My Summer Planter Secrets

summer

/ˈsəmər/

noun

:the warmest season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from June to August and in the southern hemisphere from December to February

:the season between spring and autumn, in the Northern Hemispherefrom the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox, and in the Southern Hemisphere from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox

:my favorite time of year

So this spring really got away from me... oh, and about half the summer too! Around the 4th of July I finally had a chance to take a look at my lovely abode and realized my pansies were not handling the early heat, my spring bulbs were far gone and I had an embarrassing display for someone whose livelihood is designing container gardens and landscapes. So when I finally got a chance to shop for my containers, guess what happened? July 1 = all plants sold out. It was a lot of slim pickings... and the early bird definitely gets the worm. So being who I am, I took it as a challenge to get creative. 

So I have a secret. Whether you're early or late, do not allow yourself to be limited to the plants that are marked "Summer Annuals" in garden centers. Because really its summer and any plant you plant outside right now will live! Including house plants. Bingo. That was my sneaky idea. I would buy the beautiful rex begonias, the mosses and the colorful dracaena's. And my absolute favorite: Caladium. House plants or "indoor plants" do not need to be inside your house... a spike plant is a dracaena for goodness sake. That is why I say don't be deceived by signs. You could argue there are no blooming plants with house plants but wow can some of them have awesome color and textures. You can still get blooming annuals into the mix like I have done below. Check out the following recipes.

Crock recipe: 

1. Rex begonia
2. Ruby Red Coleus
3. Alternanthera
4. Juncus Grass
5. Cala Lily (left over from spring planter) 
6. Ostrich Fern (from my parents backyard :)

Recipe for window box:

1. Rex begonia
2. Irish Moss (Sagina subulata)
3. New Guinea Impatiens
4. Philodendron
5. Juncus Grass
6. Cala Lily
7. Ostrich Fern

Terra Recipe: 

1. New Guinea Impatient
2. Wire Vine
3. Begonia Gryphon
4. Caladium
5. Fuchsia
6. Coleus
7. Fiber Optic Grass
8. Irish Moss

This is my favorite secret. Taking plants from my parents. No really, they have thousands of ferns in their back yard, amongst the edge of their woodlandscape. Do you know anyone with ferns growing wild in their garden or woodland plants you could take from? Maybe you could take perennials from your own garden? You could use Snow on the Mountain, split a small Hosta or Astilbe. There are no limits to your container gardens. 

In a way, I'm really glad I was late and missed the "good stuff." It allowed me to be really creative in my design and do something out of the norm. I would love to see or hear about your creations and plantings. Hope you're all having a great growing season and summer. 

PS: Hey Friends, Just wanted to thank everyone who is subscribing to my blog! Another place you can follow Preserving The Bloom is on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook! Just click on any of the icons below.  I have a sample of my Instagram pictures below as well. I post on Instagram almost every day, it is the best way to stay connected and see my content! Like, Share, Follow and Subscribe if you haven't already! 

-Amy

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