Saturday, August 4, 2012

Evolving Porch Pots....You Can Grow That!

Have you ever seen seasonal porch pots--especially fall and winter-themed--around during those seasons and wondered how you can do it yourself? AND....make plants work for more than one season?
I absolutely love my front step pots. No lyin'. The possibilities are endless and I truly enjoy seeing various container plantings around during the growing season. Coming from a house where I had a 16x8' porch that I filled up with various containers, I now have only two pots that I plant identically that flank our front door. I like to make these pots work for more than one season by using plants that can work in the season following.


So, here is a year of my porch pots. I'm showing last year's, since we are still in progress this year. : )


Spring


The only time I ever start over with my front step pots are in the spring. Don't we all start over a little each spring? I do just pansies. I'm anxious for some green and color by that time of the year.




I have some new ideas for next spring's pots. We'll see how it goes!


Summer


I won't lie....I do feel pressure when choosing my container plantings in May, since I feel like it's a big commitment. I've had to teach myself to let go and refresh them in the middle of the summer if something's not thriving. Here's a midsummer shot of my porch pots last summer.




Obviously, it was 4th of July time. I had some coral million bells, strawflower, sweet potato vine 'Margarita' and a maroonish plant in the back. This is not one of my favorites, but it turned out not too badly.


Fall


To take this container into fall, I kept just the maroon foliage plant. I added ornamental cabbage, pansies and 4.5" mums. When I took this pic, the white on the cabbages was not showing up yet...I also decided to add a small white pumpkin for a bit of color. I chose maroon/yellow pansies and yellow mums. The cabbages were a great find at the grocery store--a big pot of those three for about $12. I broke them up into three separate containers.






Christmas


For Christmastime, I kept the cabbages and added some red berries, fake greenery (sometimes I use real), pinecones and some lights strung onto silver-painted twigs.






Winter


For the final porch pot before the spring changeout, I removed the red berries and the lights. I added some dried grass from my ornamental grasses, but kept the cabbages, pinecones and greenery. They look even lovelier with some snow....of which we did not have much last year. : ) By the time it's the season for pansies, the cabbages are more than ready to come out.






With some forethought and planning......beautiful through-the-seasons porch pots?


You can grow that!



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6 comments:

Cristy said...

Love, love, love. This is a great idea. I need to organize my pots on the front so that they match. And I could add themes by seasons, too.

Jane said...

What a lovely way to greet anyone who comes to your door.

Laila said...

I love the bits of color in the winterpots. When eveything is dreary and cold outside these pots can make you extra happy that you are home!

joene at joene's garden said...

Great ideas. Love your combos.

Fred Reeder Jr. said...

"I do feel pressure when choosing my container plantings in May, since I feel like it's a big commitment," says my wife.

THAT'S a big commitment? I can't imagine what was going through your brain when you decided to marry me.

Jennifer said...

Ummm....I wasn't a gardener when I married you....? :)