Monday, March 14, 2011

A Patio Container Garden...an online photo tour



Dear garden buds,

I've been very lax at taking photos of my garden, but finally got a bee in my bonnet and did it. These are random photos taken here and there, willy-nilly. I love growing plants in containers, and try to add new ones every season. I'm really getting into combining plants now and love how the colors and leaf textures set each other off.

In the garden vignette photo above, I have a galvanized tub on an old bench discarded by a neighbor and hand-painted. In the tub, I'm growing sweet marjoram, dianthus and alyssum. The tub is surrounded by hand-painted birdhouses (one by my friend Sherry Gaffney), a galvanized saucer used as a birdbath, another birdbath and a hand-painted bucket planted with comfrey. Just to the right, you can see the edge of an old wooden barrel that serves as a pedestal for a potted bamboo.

I love my potted bamboo, a gift from my friend Fred, by way of south Austin. I planted some white dianthus at the base of it. What a gorgeous combo they make in the hand-painted lime green Mexican cement pot.



Lemon thyme and white alyssum live happily in an old Goodwill store find...a wooden chips/dip bowl painted blue with drainage holes drilled in the bottom.



The cactus (started as a few pads salvaged from the neighbor's trash) continues to thrive in the old antique iron pot I bought from a fellow at the side of the road.



A combo of a small cherry tomato, a purple dianthus, and two small pepper plants grow in the galvanized metal trough on my patio.



A small salad garden grows just steps outside our dining room/kitchen door.



Another new project this spring is my galvanized tub/trellis project. Two tubs, drilled in the bottom for drainage, filled with great Gardenville potting soil and planted with Scarlet Runner Beans (on the left) and sweet peas (on the right). They've all sprouted, and started their journey up the trellis. I love the purple gazing ball in between. A small cuphook screwed into the side of the house helps keep the trellis from flapping about.



Most of these containers can be enjoyed from the living room and dining room windows inside the house, something I plan carefully each season.

Hope you've enjoyed this little tour of my container garden! (And notice how I've combined herbs, veggies and flowers!)

Happy trails from Texas,

bobbi c.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos, Bobbi. They gave me some great ideas. I was going to give a wooden salad bowl to goodwill - now I don't think so. And a long, oval coppery planter I picked up at a garage sale a long time ago never found its place here. Now I have some more ideas for it. Thanks!

Bobbi A. Chukran, Author said...

Thank you, Mary! In the past, I gave away a lot of stuff that I could have used in the garden. The bowl I used does have a small crack in the side, but that gives it more charm. I hope painting it helps to prolong its lifetime. :-)

Jude Walsh said...

Bobbi,

I love container gardening. It's all I do because every lawn around is treated with so many chemicals. Mine are on a deck that gets very hot at times so I am trying to figure out some good shade strategies.

The painted blue wooden bowl is inspired. I often see those at Good Will but never thought about drilling holes in the bottom and painting. Guess where I'll be heading tomorrow?

Great post! I forwarded your bee post on to my friend who is in her second year of beekeeping. She's had plenty of queen troubles but the hives seem to be established now. She only had a small bit of product last year but I was gifted with the most amazing lip balm from it!

Jude

Bobbi A. Chukran, Author said...

Thanks for the comment, Jude! I understand about the lawn thing. My neighbors are pretty good about that, although they are a bit more into their lawns than we are.

I have many fond memories of gardening on decks and balconies at apartments I lived in. I sort of wish I had a deck here instead of the concrete patio.

bobbi c.

Wanda said...

What great photos. They really inspire me to look around in my yard and out buildings with new eyes. You have a great garden!

Bobbi A. Chukran, Author said...

Thanks so much, Wanda! It's a lot of work, but it's good therapy. I almost said CHEAP therapy, but it ain't! LOL