Red Dirt Ramblings®

Firmly rooted in the Oklahoma soil

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: Container Madness

The Phlox subulata and Phlox divaricata are still blooming although most of the daffodils are gone.
The Phlox subulata and Phlox divaricata are still blooming although most of the daffodils are gone.

Thanks to our friend, Carol of May Dreams Gardens, all garden bloggers have a once-a-month chance to show off what’s blooming in our gardens.  Carol was inspired by Elizabeth Lawrence (one of my favorite garden writers), when Miss Lawrence wrote that “[w]e can have flowers nearly every month of the year.”

Red Pelargonium with 'Confetti' rose behind it
Red Pelargonium with 'Confetti' rose behind it

The phlox continue to bloom with abandon, and a few daffodils still linger along with violas and pansies; but this month, in my garden, it’s all about containers. Once my Lenten sacrifice ended on Easter, I felt starved for color.  I went to all of my favorite nurseries (except Bustani which is only open on Saturdays) and gathered up plants for my containers.  Two of the places I visit are box stores.  I can hear you shuddering, but in Oklahoma, Home Depot is about the only place that carries a lot of Proven Winners plants.  I wanted ‘Diamond Frost’ Euphorbia and Supertunias.  They fill an area with color.  I also went to the Edmond Lowe’s whose garden manager is a biologist.  He picks out some really good plants.  He is especially fond of hardy tropicals, but I digress.  TLC Nursery carries some Proven Winners’ plants, but not as many as Home Depot.  Be assured, I also visited TLC and my favorite, local nursery, Guthrie Greenhouses.  By the way, the owner of Guthrie Greenhouses has again expanded.  She has some wonderful, unusual plants, and many of the trees are half off.  I also hit Davison’s Nursery in Edmond too.  That’s where I got the variegated lantana and the variegated Swedish ivy.  It took two shopping days to round up all of the plants.

Purple fountain grass, some variegated Lantana and variegated Swedish ivy
Purple fountain grass, variegated Lantana and variegated Swedish ivy with purple petunias

Since last year, I’ve been using glazed, cobalt blue pots, and I found some very reasonably priced ones at Westlake Ace Hardware in Edmond. This big round one sports a very tall purple fountain grass with some trailing beauties underneath.  I’m going all traditional with some of the pots this year, and I decided I wanted red Pelargoniums, a/k/a geraniums.  I’m also using white and blue, not because I’m feeling super patriotic today, but because these colors look clean and crisp.  In this photo, I can see that our furniture needs to be stained, and so does our house.  We power washed the logs a couple of months ago, but with the good weather, it’s paving season, so who knows when it will be stained.  Next month, I hope to order new cushions for the furniture.  These green ones are twenty years old.

If I'd had a larger container, I would have underplanted the Japanese maple with the Heucherella 'Stoplight' and Huechera 'Obsidian.' Next to it was the next best thing.
If I'd had a larger container, I would have underplanted the Japanese maple with the Heucherella 'Stoplight' and Huechera 'Obsidian.' Next to it was the next best thing.

I also found another Japanese maple, Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Viridis’ to go in the other pot opposite the back door. Under it I planted Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola,’ a Euphorbia hybrid ‘Kalipso’ and a variegated sedum.

Here’s a shot of one of the pots with the red Pelargonium and a cute dahlia I found at Guthrie Greenhouses.  I really love the dwarf dahlias.  They don’t seem to be as afflicted with insects as the larger varieities are here.

Red Pelargonium, bat-faced cuphea and the dwarf dahlia 'Dahlinova'; the empty pot in front has basil seeds in it.
Red Pelargonium, bat-faced cuphea and the dwarf dahlia 'Dahlinova'; the empty pot in front has basil seeds in it.

That’s the best of my bloom day.  I hope you’re having sunny weather where you are.  If you’d like to read more bloom day posts, head on over to Carol’s May Dreams Gardens.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening

    You sure do a lot of driving to get the plants you want for those containers. I’m going to check my Home Depot for Proven Winners for my window boxes. I really liked the Supertunia Vista Silverberry I trialed last year.

    Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening´s last blog post..

  6. Diana

    Hey Dee – Happy GBBD. Your container are great and I love that cobalt blue — especially since there aren’t that many blue plants in the garden, it provides a nice contrast. Loved the tale of the shopping expedition. Wish I’d been there with you. The only thing I like better than planting and blogging is shopping for plants blogs!

    Diana´s last blog post..Seed sowing in the cutting garden & more veggies

  7. Les

    I like the blue pot with the red geraniums. Here in Tidewater several of us at work are anxiously awaiting our first order for Bustani to arrive. I have a giant white lily on order as well as a very cold hardy cactus that has fuschia flowers.

    Les´s last blog post..Bloom Day – Betwixt and Between

    Oh, Les, you bought from Bustani. I’m so glad. Steve and his wife are really nice and creative folks. Can’t wait to see your plantings once they arrive.~~Dee

  8. Brenda Kula

    Well, you know I’m a blue girl and I’m in love with those pots! Cobalt blue, be still my heart!
    Brenda

    Brenda Kula´s last blog post..Chaos In Paradise

    Yes, Brenda, I thought of you as I was planting them. We are both blue girls, aren’t we?~~Dee

  10. Kylee from Our Little Acre

    I’m a big fan of cobalt blue pottery too. Things look so cheery there, Dee! I can almost feel the warmth of the sunshine from your photos of your beautiful plants.
    Don’t apologize for shopping at the big box stores! That would be sort of like shooting the messenger who brings you GOOD news! LOL.

    Thanks, Kylee. I really do try to support my local nurseries the most, but sometimes, they don’t have what I need.~~Dee

  12. Lisa at Greenbow

    Wonderful pots Dee. I love the blue pop in the garden. Your little maple tree will be great in that pot. Happy GBBD.

    Thanks, Lisa. I love a little blue pop myself. My maple will stay small, and I can place it against the house for winter. Happy Bloom Day to you too.~~Dee

  13. Pam/Digging

    The Japanese maple and plants you combined with it are sure pretty. How big will the maple get in a pot that size versus in the garden?

    Pam/Digging´s last blog post..Riot of color on Bloom Day

    Pam, the mature height is listed at 10 to 12 feet. However, as you know, in Oklahoma, it won’t get that big because of our lower rainfall and other conditions. I will also prune it occasionally to keep it smaller. I’m thinking five feet. It may someday need a larger pot, but I watched one of the Gardener’s Diary episodes, where a Acer palmatum fanatic keeps his smaller through judicious pruning. Thank you.~~Dee

  14. Phillip

    Your containers look great. That will be the next big project for me. I was too chicken to do them last week. We are still having some cold weather.

    Thank you so much Phillip. Can’t wait to see what containers you choose for your beautiful garden.~~Dee

  15. chuck b.

    Dwarf dahlias? wow, I’ve never heard of that before. Dwarf dahlias would be nice to have in a small garden, as regular dahlias become rather imposing…

    chuck b.´s last blog post..GBBD

    Hi Chuck, they aren’t the easiest things to find, but yes, dwarf dahlias come in lots of colors, like apricot, yellow, bright pink, red, and dark red. Lovely, sturdy little plants. Sometimes, they even overwinter here.~~Dee

  17. Racquel

    Those cobalt blue glazed pots are very striking combined with the red Pelargoniums. What a nice way to dress up the deck with all your wonderful containers of plants. 🙂

    Racquel´s last blog post..April Blooms (GBBD)

    Racquel, thank you so much.~~Dee

  19. Rose

    Beautiful combinations, Dee! And I love those cobalt blue pots–they’re my favorite color in the garden. I’m not shuddering at all at your shopping sources; our local Lowe’s usually carries very healthy plants, including Proven Winners. Plant shopping is the only kind of shopping I like to do these days:) I go to every store and garden center nearby to look for the best buys and unusual plants. That’s my idea of fun! I can’t wait till it’s warm enough here to start planting containers.

    Rose´s last blog post..April GBBD: A Waiting Game

    Thank you Rose. I have to go where the plants take me don’t I? 🙂 ~~Dee