loose mounds about 10 to 15 inches tall ― suitable for hanging baskets, patio containers, and low borders.

More: Our favorite nasturtiums

Lime green container pot

Soft textures and bright chartreuse tones light up bronze-colored 17-inch-wide containers.

The plants:

Restio multiflorus: A wispy, grasslike plant that grows 3 to 4 feet tall or more, it develops brown seed heads that hang on through winter.

Libertia peregrinans: Stiff, narrow leaves have warm tones of olive and orange; plants reach 2 feet tall.

Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae: This spreading foot-tall plant has rounded grass green leaves.

Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold': Feathery green-gold foliage glows in soft autumn light. Plants reach 1½ feet tall.

Trio of textures

A cluster of pots gathers on center stage.

Left pot: Aeoniums flank a dwarf mugho pine, with Dianella tasmanica 'Variegata' and 'Silver Dragon' liriope behind.

Center pot: dwarf Alberta spruce and 'Burgundy Lace' ajuga.

Right pot: silvery Artemisia' Powis Castle', 'Moe's Gold' helichrysum, Juniperus horizontalis ‘Glacier',  Pittosporum tenuifolium'Golf Ball', and black mondo grass.

Compact lavenders

Dwarf lavenders, which stay under 2 feet tall, are compact alternatives to the common varieties that can grow to 4 feet or taller. They're particularly suitable for small beds, border edgings, even containers.

More:  12 small lavenders

Cool pot

Freshen your landscape’s look practically instantly: Just combine crisp white blossoms with a shower of icy blue or silver foliage in a glazed aqua-colored container.

Here frosty blue Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls' cascades over the lip of an aqua pot, while blue oat grass fans out between a pair of angelonias and conceals a mealycup sage directly behind it.

More:  See how to plant this container garden

Home-grown herb container garden

This two-tiered container garden holds a selection of basic herbs. Trailers and fillers ― chives, rosemary, and thyme ― tumble over the edges of the bottom pot (about 24 inches wide).

Dwarf purple and sweet basils grow in the top pot (about 16 inches wide) with thyme filling in around the edges. To keep potted herbs healthy fertilize and water them regularly.

More:  18 easy herb recipes

Industrial light fixture becomes chic pot

Unwanted light fixtures (and other vessels) can become plant vessels with a contemporary edge.

Be sure your object can sit upright (flat bottom). Because there’s no drainage hole, we recommend using plants that don’t demand much water.

No such containers around your house? Try salvage yards for your own vessel to repurpose.

Gardening with ornamental grasses: A sweet scent

Chasmanthium latifolium and Acorus gramineus  ‘Licorice’ get into a delicious tangle in an oval gray stone container.

When bruised the acorus’s leaves have a licorice scent.

Meadow in a bowl

Small-leafed plants share a 30-inch-wide concrete bowl.

Silvery Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' fills the center while purple fountain grass hens and chickens a silver-leafed hebe and 'Teenie Genie' a slow-growing dwarf Syzygium (also sold as Eugenia) grow around it.

Veggies in pots

Even if you don't have much sunny ground, you can still experience the pleasure of harvesting your own vine-ripened tomatoes and other crops.

All you need is a generous-size container, good potting soil, and a suitable spot ― a patio, deck, or corner that gets at least six hours of full sun a day.

More:  How to grow veggies in pots

Container for spring and summer

Sago palm anchors this composition in a 22- by 24-inch glazed urn. Below it are 'Orange Profusion' zinnias, yellowPachystachys lutea, and trailing variegated vinca.

More:  Containers for all seasons

Unthirsty plants

Dramatic, low-water Echeveria and New Zealand flax fill a pot in a drought-tolerant garden.

Urn and succulents as patio table

Root succulents by putting them in an 18-inch-diameter urn filled to 6 ½ inches below the rim with potting soil, then center a 24-inch round of tempered glass ― sold as a tabletop ― on the rim. The mini-greenhouse doubles as a table for a lightly shaded patio.

