Monday, November 23, 2009

A Few Cool Weather Containers

In the walled garden, we tend to plant edibles in the few containers that are there. Here is a Hick's Yew that will go into the landscape in spring, surrounded by spinach for picking during the next couple of months. At the pool, "Spring Bouquet" Viburnum, surrounded by "Miracle" heuchera, "Liberty Bronze" snapdragons, variegated ivy, and "Delta True Yellow" pansies
Across the pool, we've repeated some of the same fillers around the cryptomeria, and added "Bull's Blood" beets. The tree will be part of a new perimeter border in the spring, and the ivy stays in these pots indefinitely.
Next to the garage, here is the same cryptomeria (part of the same border ultimately), with "Whipcord" arborvitae and variegated aucuba. The "Whipcord" seems to like life in a container far better than in the ground, so it just gets moved from pot to pot over the course of the year. It's also better seen in an elevated position, since it just catches all the falling leaves when planted in a bed!
Like lots of people, we have a tremendous number of Leyland Cypresses that were planted at the edge of the property ten years ago, and they're slowly starting to fail. They're such a beautiful plant when used correctly, and it kills me to see how they're always jammed into the "builder's special" privacy row! It's never a case of IF they will fail, it's just a question of WHEN they'll fail. We're going to use some of these cryptomerias to start replacing the ones which fail in one area, eventually replacing the privacy screen with an assortment of evergreens, rather than the great wall of leylands.


7 comments:

  1. What nice container combinations! I'm just starting to think about putting a few together. I love seeing the evergreens in them.

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  2. We have real trouble here in Va. with a canker (with no remedy) causing the Leylands to die. Add to that their shallow root system which will not hold them in severe storm winds and you have a plant in need of a substitute.

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  3. Les, the canker issue is the same here in GA with the Leylands. When they are used singly, it doesn't appear to be an issue. The property where I garden has about 100 of them, beautiful and about 40 feet tall, but starting to fail. Catherine, good luck with your containers! I envy the NW weather!

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  4. I plant more with containers as our hot weather is so unpredictable. I can grow things easier in them and the water is contained. Nice plantings in the terra cotta.

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  5. Can your evergreens stay in pots all winter? Oh, I just bet they can, pout pout!

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  6. My favourite is that Whipcord. I had no idea it was an arborvitae.

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  7. Sorry, Monica, they stay in all winter. Does it make you feel happier that we sometimes have to move them out in SUMMER? LOL....
    Rob, I love the whipcord, as well, and would not have known it was arborvitae without the tag. It's very persnickety sometimes, though.

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