I’ve reached that point in the gardening season where a bit of . . . assessing . . . is in order.
I do this each year as things begin winding down out in my garden . . . just a little run-down of what worked and what didn’t. I capture ideas for next year, and I take a lot of pictures to remind myself in the off-season about what-was-what in the on-season. I pull it all together in a series of lists and notes and hand-drawn diagrams in my little garden journal. It works.
Anyway. I thought it might be interesting (or maybe not so much?) . . . if I shared some of my garden assessments here on the blog.
So.
Welcome to . . .
Assessment, Part 1: Front Containers
I plant big containers flanking my front door every year. I usually go for bright colors, eye-catching foliage, and over-the-top drama when I plant my containers. And I’m generally pleased. But . . . I really hate having to pull up the spent plants and toss them into the compost heap each fall. It feels . . . wasteful. And now that I’m spending more and more time up north in the summer, it’s harder and harder for me to keep my containers adequately watered (even with the “plant dildos,” which I still use by the way).
So I had a Grand Idea this year . . . to plant perennials (instead of annuals) in my front containers. Specifically, I decided to plant perennials I actually WANT in my garden beds . . . so when the container season ends in the fall, I’d (theoretically) be able to transplant them right into my garden beds. No more composting good plants!
Because perennials don’t bloom all summer long like annuals do, I chose perennials that would cover the summer bloom-time as a whole. I planted a penstemon (June bloom), a heuchera (you might know this as Coral Bells) (which starts to bloom in July and keeps right on going – if the deer don’t eat them – through fall), and sedum (which is just beginning to bloom now, in September). I have all of these perennials in my garden beds already, so I know they’ll fit right in this fall when I transplant them. I also threw in a couple of my favorite container annuals — verbena and lantana – just in case my idea didn’t pan out very well.
It’s an idea that works, sure. On paper. Theoretically.
But I’m pretty . . . meh . . . about how these containers worked out for me on my porch this year.
On the plus side, I do have 6 healthy perennials to transplant in my garden this fall. And that’s a big plus in my book. And my containers didn’t require as much water as my usual, annual-heavy containers did. They didn’t look terrible . . . just dull and kinda boring. Even though I timed the blooms, the color was just too subtle for containers. If I hadn’t had that lantana in the mix, there would’ve been no POP on my porch at all. (Which is kinda the point of containers. . . ) I think brighter, more vibrant pots would have really helped here. (I’m in the market for new pots for next season. If you look closely at the second photo in this post, you can see big cracks developing in the sides of my very, very ancient pots. They’re goners after this season. . . ) I really do like the containers of annual grasses I have next to the perennial pots on the porch. But not in combination with those dull perennial pots. It’s just all too blah . . . (But won’t those grasses look great with mums and pumpkins next month?)
One thing I didn’t really expect . . . was how much deer-traffic I’d attract with these containers. Seriously, I fought the deer all summer long. They really, REALLY wanted those Coral Bells. Right up at my front door!!! (My deer-fighting approach was to leave the front porch light on all night long, every night. It seemed to work.) Coral Bells are usually listed as “deer resistant” . . . but I’d have to differ. On more than one occasion this summer, all I had . . . were stems! (Luckily, they bounce back quickly.)
And there you have it: Assessment 1 in the books. Big takeaways?
I tried something different.
I had mediocre results.
I learned a few lessons.
And . . . I need new pots!
(Also. If you’re looking for reliable color in the late summer months – anywhere in your containers or garden beds – try some lantana. Works like a charm!)
I like your idea of putting some perennials in the pots. I’ll have to think about that next year.
The thing that’s been bugging me about purchasing plants are the plastic containers they come in. So much plastic! I wish they would use the compacted cardboard planters. They would be so much better for the environment.
I think I want to do front porch pots next year. Especially if we can finish weeding and pulling stuff from the front beds (which is where I want to plant dahlias). It’s a ton of work though….(but, I won’t be “working” next year either!!). Love those grasses and they will look fabulous with pumpkins and gourds and some mums!