More:  Unique ideas to use urns in the garden

Poolside planter

A lush poolside planter almost glows with color, all from foliage.

Medium green Lysimachia nummularia and lime green L. n. 'Goldilocks' tumble down the sides of the 16-in. square pot, whileStipa arundinacea provides a soft backdrop for 'Rustic Orange' coleus and blue-green Euphorbia polychroma.

Halloween in a pot

Celebrate Halloween with orange and black plants. Combine black foliage with orange blooms in pots of similar hues like ebony and persimmon. Then add some gnarly twigs ― like the pod-laden phormium stalks shown ― from your garden or a craft or floral supply shop among the plants.

More:  Get our plant ideas

Touch of bronze

Bronze and chartreuse foliage mingle in a 16-inch rose-blushed celadon pot.

The plants:

Pieris  'Forest Flame': Fiery red new leaves fade to pink, then turn dark green when mature. This shrub prefers part-shade and can reach 10 feet tall.

Dryopteris erythrosora: The hardy wood fern’s feathery new growth blends copper, pink, and gold tones that turn rust-colored in fall. It grows 2 feet tall.

'Little John' azalea: Bronzy leaves make this azalea, which can reach 6 feet tall, a choice focal point.

Fall color

For a modern look, plant your arrangements in glazed pots of deep burgundy, forest green, or pebble gray. You'll create a fresh autumnal mood without having to rake a single leaf.

More:  Fall color surprises

Mini landscape

Threadleaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Seiryu') towers over red-leafed 'Little John' azalea, variegated ivy and abelia in a 2- by 4-foot rectangular black zinc container.

Group pots

These pots, of different sizes but the same color, contain plants in shades that echo the garden's overall scheme. In the smallest pot, fiber optics plant mixes with heuchera, lamium, and cyclamen. In the one at left, nandina pops against lamium, cyclamen, and hellebore. The tallest pot holds fine-leafed rosemary, cordyline, cyclamen, and heuchera.

Patio snow

Fluffy white azaleas and hydrangeas piled in containers resemble snowballs. Forced into flower for the holidays, both plants are sold at nurseries, garden centers, and grocery stores, usually in 6-inch containers (www.hanabayflowers.com for store locations).

Lightweight fiberglass-clay planters, 16 and 20 in. wide; from $69; www.smithandhawken.com or 800/981-9888.

More:  Garden gallery: White and silver plants

Kale in a container

Because these showy cabbage relatives tolerate cold weather and can hold their brilliant color all the way into spring, they're ideal for growing in pots to display on porches, patios, or beside entryways. They grow 1 to 2 feet tall.

More:  Kale in containers

Video: How to plant a container

How to add color, dimension, and great-looking plants to your backyard using container gardening.

1-minute video:  How to plant a container

Drip watering

A simple, automated drip-irrigation system, which applies water slowly and directly to roots, frees you from hand-watering and helps eliminate harmful fluctuations in soil moisture. Plants respond by growing full and lush.

And you'll never have to drag around another hose.

More:  Drip watering for containers

Carefree container

Follow these simple steps to create your own self- watering (technical term: subirrigated) pot and come home to happy plants. A reservoir at the bottom allows more time between waterings, while an overflow hole prevents overwatering.

