Pots in the Garden

These huge garden pots were added along our long gravel driveway last summer...and honestly 

after I planted them I was not sure if I really liked them....

did I say HUGE...

they are 3 feet wide and about 3 feet tall

The idea was to add some color along the drive and the front of the house 

and allow the plantings to cascade over the edges

and over time 

completely cover the terra cotta pottery.

Each pot also has a dwarf Meyer lemon in the center

The plant combinations are pretty simple: 

colors of pink, blue and orange 

and a bit of yellow

Meyer lemons do very well in pots so 

if you have the urge to plant one 

try a pot!

My experience has been that Meyers are a little finicky

...they like water 

and they like fertilizer and minerals. 

Here you can see the leaves are turning yellow 

so I usually feed them a little Ironite 

which is just a mineral supplement to help them green up again.

Meyers are wonderful tasting...try my vinegarette

 Back to the pots....I used lantana, geranium, 

gazania and Phlox

there are some succulents tucked in 

and some petunia and thyme

but really it's just your basic Nursery annuals and a few perennials  

in a mixture of the same colors

and all of the pots are a little bit different...which I like

Getting the soil for right for large pots has been a challenge actually... and over the years I've tried every type of potting mix on the market

I have  never found anything that worked that well...

(if you have a favorite please tell me!!! )

The soil either dries out took quickly or the the plants never root completely...the list goes on

So for this project and for all of my pots and containers 

I now use my new favorite soil recipe

Here it is:

1 part bagged potting mix...the kind that contains nice sterile soil, perlite etc

1 part bagged compost...the kind that contains mycorrhizae, guano (poop) and other good stinky stuff

1 part bagged sterile sand...the kind you would use for a sand box

mix together in a wheel barrel or if you don't have one 

use a large plastic yard bag and mix it on top of the bag with a shovel 

add water...get it good and soaked before it goes into your pot of choice

This is work 

so be prepared to get dirty...

but you get to wear your "girly girl" gardening gloves, 

get a sun burn 

and look like a gardening babe...at least that's my story

Fill your containers, 

then sit down and enjoy the view.

I really love container gardening and I'm sure you all do too

Good things come in pots!

PS...

because your are