Last of the spring bling…. I’m loving the burgundy-burnished-copper-mahogany & green combination. This will be a repeat for next fall. Here in Georgia, we had just the right winter weather (finally) with enough cold temperatures to keep the flowers looking fresh, but not so chilly as to dispatch a soggy palette of wilted winter container color. We also had a very chilly March, so that prolonged our winter flower display this year….a joy to behold.

And in a just a few short days, I’ll be ripping all these containers apart to make room for their summer counterparts! 

Meet Hyacinth ‘Dark Dimension’ snuggled up against this double-early yellow tulip. A nice addition to the Black Plant List. 

urbanhedgerow:

Floating Vertical Garden

Making the Rounds….Breaking Beauty 

I love this time of year, visiting all my container garden clients as I do every Friday. The planters we installed last fall, break loose and fill porches, terraces and pool decks with color, fragrance, and frenzied foliage. The riot of color only lasts for a couple of weeks. But it’s worth every moment. 

Deer problems? Not with this late-spring garden. Don’t spend enormous amounts of money spraying chemicals on flower beds to prevent the deer from eating the landscape. Work with Mother Nature - use plants the deer won’t eat. It’s good, it’s green, it’s common sense. 

Moroccan mosaic with bromeliads by Green Landscapes to Envy, Costa Mesa, California. 

Meet ‘Bob Hope’ ~ he’s a Camellia japonica, and one of nature’s gorgeous “winter roses” (since roses don’t bloom in winter, who wouldn’t want to have this guy performing in the garden right now?!). Our unabashed shade-lover is still blooming, despite several nights where the temperatures have dipped into the 20’s here in Georgia, Zone 7B. 

Vaccinium ‘Sunshine Blue’ (Southern Highbush Blueberry)

This beautiful compact blueberry bush is ideal for hot, humid climates, and works well when planted in a large container. Afternoon shade is suggested in regions with particularly hot summers (Georgia, for example). Blueberry bushes are good companions for other shade-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons and hydrangeas in a woodland border garden where the soil is naturally acidic.  

Although blueberries are self-fertile, cross-pollination produces larger berries in abundance, so it’s better to plant more than one variety that blooms at the same time to obtain the best crop. ‘Sunshine Blue’ is not an abundant berry-producer and may work better as an ornamental shrub. Spring flowers and fall leaf color are both superb. 

Birds love blueberries, so unless you plan to grow them to attract wildlife, it’s best to put some netting around the bush to protect it. ‘Chandler’ (late-season variety) is a larger cultivar producing cherry-size blueberries. Allow plenty of space for this one.  Blueberries are usually harvested mid-June to late-July, depending on the climate zone and the variety. To extend the harvest season, combine early, mid, and late season cultivars.