Day 358 - A Night On The Town

The family is treating me to a night on the town so as we walked the streets of downtown Nashville I saw some cool container plantings: I loved these big pots in front of the Hermitage Hotel and the bamboo pots accenting the crevices of TPAC.
Waiting for the play to begin so I'll see y'all tomorrow

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Day 357 - It's My Birthday And I'll Post If I Want To

And I do want to post something, but I also want to celebrate with my family.
So here's a quick post of a container with one of my favorite Proven Winner's 'Proven Selection' plants. Plus a picture of yesterday's birthday girl, the delightful Helen Battersby. Please forgive me if I've posted this picture before, but this picture of Helen, who is one of the funniest people I know, is so disconcerted because she can't grow this fabulous Acuba. So pop on over to her blog and remind her of all the things YOU can't grow in your zone and commiserate with her.

If you don't know why I want you to try and guess the Proven Winners plant in this container, scroll down to The Great 365 Days of Container Gardening Giveaway and see what all the fun is about.

Day 356 - Wordless Wednesday

A flashback to Molbak Nursery in Seattle. There are a couple of Proven Winner's 'Proven Selection' in this planter. Some good guessing going on for the last couple of days' posts.
If you don't know why I want you to try and yes the Proven Winners plant in this container, scroll down to The Great 365 Days of Container Gardening Giveaway and see what all the fun is about.

Day 355 - Time To Say Bye-biscus

With morning temps hovering around 50, I know it's soon time to say so-long too my summer annuals, especially my wonderful hibiscus. But there's a Proven Winner's plant in these photos that you can guess at identifying. Check back on Day 365 at my grand finale and see if you have guessed them all correctly!
If you don't know why I want you to try and guess the Proven Winners plant in this container, scroll down to The Great 365 Days of Container Gardening Giveaway and see what all the fun is about.

Day 354 - Oh, The Thrill of A Good Plant Mystery!

Do you know tonite's Proven Winner plant in this container?


If you don't know why I want you to try and guess the Proven Winners plant in this container, scroll down to The Great 365 Days of Container Gardening Giveaway and see what all the fun is about.

Mystery Plants Revealed!! Day 353 Thru Day 364 Proven Winners Plants

Day 353 - Supertunia^® Indigo Charm Pentunia
Day 354 - Yubi^® Red Portulaca

Day 355 - Lanai^® Dark Red
Day 356 - Walkabout Sunset^® Lysimachia
Day 357 - Daredevil® Claret Zonal geranium
Day 358 - Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Purple Sweet potato vine (Yea, I know this one was hard to see; took the picture with my phone)
Day 359 - Supertunia® Vista Bubblegum
Day 360 - Intensia® Blueberry Phlox hybrid
Day 361 - Red Glo Echevera (I am guessing on this one myself - I need a succulent expert/PW expert to give me the exact variety!)
Day 362 - Summer Wave®Blue Torenia
Day 363 - Angel Face Dark Violet Angelonia
Day 364 - Inspire Deep Orange pansy

Day 353 - Can You Identify the Proven Winner Plant in This Picture

See if you can identify the mystery Proven Winner plant (I have left a clue) and leave a comment on Day 365 for a chance to win a Proven Winners Prize Package.

The Great 365 Days of Container Gardening GIVEAWAY

If you have been following over the last 352 Days, you know that I am a little bit of a plant snob. I love plants that live up to their name - like the plants from Proven Winners. So as a way to say thank you for checking in on this blog over the last year, you will have a chance to win a fabulous gift package from Proven Winners. Check out The Sneak Peak to see the prize package!
This is the way it will work: over the next few days as we wind down to Day 365, I will post a different container that contains at least one Proven Winners plant. Now I love a good plant mystery, and if you do too, see if you can figure out which plant is the PW plant of the day and leave a comment with your guess. But don't worry, guessing is not part of the winning. On Day 365 I'll let you know what each day's mystery plant is. All you have to do is leave a comment on Day 365 of 365 Days of Container Gardening telling me which plant was your favorite plant or how you may have used that plant in your own container - just some kind of comment on that day that will allow you to be entered in the contest. (I will actually allow two days for folks to comments.) On Oct. 7, Ramdom.org will be used to determine the winner.
Have fun checking out the next few days of container plantings!

Day 352 - Succulent Saturday

I thought these were so cool!