• Start with a thin-walled, nonporous pot (at least 12 inches wide and 16 inches high) that has no drainage hole but will be easy to drill into—like the plastic ones shown here (Skörd planter, from $30; ikea.com). Drill a 1/4-inch- wide hole into its side, about 4 inches up from the bottom.
• Take a smaller plastic pot— roughly 6 by 6 inches—and drill 1/4-inch-wide holes, a few inches apart, into the sides and bottom. Fill with potting soil, then center in the bottom of the large container. (If your large pot is wide, like the one shown above right, use two small pots.)
• Cut a disc of sturdy plastic (we used the lid of an old storage bin) to fit securely in- side the large pot when sitting on top of the soil- filled one. Drill 1/4-inch holes, an inch apart, in the disc. Cut a 1-inch-wide hole near the disc’s edge, then place the disc on the pot, inside the large container.
• Cut a length of 1-inch PVC pipe that’s slightly longer than the height of the large container. Cut the bottom of the pipe at an angle (so it won’t clog), and insert the pipe through the 1-inch hole in the disc. Push pipe as far into the big pot as it will go.
• Set your plant on the plastic disc (next to the pipe). Fill in the space around it with potting soil, mixed with some controlled-release organic fertilizer, to 1 to 2 inches below the pot’s rim. (Don’t worry if some soil falls through to the reservoir below.)
• Cover the top of the soil with plastic sheeting, cutting an X in it to let the plant through and tucking it down into the sides of the pot. Hide the plastic with a layer of rock or bark. Pour water down the pipe until it flows from the drainage hole. Refill as needed, likely once or twice a week.

“Tidepool”

Echeverias and other small succulents, planted in a blue bowl, look like underwater creatures.

Mood & attitude

“This is the It Plant of the moment,” says San Francisco nursery owner Flora Grubb of the icy blue powder-covered Echeveria cante, pictured at bottom left. “I’ve never seen a plant as iridescent as this one.” Here, the succulent shimmers against moody dark foliage—‘Cheryl’s Shadow’ geranium and ‘Black Adder’ phormium, which add structure in back. The 16-inch-wide container is made of lightweight plastic.

Fireworks, contained

A variegated Aloe arborescens with subtle stripes appears to explode above Sedum ‘Lemon Coral’ (provenwinners.com) in this 14-inch-high zinc container. “It’s the best sedum I’ve grown,” says Jarrod Baumann, who designed the planting. “It stays full and lush and doesn’t look ratty, even after it’s done blooming.”

Design: Zeterre Landscape Architecture, Los Altos, CA; zeterre.com

Tiny treasures

Costa Mesa garden designer Molly Wood fills vintage metal chicken feeders with tiny succulents for a rustic centerpiece. Hen and chickens (Sempervivums), echeverias, and a dainty stonecrop grow in cactus mix in a 4 1/2-inch-deep trough. Find similar ones at flea markets or on mollywoodgardendesign.com or etsy.com.

Design: Molly Wood Garden Design, Costa Mesa, CA; mollywoodgardendesign.com

Bigger, better

A potted succulent may be pretty on its own, but group it with bromeliads and cactus, and it has presence. Whether it’s on a porch or is part of a large yard, a vignette of containers “condenses beauty in a small space,” says Oakland landscape designer Joshua Stenzel. In his work, he often mixes quirky drought-tolerant plants from Australia and the Southwest. The results are dazzling compositions that need only the occasional watering.

“One thing I’ve learned with small-space designs is to skip the dainty little pots and go for big and bold,” says Stenzel. Make an impact by including one tall planting and repeating one strong color in either the foliage or the pots.

The plants

Left to right: Agave; Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’; E. tirucalli.

Bold texture

“I almost always include something lacy, something hanging, and something architectural,” says Oakland landscape designer Joshua Stenzel. Then “throw in one thing that’s unexpected,” such as the Sempervivum succulents dripping out of a low pot here.

The plants

Upright Euphorbia tirucalli (back left); feathery Acacia iteaphylla (back right); Yucca aloifolia ‘Purpurea’ (left); strappy bromeliad (Vriesea philippo-coburgii, center); variegated ‘Cornelius’ agave (bottom right); cascading mistletoe cactus (Rhipsalis, bottom left).

Color coordinated

Start with a plant or pot you love and let it lead the rest of the design. For this quartet, akland landscape designer Joshua Stenzel first chose earthy ceramic pots, then selected plants in a complementary palette of coral and pale green.

The plants

Clockwise from top right: Gray-green echeveria; salmon-colored Kalanchoe orgyalis; variegated agave; and red-tipped Mangave ‘Bloodspot’.

