My "Other" Roses

Nope, these are not miniature roses, neither are they some of the new "Carpet" roses I've seen advertised.  They are moss roses, or portulacas.

Portulacas are a low growing (4" - 6") annual that flowers for months on end with little care.  They come in both single and double flower forms.  The doubles that I have remind me of carnations.  My variety is known as the Sundial portulacas.  The flowers close up at night and on cloudy days.  The leaves are fleshy like most succulents, which explains why they do well in dry heat.

These great annuals are quite easily grown from seeds.  Just dust the ground with them, water in, and watch grow.  Many times they will re-seed themselves voluntarily in sundry neat places.  In fact, the ones pictured in this post are all volunteers.  The ones above are growing near the base of a mock orange I planted this year.  I have no idea how the seeds got here.

Portulacas need full sun and good draining soil.  They are perfect for an area that the hose won't reach.  They also make wonderful "spillers" for containers.  I recommend them to neglectful gardeners who are prone to forget watering their containers for a few days.  The plants will spread to about 12" in diameter.  They are great for rock gardens and sandy areas.  Did I mention that they are an heirloom flower that your grandmother probably grew?  Let us never forget these old time favorites.

Being a Pansy

I can't help it - pansies always find a way into my shopping basket at the local garden supply centers.  They are such appealing and colorful plants for the cool season down here.  They come in such a variety of vibrant colors, from deep reds to sunny yellows.  Did I mention they work wonderfully in containers?

I have this large container that will house a large tropical next year.  A batch of pansies will keep it looking interesting till mid-spring next year when tropicals can be planted.  Pansies also look great in a bed with bulbs as they can be planted over the bulbs and provide color and vegetation till the bulbs send up shoots.

These are the pansies I had in a container last cool season.  Hopefully the new ones will be this nice in a few months.  Down here in Louisiana, these should be planted in October or November.  They easily can take the freezes we get here and will look good till hot weather comes in April.  Give them moist, loamy soil and full or part sun.  If you plant them in the ground, be sure to plant a bunch of them together to make a better visual impact because they are small plants.  Even in a container, it's best to stuff at least several plants in for a fuller look. 

Moss Rose Follow-Up

In light of my post the other day on portulacas, I wanted to post a picture that I took this morning.  This particular plant is putting on a show in a container that I sprinkled some seed in a few weeks ago.  My camera is not of good enough quality to really do these blooms justice since it can't seem to capture the actual color.  Anyway, I just wanted to share it with the blogging world.

Cool Season Containers

Today is about container planting in the cool season.  These petunias are in a window box outside the kitchen window.  They really brighten the view in the dreary days of late winter and early spring before much else is blooming.  Petunias are a fine container choice that never fail.  You can either let them trail out or cut them back for a more bushy look.  I'm keeping these cut back for a more full look.

Another nice container plant for the cool season is Dianthus.  This is Ideal Violet, a common variety found at garden centers.  They are easy to grow and quite forgiving for those who sometimes forget to water as frequently as they should.  They naturally have a bushy, full appearance and bloom like crazy. 

For my last cool season container I present the lovely pansy.  These are great because you can hang them in areas that get less sun.  I've got these on my front porch on the north side of my house where they get only indirect sunlight.  (This same area will get some impatiens once these pansies play out.)  I don't know what variety this is, but the unusual color really caught my eye and I bought them on impulse. 

So what is the secret to containers?  One, stuff plenty of small plants in each container.  I used to make the mistake of putting one or two plants per container.  Instead, put at least four in a typical hanging container.  This gives much more of a mass effect and fills the container out better.  Second, get some slow release fertilizer (like Osmocote) and put the appropriate amount in with your potting soil.  This will keep the plants well-fed for the whole growing season.

Good Ole Verbena

You just can't go wrong planting verbena in a flower bed.  Many of the better types will come back each year, they attract butterflies, they are covered in bloom, and they multiply.  If you bury runners, they will easily root and you can get new plants to put anywhere.  This is the most common type, Homestead Purple, and it's justifiably famous.  I put one lonely plant of this variety in my butterfly garden last year.  This one plant sent out runners and is coming back as about half a dozen new plants this year.  They overwintered this harsh year quite well and are already starting to bloom.  I'm letting them run all over my butterfly bed between all the taller plants and will only shear them back if they get leggy this summer.  They look great trailing from a container too.  Give them a try.  You won't regret it.

Wave to the Petunias

I threw a few Rosy Dawn Wave Petunia seeds into some pots last fall hoping they would survive.  These have and are just starting to bloom.  I haven't had much success growing petunias from seed and find it much easier to just buy small plants.  However, it can be done.  The Wave series is so popular that it needs no introduction.  Suffice to say, they are a good choice for Louisiana and last longer into our hot season than other types of petunias.  Do NOT utilize them as a hot season flower!  Even the Wave's can't take our "waves" of unending heat.  Keep them trimmed back for a fuller, bushier appearance.  They make a wonderful container plant. 

Have You Checked Your Calendula Lately?

These cute little flowers resembling daisies are called calendulas.  They are sometimes called pot marigolds.  They are basically a cool season annual in the Deep South because they just can't take our hot summers.  Calendulas come in various shades of yellow and orange and some have more full blooms than others.  They close up at night and open back up the next day when the sun comes out.  I don't detect any fragrance on them at all.  I've been told that they can be used as a food garnish, but I've never tried it.  The good thing about them is how easily they are grown from seed.  Just buy a cheap pack of seeds, throw them on the ground in a sunny location and water.  They will come up profusely in a few days.  When they start getting some size to them, thin them to about 8" apart.  Keep them weeded and watered and watch the show.  That's it!  Down here, you should plant them in October or November.  You can try to plant them in early spring too.  If you live north of zone 8, then definitely plant them in the spring.  They also make a fine potted plant and are a great companion to other flowers.  After seeing the ones I have, it makes me wish I'd planted more of them. 

Party With Petunias

This is the time of year that petunias shine in Louisiana.  From now till May, they look great in the yard and especially in pots.  These are the bright red ones growing in a window box at my house.  Many thanks to my sweet wife, Jo, for e-mailing this picture to me at work.  Nocice the wonderful 70 degrees showing on the thermometer too.  I don't know what variety this is.  They were purchased at Lowe's last fall.  Down here, you put them in pots in the fall, then just baby them along until the warm weather of spring hits.  Once warm weather starts, petunias explode into bloom and growth, usually putting on a blissful show.  The various Wave petunias actually perform longer into the hot season than the other varieties, so plant them if you want the best performance.  However, Wave's don't come in all the colors and all petunias will give adequate performance for a while.  To keep petunias looking their best, keep them trimmed back before they get leggy.  Jo loves this bright red color, so these were planted for her.