Plants, Planters, and Projects!
Planter season is upon us and I have officially partaken in the sacred act that is picking/planting all the fresh new babies to fill a brand new planter.
To paint you a picture of what that looked like, my dear boyfriend and I woke up late Sunday morning and put all of our computer work aside to seize the day. We have been wanting to knock out some projects we have continually spoken about taking on and it just felt like right moment since the weather was absolutely divine. Me, being me,I knew we should head to Pike’s and view the selection… before we knew it we were out the door, having spent an entire life savings (I kid, I kid) with a slew of plant babies + 2 beautiful pots that he picked out for the front stoop.
Planters, well anything to do with plants in general, has been a love of mine for as long as I can remember. I love being outside and helping my mom garden, so to share that act of love with him was really special. The icing on the cake was to see his eyes light up once I was done, it warmed my heart and reminded me why I love doing what I do so much. Flowering goes beyond just the plants or stems I work with, it is the whole act of service aspect that fuels me to live out my passion.
The spot for his planters is pretty shaded, it has soft morning light but the surrounding trees keep it pretty cool during the afternoon. It is a nice spot to enjoy a cup of tea later in the day if the garden out back catches a wind chill. Our plant selection was influenced by the sunlight received on this side of the house. I think many people can make the mistake of “Well, I know this plant might need a lot of sun, but what if I just don’t water it as much?”
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is some kind of strange myth or ideology that is completely untrue and your plants will unfortunately come to a sudden death.
Some of the prettiest blooms that only require partial sun are Hellebore! They are one of my favorite fresh cut flower stems (i.e. to use in bouquets + centerpieces) so to enjoy them for longer than a week is a real treat for me! I love the intricacy of their faces, they have certain beauty marks + their stamens are so unique to each of their varieties. I chose two different kinds of hellebore, I loved the color play + difference in petal shape. They are sisters, not twins and act as my "show stoppers!"
For my other "show stopper" I chose to do a foliage as opposed to another bloom. I wanted to make sure I was tying in color + texture with the Hellebore. I chose to do "Georgia Peach" Coral Bells. Their little blooms, spire like they are, have sweet little buds at the end! I also love that the stems is pink and the buds are light pink. It is truly the detail for me...
To finish off, I added some pretty clover. Apparently it is called "Dark Dancer" and will potentially sprout little round blooms that almost look like an Alium bloom to me. I am very intrigued to see how it does + how much it spreads within the pot. I picked this particular "filler" because I knew it would fill in the gaps quite nicely.
Now, my favorite component of any planter composition is the trailing bits. I aways, always, always want to make sure there is product that will grow vertically. For this I picked Creeping Fig + (what I believe is called) Saxifrage Seeds. Now the Creeping Fig, will trail wholeheartedly. I love the tiny leaves and I know it will look amazing.
The Saxifrage on the other hand, well this is my tester plant. I have never used it and apparently and apparently if I planted it close enough to the rim of the pot it will trail over. Now upon further investigation, thank you Google, I am not sure how much I believe this but time will tell.
Now here is the part where I can share some tips + tricks...
1. Buy the moisture meter, I don't care who you are... it helps (Yes, even with outdoor plants.) Probably even more so considering they are exposed to weather conditions that indoor babies are not.) Getting on the proper watering schedule matters. Here is a link! This one is a little boujee, I am into it.
2. Light, walk outside with your compass. Which way does that area face. It dictates what sun you receive. South, the most harsh light as it is all day sun access. East, soft morning light. West, afternoon light which is more harsh than morning. North, loads of indirect light (not suitable for most every plant....) Note that lighting can change due to seasons, so adjust accordingly. Here is a great resource. Note that it is in reference to indoor plants, but the same rules apply. It is typically easier to assess your lighting situation outside rather than inside, but we all need help sometimes! DISCLAIMER: You will likely have trees in your outdoor space, this will affect light. So, pay attention to the light throughout the day. The direction of your home maybe completely be out-ruled by your other landscaping choices.
3. Know what plants will come back vs. need to be replaced every season. This is key to knowing what you can plan to pull out once it is done so you can replace through in a new season OR what will come back so you can simply prune. I will say this, if you are someone who likes to change your planters through what is available through season change, go with the annuals. For up- keep sake (my boyfriend has never done planters before) I went with perennials to keep it low maintenance. DISCLAIMER: You can always take out and repot a perennial.... so if you change your mind, no biggie.
Coral bells: perennial (You will just cut them back or they will die back on their own. Mine come back every year! I just pull them under a covered area if they weren't already.)
Hellebore: perennial, if taken care of properly they will continue to bloom well into the winter.
Creeping fig: perennial, you will have to cut these back as they will be ugly when they die off with the cold. It also does enjoy pruning throughout the year.
Clover: perennial, as it is considered a ground cover plant (like a grass) it will return with the warmth! I am personally quite interested to see how it does in this pot.
Saxifrage: perennial, it will be around from spring to fall! I will likely have to also cut this back. Again, very interested to see how this one grows!
I hope you enjoy this read as much as I enjoyed writing it up! If you have any tips + tricks you want to share below, please do! I always want to expand my knowledge base. I will also mention that I am taking on Planter Projects as an offering for clients! I have made a listing under the "Shop" page for you to hear more!
Thanks for tuning in on what I have been up to, can't wait to share more!
