Gardens Within The Garden

Three Swallowtail plants (Christia Obcordata) positioned in containers at the curve to the tropical pathway were the cause of many Florida gardeners swooning in late summer. Oh, there is no question they were worth the few extra dollars spent. Swaying lightly in the breeze and reaching taller than the bordering flax lilies. Their movement mimicking butterly flight was a lovely view for these last few months.

Alas, as the autumn weather waned-on they became less and less swoon-worthy. Faded leaves and lanky stems called for their removal.

Out with the Swallowtail and in with Philodendron 'Rojo Congo' and Macho Fern, Nephrolepsis.

Gentle digging around hibernating caladium bulbs and trailing Golden Globe Lysimachia was in order to replace the central focus of those three containers.

There are so many advantages to container gardens. Smaller plots of soil, much better regulated often times. Each one with the capability to grow its own unique garden within the garden.

I have long been a fan of gathering a few plants together and snuggling them side-by-side in their very own habitat. Can you tell how many of these plants are in containers? It is the best way to grow Rosemary in my garden.

Truth be told, creating containers is a gardening habit I've attempted to curb. It is no use.

The down-side to these mini-gardens (if there is one) is the extra attention of watering needs they often require.

Potted up plants can perk-up a patio or walkway. They lift colorful focal points in height among foundational plants when placed within the landscape design.

And they warm-up a cozy seating area just the same as a proper accessory does in an indoor design.

Who is that pretty flower in the pink and white dress? Why that's my friend, Helen, from Barbados and author of My Rustic Bajan Garden. This was her second visit to Hoe and Shovel. We had a delightful afternoon together once again. Helen, thanks especially for the laughs!

In an effort to work around that eensie-weensie problem of containers requiring more hand-watering than time usually allows, my recent goal has been to stick with drought resistant and hardy(er) combinations. Especially in the pots furtherest away from the water source.

The idea for containers located in the screen-enclosed lanai has been to eliminate flowering specimens which shed petals attributing to an unnessecary extra mess. Foliage varieties and colorful glazed pottery make excellent substitutes for short-lived annuals and shedding blooms.

Succulents do especially well in their own specific containers where the soil can be left to dry out in between waterings. Placed in the sunniest positions their locations are rotated as the lighting often changes as the seasons shift .

Autumn is the perfect time to review conditions of container plants. Often summer takes its toll on these small gardens that live in limited soil with competing nourishment.

The inspiration for the Philodendron 'Rojo Congo' replacing the Swallowtails? The Philodendron 'Autumn' that have been great performers in a large center pot since summer began.

They've been consistently brightening the circle garden seating area with simple foliage, miss muffet caladiums, and green airy Macho Fern, Nephrolepsis.

GGW Picture This :: Sipping Swallowtails

The first I heard of this type of photograph/scanograph(?) was about 5 days ago. Where have I been? The idea of it sparked such curiosity and imagination.

This is my entry for Gardening Gone Wild's 'Picture This' photo contest. The theme for October is 'Fall on a Flatbed Scanner'.

In my photo I've used Zinnias, Coleus leaves, Yarrow leaves, Blackberry lily pods and Christia Obcordata 'Swallot tail' leaves that appear to be sipping nectar from the Zinnias.

This was simple and fun and (unlike my normal self) I tried not to over analyze it and just had fun playing with it.

If it strikes an interest in you, you should give it a go. Click here to check out the contest and get to scanning!

It's that simple.


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These were the other two I kind-of liked. The bottom one had a purple tinge I couldn't seem to rectify. Maybe it was the Purple Muhly grass which I think has a cool background effect.

Thanks to the team at Gardening Gone Wild for always coming up with new and fun challenges.
Meems

Christia obcordata :: 'Swallow Tail' Plant

Of all the plants in my garden it is the Christia obcordata 'Swallow Tail' that gets the most attention from onlookers these days.

The first time I spotted it, I was just as intrigued as everyone who has seen it since it came home with me. It was at my favorite local garden center in late July. Without knowing too much about it I snagged up three of them and knew immediately where they would be sited.

The three container gardens at the curvy pathway leading into the tropical pathway from the circle garden were in need of a switcheroo. Gently leaving the fillers and spillers in place the 'Swallow Tail' was added for the thriller element.

It's not like me to purchase a plant I don't know anything about. But with this one I had that inner-instinct it would work out. Besides, its winged leaves were so attractive it was worth taking the chance.

There isn't much information on the Internet about this one. But I did find this document confirming it would require the filtered sunlight offered in the location I had in mind.

With a fresh layer of potting mix added at the time of planting, the soil is kept moist allowing it to almost dry out in between watering. No fertilizer has been applied.

A close-by neighbor to the 'Swallow Tail' in the adjoining border, the broad-leaved chartreuse and eggplant-hued coleus of the Kong variety, complement the color combination.

From the back side it is easy to see how the leaves appear to be floating along in the air just as their living namesakes do.

Attempting to capture the flurry of actual swallowtail butterfly activity commonly occuring each day in the circle garden, the 'Swallow Tail' plant in the background mirrors the flight of nectaring butterflies. An unplanned surprise noticed when looking through the photos.

Miss Muffet Caladiums fill in at the bottom of the airy stems of 'Swallow Tail'.

And a favorite chartreuse coleus of an unknown name ~~ but it's chartreuse and that makes all the world right.

Gingerland caladiums pour over the sides of another container.

Interestingly, the references I've been able to find identify this uniquely colorful plant as a perennial and is noted to be in the bean family.

A few weeks ago Hoe and Shovel hosted a small get together of a few gardening friends and close-by Florida bloggers. Each guest took home a cutting of this wistful new-ish plant. Then when they got home I think almost every one of them searched their own garden centers for a mature 'Swallow Tail' of their own.

Photo courtesy of NanaK (thank you) of My Garden Path (not pictured sadly). I didn't take a single photo that day... too busy chatting away. It rained on us that morning, too, so we are all a bit weather-worn. You ladies are so fun!

From L to R standing in the circle garden: Susan of Simply Susan, Chris of The Great Wall, Janis of Graceful Cottage Gardening, Brando of A Ponderer Digresses, Me, Marie, Rhonda of Garden Almanac, and Sherry.

I've recently taken some cuttings to try the 'Swallow Tail' as a root cutting.

I do know it lasts very well in water as I've placed them in cut flower arrangements in vases with good success.

In the early morning streams of first-light beam through to spotlight the airy branches of one of the containers.

It has been an unexpectedly exciting addition to the garden for its unique characteristics and ease of maintenance (so far). But the mere vision of it brings lots of oooo's and ahhhh's and makes it a great conversational piece, too.