Containers And Mulch

Well, the Monday of the long weekend (Victoria Day in Canada) was a productive one in the garden. My husband, Mr. Wonderful, made it his project to put down the black mulch in the back garden beds. The front is not yet done, and we don't have the brown mulch for the slope yet, but still -- the beds look amazing. One thing about black mulch is that it makes the colours pop.

My Favourite Late Spring View



My job was (finally) putting together my container garden at the front of the house. This year my colour scheme for the containers seems to have been inspired by the coleus Stained Glassworks Needlepoint. That is dark purple, and variegated green, yellow, and ivory. I have also added hits of hot pink to play off against the dark purple foliage.

Strawberry-type Container



This planter contains:

• sorrel (Rumex sanguineus)
  
• ipomoea ('Blackie' and 'Chartreuse')
  
• lamium (Lamium maculatum 'Anne Greenaway')
  
• a hot pink geranium ('Caliente Lavender').

I am hoping this container will fill out nicely and stay beautiful until late September. The sorrel is an unknown, though, so I've no idea how it will mature.

In my plastic urn container this year (compare last year) I am building around an 'Obsidian' heuchera that I rescued from being swallowed by phlox in the front garden. It can stay in the pot for the summer and I will find another place to plant it in the fall.

Plastic Urn Container



This planter contains:

• heuchera ('Obsidian')
  
• ivy geranium ('White-Blizzard'), blooming
  
• another geranium ('Freestyle Arctic Red')
  
• coleus (I have grown it before but don't know the name)
  
• periwinkle (Vinca minor 'Illumination')
  
• petunias (yellow is 'Prism Sunshine', pink unlabelled).

The third container is not quite ready for prime time. The dark purple dahlia and pink geranium with variegated leaves have nothing but buds right now, and there is a balloon flower that blooms later in the season (July-August). So the only real show is from the coleus.

Third Container (Waiting for Blooms)



This planter contains:

• dahlia ('Dahlietta Lauren')
  
• coleus (Stained Glassworks 'Molten Lava' and 'Needlepoint')
  
• balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus 'Fuji White')
  
• periwinkle (Vinca minor 'Atropurpurea')
  
• geranium (pink with variegated green and yellow/ivory leaves)
  
• lamium (survivor from last year)

I also took shortcuts, buying premade planters, one with herbs and one colourful one as a bridge between the end of the daffodils and the beginning of the poppies.

Filling In (Front View from Driveway)



Filling In (Back View from Porch)



As well, for heuchera lovers I wanted to point out this one that I found, 'Mocha Mint'. Heuchera are finally being bred to have both leaves and flowers that are attractive. This one is another in the small (but growing) collection of those.

'Mocha Mint' Heuchera



And finally, just for fun, my fancy brocade-leaf geraniums, now potted up for display.

Brocade-Leaf Geraniums


Photos belong to kbgardenblog.blogspot.com and may not be used without attribution.