I've gone overboard with container plantings! I was reading about Rob's Plants in Pots in his garden in France and stopped to think about how many pots that I've planted this year (at least 17).
As long as the rain continues to fall on a regular basis, there should be no problem. I had abandoned container gardening in 2008 for fear of another drought like the one in 2007 when I lost most everything planted in pots.
In April, I planted three large containers with a purple color scheme (see story Container Garden: Purple, Purple and More Purple for "before" photos and a list of plants used).
I've been pleased with the progress and the design of the container plantings. The color combination looks great and all the plants are happy and healthy. I made one plant change since the original potting on April 9. I had pink gomphrena planted in the garden, but it was a favorite snack of the rabbits, so I moved those annuals to the containers.
These fragrant, purple petunias have to be pinched back occasionally to keep the plants full, but everything else is carefree. The Persian Shield is holding up to the full sun location, but the other plants in the pots and in the garden, do provide a bit of shelter.
Story, container design and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; June 2009