Vibrant color

This orange pot filled with a Savour Greek basil tree adds a fun vibrance, making it a garden spotlight. 

Silver lining

If those fuzzy leaves in the rear look familiar, it’s because they’re lamb’s ears (Stachys), but a new variety: ‘Bello Grigio’, with slender, silver leaves that almost glow. At its base, Hebe pimeleoides ‘Quicksilver’ contrasts with its black branches and Jurassic-looking leaves. In a single pot (foreground, right), the spines of an Agave potatorum ‘Kissho Kan’ catch the light. At left, ‘Vera Jameson’ sedum stretches itself in all directions, offering pink flowers at the tips.

Pro tip: Use one type of plant per container for a modern, color-blocked look. 

Beauty and the beast

‘Elijah Blue’ fescue and similarly colored Pelargonium sidoides look sweet and wispy, while their evil third holds court at right. ‘Grape Jelly’ dyckia forms a picture-perfect rosette of rigid purple foliage, but the leaves of this terrestrial bromeliad are armed
with vicious teeth. Watch out—this combo is killer. 

Pro tip: Use more dyckias. They handle drought in stride and, every summer, send up tall stalks of bright orange or yellow blooms that hummingbirds find irresistible.

Perfect strangers

Highlighting its red-tinged margins and sharp tips, a single ‘Blue Glow’ agave tucks up against a lush backdrop of soft plants. In back (from left to right), variegated Sedum lineare ‘Sea Urchin’ cascades over the rim; ‘Vera Jameson’ sedum shows off its pink blooms; and purple spurge (Euphorbia dulcis ‘Chameleon’) displays whorls of leaves on either side of an herbal-scentedPelargonium ‘Oldbury Duet’.

Pro tip: When filling a large footprint, consider using multiple pots. They’re easier to move around, and you can play with their placement as planting evolves. 

Terrestrial tide pool

A handful of Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop'—dark purple rosettes on sticks—grow upward from the back of the pot. Next to them, silver woolly bush (Adenathos sericea) has a kelp-like quality, appearing to undulate as if growing in the sea. In the foreground, variegated Helichrysum peiolare, dark purple ‘Obsidian’ Heuchera, and a hybrid Echeveria balance colors and shapes from front to back.

Pro tip: If you’re going for the kitchen sink look, add cohesion by echoing forms and colors.

Succulent containers: Mini meadow (0316)

Succulent stars, including a blooming Echeveria hybrid and a trailing Cotelydon hybrid, nestle between mounds of soft ‘Elijah Blue’ fescue and bright green thrift (Armeria maritima ‘Armada White’). At far right, the silver heart-shaped leaves of aPelargonium sidoides spill over the edge of the planter.

Pro tip: Incorporate thrift into more of your plantings. The unsung plant is a playful and sturdy champ, forming tufty evergreen mounds topped with lollipop blooms in white, pink, or red.

The big chill

In the center of the container, a hybrid Echeveria sits like an unfolding lotus, but one with far more staying power than the fleeting flower. Small, almost iridescent ghost plant (Graptopetalum paraguayense) echoes the shape and color of the larger succulent. At right, purple-leafed heuchera picks up the Echeveria’s pink edges. In back, feathery dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) offers some stature and fuzz to the mix.

Pro tip: Adding height, like the dusty miller, offers visual contrast, plus it creates dappled light for more sun-sensitive plants growing in its shadow.

Jolly green giant

Spanning 18 inches across, Aeonium ‘Mint Saucer’ gives this combo some serious heft, like an oversized flower, but one that never needs to be deadheaded (an Aeonium lives a few years before sending up a stalk of yellow flowers and dying). Standing above it is velvety Plectranthus forsteri 'Aureus Variegatus', with limey green margins. Trailing at right is Rhipsalis teres heteroclada, a succulent with pencil-like stems. 

Pro tip: The old container recipe—thriller, filler, spiller—still stands the test of time.

Source: http://www.sunset.com/garden/backyard-projects/beautiful-container-designs-plantings/