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firstseason

Looking for ideas for patio containers

FirstSeason
18 years ago

As my name implies, this is my first season of really gardening, if you can call the patio on my apartment a "garden."

So far, I've got tomatoes and a few other veggies in containers, as well as some bromeliads, a couple kinds of geraniums, a couple kinds of begonias, some coleus, a small sago, some annuals (including double impatients), and a rose bush, among others. Gets some sun all day, with direct sun in the afternoons (summers get HOT out there).

Any plant suggestions? Any advice on how to keep a live what I have?

I also enjoy ***trying*** to propogate plants. I have had some success with stem cuttings.

Comments (5)

  • shanklemsw
    18 years ago

    Your impatiens and coleus are easy to propagate in water. The impatiens needs relief from the heat, some shade if you have it. I grow annuals in pots so I can move them around in my garden. I usually plant something cascading around the edge medium just inside that and tall in the middle. Go with what you like.

    You may want to try some tropicals since you can grow those down there. Ask at your nursery. Good luck and remember-it's supposed to be fun!

    Sue

  • suzannie
    18 years ago

    Hi,

    I have some aloe vera, begonias, crown of thorns and even fuschia on my porch that do very well. What you have should do okay, just keep well watered especially if they are getting afternoon sun. Good luck!

  • Pcola
    18 years ago

    If you're looking for purple - try the sweet potato vine "Blackie". I've used it in pots and it works well. Another purple is a variety of oxalis - don't know the name - it has small pink flowers. Oxalis is known to be invasive, but i haven't found it to be true with this var. It keeps coming back each year, though, which is what we want in a perennial isnt it? Mine is in a western facing bed with a little shade.

  • sinner_gurl
    18 years ago

    Tropicals would do well out there. You would just need to keep them watered. Dwarf canna and the dark elephant ears do well for me in pots. Bougainvillea loves it hot and dry. I have one in a pot and only water it when it dries out. Cactus varieties like night-blooming cereus do good in hot dry pots. Sweet potato vine has pretty purple leaves and likes it hot but moist.
    Also the purple passion vine (if you don't have one already)has pretty purple fuzzy leaves and does well in a hanging basket outside in the south. It is really easy to propagate by just cutting a branch and either sticking it in dirt or water.
    ~good luck

  • Susan Garrison
    18 years ago

    I have a deck that gets full sun and have found that not many things can survive and thrive in the heat. The tomatoes, sago, and rose bush will probably do OK as long as the get frequent water. But the others you mentioned are going to need some relief from the sun. Perhaps an elephant ear would give them some shade or maybe you could rig up a trellis and plant morning glory on it to provide some afternoon shade for your plants--just soak the seed overnight before you plant them. Also, because we get so much rain here in the summer in NW Fla, some things do better in clay and some things in plastic pots. Here's some things that can take the heat & sun on my deck--plumbago (my favorite--blue cascading blooms all summer long--thrives on my deck in a large 24" clay pot) hibiscus plastic pot with lots of water, bougainvillea-clay pot, sweet potato vine-clay pot, morning glory vine-plastic pot, ixea-plastic pot, aloe vera-clay pot, cacti-clay pot, giant white bird of paradise or banana tree--plastic pot. Hope this gives you some ideas.

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