One of my goals for 2018 is to improve the look of our outdoor patio area. Two years ago, we got the ball rolling by purchasing a wood patio set from World Market. While it’s not exactly high-end furniture, the cushioned chairs and loveseat have been a nice upgrade from the two fold-out chairs that previously graced our patio. This year, I focused on getting our outdoor landscaping and garden beds in order so that we have something nice to look at when we sit on our lovely outdoor furniture. Plus, now that Lamborghini and The Dot can feed themselves, I can undertake the challenge of keeping another living thing alive. Ha.
One project that made the biggest visual impact on our patio was the addition of these two outdoor container gardens:
Regrettably, the planters are no longer available (I did find similar ones here and here), but I can share details about the plants I selected to go in each container. These particular arrangements were incredibly easy to put together and are fairly low-maintenance. They are also inexpensive. I think I spent a total of $7 on the plants in these two planters because I used cuttings from plants I already had around the yard.
Do note that all of the plants in the containers either prefer or can tolerate full sun. I have the planters sitting out in the sunniest spot on my patio. We’ve had a good amount of rain for the past two months, so I haven’t had to water them yet. But I would probably water them once to twice a week if there had not been rain.
I also used a generic potting soil for the base with a tiny sprinkle of Osmocote Flower & Vegetable Plant Food. (Here is the Amazon link for the Osmocote in case you need some). Aside from that bit of fertilizer, I have not fertilized the plants at all for two months. I probably should, but probably won’t. Low-maintenance is my mantra when it comes to gardening.
Container 1 Details
In the first planter, I started with the dianthus, which is the hot-pink flower at the bottom. Dianthus can tend to look a bit scraggily when it is planted alone in containers (or at least mine does), but the colors really pop when it is paired with other plants. I purchased several small containers of these flowers from the Home Depot back in May and had them growing in a terra cotta pot in one of my garden beds throughout the summer. I separated out a small clump from my larger pot and planted it in one of the corners of the new planter. Dianthus is an annual, which means it will not likely survive the winter. But when dies, I will replace it with something else. Pansies or petunias would also be really pretty if you were starting with fall flowers.
The yellow chrysanthemum was my big ticket item at a cost of $2.50. I purchased two chrysanthemums from the Home Depot when the store had a four for $10 special. One mum went in this container across from the dianthus.
The most fun addition to the container was the wondering jew. Wandering jew is extremely easy to propagate and grow. You just cut off a piece from below a leaf (more technically, the node where the bud or new leaf is growing from) and plant it in soil. It grows! This particular off-shoot is from a neighbor who was paring back some of her wandering jew plants. I cut the pieces she gave me into several small pieces and stuck them in the potting mix. I did use a bit of root stimulator (here on Amazon) just to speed up the root growth. The little pieces took off and have grown a LOT since I planted them two months ago. I’ve actually had to cut back some of the plant that is hanging over the side of the pot. I then put those pieces in my front garden bed, which I’ll show you at a later date.
Container 2 Details
The second planter is very similar to the first, but with one difference–the aloe vera. My mom gave me three aloe vera “pups” that came from her parent plant, and I planted one here. I’ve read that aloe plants are supposed have quick-draining soil and little water, but mine is doing quite well in the regular old potting soil with tons of rain. It’s a testament to the fact that gardening is not rocket science and that the main science to it (for us mortals, at least) is trial and error. If it dies, I’ll try something else.
Patio Progress
There are still a million items on my outdoor to-do list for the Fall, but the container gardens are one step in the right direction. My next project is to finish sprucing up my front garden bed. I’d also like to plant some practical herbs that can tolerate the cooler weather. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.
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