I think I may take the plunge this weekend or next...

[Rajah]

All this talk about gardening, it being spring, and me now having a "baby" at the house (even if it is a baby cat) I'm getting major nesting-itis. Then there's all the wildflowers that are growing along the freeway right now. I'm thinking that if wildflowers can grow with so little attention (like, none) then *maybe*, maybe I'd have luck with some wildflowers in a garden pot on the back porch of the apartment. Is that a reasonable guess, or am I fooling myself?

What I'm really in the mood for right now is a little pot filled with things like bluebonnets, red indian paintbrush, and maybe something else. My mom says you can get each of these at a specific garden store here in town though I've never seen them. We're going up to the Bluebonnet Festival in a small town about 2 hours up the road tomorrow (we think) so I'll get some ideas up there.

Wish me luck? Got any "miracle grow" gloves I can put on to counter the "Black Thumb of Rajah"?

 

[DixieDreamer]

LOL! No "magic" gloves to offer! Blue Bonnets just "sound" heavenly. Take some pics and post them for us - would you??

 

[Rajah]

Well, my parents and I went to the Bluebonnet Festival today. DH didn't want to get up to go see <i>flowers</i>, so didn't come I did find a cute flowerbox that I really like (really well priced, too! $22 for cedar, it's about 1' x 2', and is painted solid white with a blue trim. What I didn't find were any good flowers to put in it yet. I'm dubious the bluebonnets and paintbrush will work since our porch get only morning sun and otherwise are in shade, but I may give it a try. They didn't have any good looking bluebonnets for sale, though, so I'll try our local nursery sometime later.

 

[LAinSEA]

it is really hard to grow wildflowers in pots - but you might be able to find some annuals or perennials that are lookalikes at your local nursary. Try columbine - a perennial - you can group these with some trailing like a variegated ivy or creeping charlie or try blue browallia with some white verbena.

good luck
LA

 

[Rajah]

Columbine will grow well in a pot? Columbines are one of my favorite flowers, but I've never seen my favorite color here in Houston -- that's blue and white.

One thing that looked promising was verbena, which the lady at the Antique Rose Emporium said might work on our porch, but it also might not get enough sun there.

Another thing she suggested was hypoestes, but I don't want just that. What I was thinking of doing was getting two small potted....um.....shoot, now I can't remember My mom knows, though. It's not a begonia but was right next to it on their shelves. Maybe hydrangia? Anyway, get two taller potted plants (8"-1.5') that are pink or blue in color and place them in the flower box in their pots, then get some potting soil and pack it gently around the pots so they're "nested" pots I guess, then plant some small tiny flowering thing that makes a nice carpet, or some of the hypoestes, and fill in around the sunken pots.

Is that a horrible idea, or would that actually have maybe a chance of working? If I could find two compatable plants as far as water and light needs go? The idea behind leaving the taller plants in their pot is so that the carpet doesn't completely take over. Is that unnecessary?

Or is it a bad idea all around to use potting soil in a wooden box?

 

[LAinSEA]

because the wooden planters will dry out faster than clay or plastic pots, use the soil that has crystals in it that hold onto moisture.

the pot needs to be 12 to 18" deep to grow columbine (deeper is better) but they will grow just about anywhere in my yard - even in the cracks in a wall. order the blue and white ones through jackson perkins garden site.

I like to mix tall plants with trailing flowers or vines it's a nice look.

good luck,
LA