Honestly, a lot of times weeds pop up in my pots and I let them grow until/unless they take over the growing space in the pots for the very same reason you want to, excess water!

Usually when the plants go dormant and I quit watering the weeds die.

Josh

Josh,......Interesting.....The plants that I will select will probably be very shallow rooted, and I'm hoping that because they are succulents, they could go without much watering for longer periods of time, living throughout the quiescent periods that the Hipp. bulbs will need. Anyway that's my plan, so I'll give it a try and see how well it works.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Frank

If you grow outside you'll notice things popping up in pots constantly, it's hard to continually weed so I just let them grow and I don't think it's had any negative impact but I'm not so sure of any positive either.

Just make sure you don't crowd or you might create space to harbor insects..

I think any open space is an opportunity to grow something else in the pot. I also agree that the additional plants serve so 'soak up' some of the extra rain...
{{gwi:427236}}From garden web 2

Alana

Alana....What a beautiful display, especially because the plants hide the "uninteresting" bulbs while adding more visual weight to the base, and balance the tall leaves. Nice effect.

I'm thinking about almost the same kind of planting around the base of some Clivia that I just re-potted. Low growers, that will "spill" over the edge of the pots, e.g. small Sedums, tiny, Hen-and-Chicks, etc....

Thanks,

Frank

Frank, that sounds perfect - I love the effect of bulbs in with annuals or perennials. I've even used ivy to cover the base on smaller bulbs.

Alana

Hippeastrum roots like periodic dryness and they do like airy soil, but they won't "rot" unless they're planted in clay or something; I don't think you have to worry about root rot in any pot that is able to drain.

I have planted hippeastrums in pots that are 12" high and after less than a year the roots come out of the drain hole in the bottom. They eventually fill all the available space and finally, yes, some roots will emerge above the soil's surface, but they are already growing downward as well.

I think hippeastrums are naturally epiphytes - I have definitely seen photos of them growing on low, rotting tree stumps - and I think that in order to do that, they'd need anchoring roots that penetrate deep to anchor them. I've mixed strips of shredded cardboard in soil so that it cements together into a pretty firm block, and the roots seem to lock into that very tightly. But the key is to plant the bulb high; they are much less likely to get wobbly that way. I don't know why.

As for companion plants... a few years ago I dug up some creeping wood sorrel from a lawn and kept it as a house plant. The crimson-red leaves turned olive green in the relatively softer light of the windowsill. It looks like a small-leafed shamrock, with lots of small yellow flowers.

One of the unique features of creeping woodsorrel is that the tiny seeds "shoot" at high velocities from the ripe seed pods as a form of dispersal. It can be quite shocking the first time you hear or see a seed pod explode in what sounds vaguely reminiscent of velcro unzipping. The seeds can travel 3-4 feet or occasionally more, judging by the ones that I have found stuck on the glass of the window, the wall, and occasionally the ceiling (they have tiny hooks that stick on cloth and they might be sticky when fresh, I'm not sure what allows them to stick to glass).

The seed pods can be provoked to explode when they are gently squeezed (if they are ripe), but some also explode all on their own 15 minutes or so after the plant is watered.

The fun thing about that plant is that it is actually well-adapted to being a "weed" in houseplants (or as I say, it "naturalizes") because of the way the seeds shoot, and I often find the young plants growing in other pots on the same windowsill. If you allow them to grow they'll become a self-sustaining population. They grow quickly and start blooming when they are still pretty small; they look ratty eventually but when that happens I like to crumple the plant and stuff it under the soil, and fresh new stems and leaves will emerge. Or you can uproot them and toss them out because after just a few weeks it's already bloomed and re-seeded elsewhere. It's a fun thing to grow as a companion plant in other plants; if you're up for it you can try it in hippeastrums. I would just advise you to keep them safely indoors and out of your garden at all costs because they will become an uncontrollable weed.