I like the way your containers worked. My most successful pot was of dwarf grasses and I had two that I really loved: Papyrus and corkscrew. They were bright shades of green and grew well with some neglect, but seemed happy when it rained like the dickens. They looked great with the grass you have there, too. (I don’t know the name.) I’m now a big fan of the grasses and hope I can find the same ones next year.
I do sometimes mix perennials with annuals in my containers and this year I have a couple of grasses that worked out well and I always have a container of lavender, too. I tend to run out of steam when it comes to actually transplanting them into the garden but your post has me determined to DO IT this year. My lantana this year was kind of a flop, I think it didn’t have enough sun, but the coleus has been amazing.
Deer LOVE Coral Bells! They eat them like candy. I found great light weight plastic but very large pots at Sams Club this spring. I put empty plastic bottles in the bottom topped with gardening fabric and then put my potting soil on top. I have to move the pots for winter snow removal and so this way they aren’t as heavy when they aren’t completely full of dirt. My pots were a learning experience too…the sweet potato vine almost took over the whole pot. I’m rethinking ever using that as the vine another year.
Your porch pots look lovely.
I’d like to do them, BUT I have one big problem. ANTS! They settle in the pots and them migrate into the house. I have never lived in a house with such an ant problem OUTSIDE that they came inside. It’s much better now with 5-years of pest control, but we put nothing in pots anymore. :::sad face::: (It’s just about time for the fall invasion that we get EVERY dang year, twice a year. This year it was THREE time. I ’bout went out of my mind.)
I love those grasses… and I love your door mat!!
Your front door looks a heck of a lot more inviting than mine, even if it wasn’t up to your high standards! I’ve always admired your door pots and wanted to copy them. We don’t have a deer problem here (yet — the landscapers who cut our grass tell me they’re around, and I have seen them nearby), but the bunnies have been wreaking havoc on a lot of what I’ve tried to grow. I’ll have to wait and see if my hostas ever come back!
Oh gosh! In my part of Georgia, lantana is a reliable perennial that grows until it freezes (if there is a freeze) and then comes back the next spring. It is so prolific! My patio pots (this year) are all filled with coleus because it survives the summer heat and I love to mix the different varieties to get crazy combinations of patterns. I don’t like ditching them in the fall either but they are annuals for us too.
The nursery industry down here got walloped in the 2023 spring freeze so we didn’t get much choice for annuals this year and what was available sold out as quickly as it arrived at the garden centers. Maybe next year will be better.
Great tips and take away ideas Kym! And who knew that deer would eat Coral Bells?!? I love the ideas you shared… what worked, what didn’t, and how you are keeping track of all that (because I absolutely do forget when April rolls around!)
Your keeping track amazes me, too. I can’t even be bothered to write notes on my knitting patterns so I keep re-inventing the wheel. I have a friend in the desert who uses self-watering hoses of some type for her almost entirely container-plant garden, Don’t know how it works (I never see the hoses) but her backyard always looks very lush. You really have a way with plant arrangement, Kym, which is the other half of successful container gardening, isn’t it? Chloe
From far away (and without my glasses), the lantana flowers and leaves look like small-headed zinnias!
What a worthwhile assessment for yourself. Kind of funny (not haha) when the individual elements work–yet, overall, you still feel a ‘lacking.’
And I wonder if you’ve come up with another good deer deterrent: light!?! (But, wow. Deer at your front door.)
Looking forward to your next assessment!
I love the idea of putting perennials in pots and your pots look lovely but I do understand what you mean about the “pop” for front porch containers it’s something I struggle with as well. Great idea to take notes and assessments now for next year-I think I might want to add a garden notebook as well. I have kept them in the past and always think I’ll remember but of course-I never do 🙂
I like the colors in your pots … and mostly I’m just EEEEKKKK!!! about deer coming up to your FRONT DOOR for a snack. My sister has a “hedge” of lantana on the side of her driveway … love all the butterflies!
I think your pots look lovely. Our front porch is on the north side of the house and heavily shaded most of the day. The squirrels had quite the party going this summer. We don’t have deer but the battle with the rabbits and squirrels is real. Perhaps fall is a good time to find pots on sale? Just a thought.