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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Monday, June 23, 2008

My New Favorite Container in the Garden


Can you see the container in this photo? It's located in the front center of the above planting holding lemon lime dracaena, Salvia coccinea , a very pretty and colorful coleus spilling over the left side I don't know the name of, parsley, Black Heart potato vine and a scented geranium on the back side of the salvia.

Here it is from the far back side of the bed. Have you spotted it yet?

This entire area pictured in the foreground is one of the beds that was quite a bit enlarged last fall. For the full scoop on that project click here. When the grass was dug out back in November and the dirt was brought in to amend this area I wasn't exactly sure what landscaping I would plant to finish it up.

The fairly new curvy area juts out into the grassy area with the shape of it mirrored on the other side. I'm not much of a matchy-matchy sort of girl so it was my idea all along to create the bed in such a way that each space would not be exactly alike but yet would blend together.

A consideration here was that not any one of the combinations chosen should grow more than about 3 feet tall. Behind here is layer upon layer of densely planted tropical type plants that the eye needs to take in without being blocked by whatever was decided on here.

This spring while gardening in this area it came to me... it was one of those times ... the idea popped into my head for a planter in the midst of the foundational plants and instantly I knew it was the thing I wanted to do here to complete this bed. I chose a low-lying round bowl container made of clay 38" in diameter and 12" deep. It has been placed behind the permanent border edging of variegated liriope but just in front of the flagstone pathway that winds and curves throughout ... and there are many varieties of coleus planted in the ground right next to it giving the illusion of one massive planting.

You might be wondering why bother using a container that itself can barely be seen. That very idea is part of the reason I like it so much. It adds an element of interest when walking about the garden. On first glance it might look as if it is just a nice combination of plantings in a bed. Then as one gets closer, it is evident that the container is home to a lovely combination of the plants first seen and that it raises them just slightly above the other colors and textures surrounding it.

Overall I'm really pleased with the way it looks from every angle of the back garden. It also happens to be in my line of view from the table on lanai where we often eat our meals and from the kitchen window.

Anytime I'm making plans for my garden these are important condsiderations. Even though not every pretty scene can be viewed from those most frequented spots, I do my best to place my favorites where I will get the most pleasure from them the most often.
I've decided this container garden is my personal favorite right now although I've got many containers placed right along side the more permanent plantings all over my garden. I'll round up some more photos to make another post on those some time in the future.

10 comments:

  1. AHA! I found it! Right there next to the geranee-mums. 8-]

    I really admire not just your wonderful creativity, but your dedication to maintaining the whole megillah. I'd be completely daunted.

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  2. I can see why this is one of your favorite planters Meems. It does elevate the plants so you can see them well. It also gives the bed another layer.

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  3. Very interesting. And nice to hide some surprises in your garden for visual interest in the design. Your new bed is beautiful --full of color and a very nice flowing shape.

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  4. Very nice, meems, it is a lovely bed and the grouping in the container gives it that something special...I especially like the angles that you shot your pictures from... the second to last lets us see even more of the curvy beds.
    Gail

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  5. Sophie: The red geraniums were planted back in November with white impatiens and dwarf zinnias. I moved the impatiens a month ago to the other bed to make room for the new planter. some of the zinnias have come back up from seed. I'm having a terrible time with armadillos rooting through everything (at night)and breaking off branches/uprooting whole plants as they do their evil work.

    lisa: You know how favorites are... changing with the next planter I put together....Can't get enough of layers and textures and more ways to create them... it is all so fun.

    Diana: Hi - good to see you. I'm glad you like the new planter/bed. It is one of those things that just keeps giving me joy.

    gail: thank you. I'm so thrilled you like it too. You know me, I take so many photos I can never decide which ones to leave out... they are almost as fun as gardening!

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  6. Hi Meems....what a wonderful idea and most effective.....
    You have given me the idea now to put plants in a pot that are tender here. When autumn comes I can just lift them out of the beds, in their pots and pop them in the greenhouse.......I am thinking now......

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  7. Your gardens are pure inspiration. The flowing curvy design leads the eye in such a tantalizing way. Love it, Love it.

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  8. I like it. We have some neighbors who put containers on top of their mulch, no attempt to hide them. That doesn't look good.

    I can barely see yours.

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  9. cheryl: good for you... sounds like a wonderful idea that works for you. I just love the way ideas feed off of ideas don't you? None of my ideas are original just tweaked for my uses.

    sue: gee, what a nice thing to say... so glad you like it... I'm a big fan of curves in the garden... so easy on the soul.

    carol: thank you. I do think there must be design and creativity involved as opposed to random "plopping" of containers in the garden. Some of mine show more than others.

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  10. Lovely container. I like the coleus that you used. Ihave such a hard time to get people to use it and here, you're using it! It's awesome. Once again, Nice container and your pictures are fantastic.

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Have a blessed day,
Meems


September 2010

Back Garden: October 2010

Louise Philippe: Antique Rose

Tropical Pathway