I keep a giant pot on my front steps (facing south) the past few years that's always changing. It was pansies and snaps to start this year, but I've removed most of the pansies and put heliotrope and pentas. It's about packed at the surface now, but I would still like some kind of spiller. The past few years it's been chartreuse sweet potato vine but I'd like to change it up a bit. Besides petunias, what spillers could anyone recommend for full sun on hot concrete steps? I have a lot of other mixed pots, but those get completely repotted/replanted each spring. Tell us about your hodge-pot(s)!
I have one pot on the front porch that seems to get replanted each year. It's sitting empty right now, because I haven't decided what to put in it yet. It's one of the few places I can put things that get mostly shade (only a bit of morning sun)... and it's kinda shallow. I guess I'll run across something to fill it up with. :-|
I use a feathery blue sedum ( sorry I don't know the name it was given to me). It looks lovely hanging over the edges and is perennial here so I can just move it from pot to pot as needed.
Awesome suggestions! Thanks! There's room around the rim of this for several trailing plants... Here's the pot this morning. Front steps hodge-pot, heliotrope, pentas, snapdragons ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden ) Last spring I was keeping it in more shade, but it kept getting washed-out when it rained and the roof ends right there, so I moved it down 2 steps into more sun, where, of course, a lot of these plants just fried. Maybe will get your creative juices flowing, Cheryl. The pink snaps were still alive but I was just tired of them here, so they're elsewhere in the ground now. Front steps hodge-pot, April 2012 ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden ) Here's another hodge-pot, some metal thing that had a crape myrtle growing in it when I moved here. It took several years to get that to stop trying to grow. The metal thing either has no bottom, is seriously compromised, and/or inosculated into the tree roots. There's no way I could ever even budge it, the myrtle roots apparently go out the bottom and halfway to China. Last spring I uncovered as much of the root as I could and wrapped a black plastic trash bag all around it, then added some "good dirt." Coleus loved it there last year, some Perilla, Persian shield. Pecan tree hodge-pot of Coleus, summer 2012 ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden ) Just replanted it this year although most of it is not visible yet, a lot of little cuttings... wax Begonia, Thanksgiving cactus, tons of Coleus, sweet potato vine, various Tradescantias, of course the Oxalis is in there, cheering things up so early as usual. Pecan tree hodge-pot ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden ) It's the "main thing" in my view from the window next to the computer. Pecan tree pots... also "hodges" of various Begonias, Syngonium, more Tradescantias. Pecan tree pots ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden )
Those look great Purple! Guess now I need to stop a nursery or two and find some things to fill up those empty pots I have sitting around.
Thanks! And yes, I'm trying to do that too before I go shopping for annuals. I really am going to buy for specific spots this year, instead of a load of stuff that's just pretty, then figure out where to put it. That never ends up looking as good. So far, I've gotten only plants I pre-wanted, 1 heliotrope, 1 sweet potato vine (a diff, pretty pink color on this one,) 1 pentas, 4 Coleus, 1 4-pack of moss roses, and 3 6-packs wax Begonias which are really investments, hardy here. Last year at this time, most stuff had already been planted for 2 months. Really not that righteous of me though, with the late frosts, it was dangerous to buy and the stores have been unable to offer much yet. Being forced to go slowly is probably a blessing in disguise, will operate under that assumption!
These don't look like much yet, just put them together recently, but they will look great soon. This one is all green & white. Wax Begonias, Dieffenbachia, Callisia repens, Tradescantia fluminensis. White ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden ) This one has several kinds of cane Begonia, Tradescantia zebrina and fluminensis. "red" hodge-pot ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden )
I thought of you yesterday Purple. I had to dig up a Columbine because it was getting too much sun. So... I put it in a container and moved it onto the front porch (which only gets a little bit of morning sun). It looked so lonely, so I added some Inpatiens in with it.
I have a lot of creeping yellow sedums in my garden. I didnt figure it until a couple of years ago, but it is a great pot filler, and trails over the sides. I also have it my pink birdcage, and have dug some up and added to other places where it is filling in nicely. I have several other sedums, and they all look nice in pots. They do great in hot sun too.
Yes, I like a full look too, the empty soil at the base of taller plants bugs me. I've been putting a lot more plants as companions this year also, trying to cut down the total number of pots. Here's another pot I put together yesterday, Callisia fragrans, wax Begonias, Callisia repens, Tradescantia zebrina. Dual Callisia hodge pot ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden )
Another great filler in flower pots is wild violets. They go with so many things, and come in several colors. In addition to purple, they also come in white with purple stripes, and a paler purple. The leaves are a lovely heart shape when they are not in bloom. They like shade or sun.
Excellent idea, I miss violets! Haven't seen any down here but I agree, I used to use them for a lot of things, including paths. They don't need to be replaced in a pot, at least the ones I had in OH. I've been busy hodging. Seems that's my mood this spring, I think it's 95% hodge pots around here now... Oak tree hodge pots ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden ) Succulents not suitable for mini gardens ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden ) Purple peppers, black'n'blue Salvia ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden ) Moss roses (Portulaca) ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden ) A hodge of hodge pots around pecan tree ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden )
