Some images from the weekend, which included a very short tour of Cornell Plantations with some old family friends in town for a visit. Plantations is worth a visit if only to see the container collections right off the parking lot.
Some hot hibiscus blooms at Plantations.
And some nice lilies.
Every year this border right outside the education building is a little different. And every time I marvel at the skill that goes into its design and execution.
A favorite vignette from the border, including ricinus and beets.
Another view of the containers.
Some scenes from around the home garden. Red astilbe.
The back sunny border.
Allium, artemisia and jewelweed.
Some blooms. Ligularia.
A hybrid hazelnut I got from Phil Rutter close to 20 years ago.
A bunch of filipendula closeups. Cotton candy.
I wonder who waters all those containers. It’s wonderful to look at. Think they have an automatic watering system? I would have so much more in containers if it wasn’t for the watering.
I love those red-hot colors in the container garden. Red-hot is like the weather in Austin right now.
both gardens looking fabulous! Do you still have alliums blooming? I haven’t been able to get over to the herb garden in a month or more. The flower garden wasn’t even planted then but it’s probably a jungle now, the way those hibiscus look. Thanks for the peek while I’m stuck inside 🙂
Matriarchy: I think they use a hose and a wand.
It’s a job I’d gladly do. It’s not hard work and you get to stand there and look at the plants while you do it.
I don’t even use a hose to do my containers. I haul water from the water garden in watering cans. It’s a little sweatier than using a hose. But it’s a fun evening chore.
I used to live in Elmira but have been in tidewater Virginia since ’79. I work at a garden center that specializes in unusual plants and we also have large display gardens. There’s a wonderful product called SoilMoist that you should check out for containers, and we use it in the ground as well. Go to the website http://www.soilmoist .com for more info. I does eliminate the need for so much waterinmg. There are two tricks for terracotta pots—which are very attractive but they suck about half of the water every time you water. Put the plants in a large plastic pot that fits down into the terracotta pot then use mulch or moss on the top to camoflage (?) the stuff; or line the terracotta pot with a plastic bag with a large hole cut on the bottom that fits over the pot’s drainage hole. Do all of your planting ,water it well and trim the top edges of the bag away at the top. Use scissors to poke the remaining edge down into the dirt, if necessary. I saw this in an English book years ago and I have used it very successfully with everything from thirsty annuals and tropicals to large shrubs and small trees in clay pots. Loved the pictures from Cornell Plantation—haven’t been there in years. As a matter of fact we are headed up to Ithaca and Rochester next week. Happy gardening,Ann
That is one impressive container garden! And I like the colors. My yard is small, so my entire garden is cool-colored, but if I had extra room I’d want to try a color scheme just like that.
Lori: Cool colors are good for small gardens. They fool the eye into thinking they are farther away. Warm colors make things look closer.