Annuals - Part 1

I love planting annuals in my pots. I love trying out new color and texture combinations, trying out new plants, and filling otherwise bare corners with life!

I was every excited to do my annuals this year and do more than last year, since I didn't go crazy our first year in the house.

I'll start with the biggest and best pots!

 

 

 

I haven't done big pot in a few years since my last house, mainly since we didn't have any!  So during the late winter/early spring I started looking for some pots.  I wanted a very traditional style square faux lead paneled planter, but I figured I was dreaming since they are usually pretty expensive.  But a stroll though a nice garden/home furnishing store did the trick since they had a pair of 15" squares at a great price.  A price so great, the lady at the store assumed they were mismarked! ha! SO they quickly came home with me! : )

Cumberland Square Planter

Now, time to fill them!  So many options....so hard to narrow it down....The key to a nice large annual planter is a main larger planter, some medium level plants, then some plants that spill over the side.

 

Here is an image that you may find helpful when picking annuals for medium to large planters:

from Proven Winners

For the larger planter I went with a pale orange Hibiscus, then layered down with Blue Scaevola, Wave Petunias, Million Bells and Bacopa.  The trailers are Sweet Potato Vine and Creeping Jenny.  The Hibiscus, Petunias, Scavola and Sweet Potato Vine are the main elements, as the rest are small or towards the back of the planters and not that noticeable.

(links may not be the exact flowers, but close)

 

 

 

This is the first time I have used Blue Scaevola, and I love it!  The Hibiscus on the other hand, not sure if I love.  When in bloom it looks awesome and adds a nice color contrast to all the green and purple BUT it is rarely in bloom. : (  It looks great one day, then flowerless the next and it is really annoying when you have company on the flowerless days.

Enjoy some pictures as this planter has taken off this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see where I put them and when they were first planted and you can still see the pots themselves. Sadly, a critter (deer? ground hog? monster?) ate the hibiscus to the left, so my symmetrical planters are not quite symmetrical at the moment, but it is starting to fill out again!

grrr critters!

 

 

I planted more annuals, so stay tuned for the others!