Day 351 - Triple Treat

Day 350 - An Idea for Fall/Winter Windowboxes

Autumn fern, Carex grass, pansies, chamaecyparis, erica (mediteranean heath) - wonderful evergreen look for your windowboxes.


Check back soon for info on my 365 Days of Container Gardening Giveaway!

Sneak Peak at 365 Days of Container Gardening Giveaway!

Starting this weekend, my "THANK-YOU for visiting my blog during 365 Days of Container Gardening" Giveaway will begin. If you're good at math, that means you have about 2 weeks to win this wonderful package donated by my good friends at Proven Winners.
Check out these goodies:
Slidechart
Gardener’s Idea Book
Igarden t-shirt
Slow release fertilizer
Water soluble fertilizer
Gardening Simplified Catalog

WaterWise Kit
Stationary/Greeting cards
Incredible?! YES!
Stay tuned for how YOU can win!!!

Day 349 - Wordless Wednesday

Day 348 - Going Postal Over These Planters

Golden Jackpot bougainvillea, blue scaevola, and sedum in the strawberry jar pockets have made this a season long beauty.

Sitting on the side of the road waiting on a tow truck, wondering how am I going to get my blog post done, when I remember these pictures I took with my phone yesterday outside my FedEx/UPS/USPS store. The sign over the door?

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Day 347 - Two Wonderful Things

This container from Lockwood Gardens near Buffalo, NY, is wonderfully creative - filled with heirloom geranium, variegated ginger, banana tree, black-eyed susan vine (thunbergia), begonia, lysimachia, and several other things that I can't identify. But peek through those banana leaves and you'll identify my wonderful friend Kylee Baumlee. Today is her birthday so pop over to http://ourlittleacre.blogspot.com/ and wish her a happy birthday. Tell her you were WISE to her special day!

Day 346 - Cousin Itt With Bouffant Hair

Beauty is said to lie in the eyes of the beholder. When I first saw these blue strawberry jars with their interesting planting in Indianapolis, I was impressed. But one of our entourage came up beside me and said, "Hmmm, reminds me of Cousin Itt with bouffant hair." Not sure I was seeing that but it did give me a good chuckle.
Lysomachia (golden creeping jenny), miniature hostas, and wonderful silver leaf begonia that I wish I knew the name of.

Day 345 - Containers to Show Off the Color Around It

This planter of sweet potato vine and purple gomphrena makes the petunia and coleus around it look fabulous.

Day 344 - Parenting Lessons From Plants

Plants at my house don't get pampered. In fact, these planters - picture taken today - were sadly neglected for several weeks as I traveled from plant nerd activities to daughter duties to mom responsibilities all over the southeast. I returned from all my travels last week to find plants that endured heat drought conditions - wilty planters looking way beyond recuperation. But the day after my return, we had 2 full days of slow steady rain.
Do these plants look unloved to you now?
On the other hand, I have several areas where I've had serious over-watering issues due to irrigation problems or over-eager watering personnel. These plants that had too much of a good thing have suffered the worst this summer, most are spindly and weak or bearing few flowers.
Both areas where these plants are growing, the plants are admired, valued, and appreciated. But plant care, like parenting, is a balance of giving and of letting growth occur from roots reaching deep to find what is needed.
Sometimes I need to work in my garden to remember that letting my children feel a little stress along the way is ok. Yes, I'd much rather they have everything - and more - that they need. But I know that for them to learn to reach deep, to reach beyond just what I can provide for them, the stronger they become. And the easier they recover from drought seasons of life around them.

Day 343 - A Classic Look

Classic blue and white - reminds me of antebellum southern homes (but these were seen in Indianapolis, Indiana)
White mandevilla, Diamond Frost Euphorbia, blue verbena. white begonia, purple petunia

Classy.

Day 342 - Wordless Wednesday

Avon Gardens in Indianapolis, Indiana

Day 341 of 365 Days of Container Gardening

Boring title - beautiful bowl.
Gazania surrounded by a sedum hybrid called Fine Gold Leaf Stonecrop

Day 340 - A Gentle Welcome

This home in Indianapolis had such an unconventional yet appealing entryway. Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold', Dream Catcher™ - Beauty Bush - Kolkwitzia amabilis, Tiger Boston Fern. I really like the softness of this trio.