"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Container plantings for some color.

After several nice days of enjoying the sun and some temperatures in the low 60's we ended up with a rainstorm that brought the amount of rain in one day that we normally get for the whole month of May.  The upside to it was that it watered many of the seedlings that are finally sprouting and kept the newly planted containers watered.  Normally I have planted most of my containers by now, but I wasn't feeling very inspired too because it had been so cool.  But my inspiration arrived at the beginning of last week when my winnings from a giveaway from Heather at Dusty Bay arrived.

Heather hosted a contest by Proven Winners and the winner (lucky me) won $100 worth of Proven Winners annuals.  The plants came packed really well, each huge and flowering 4 inch pot was individually wrapped in brown paper.  The whole box and wrappings went right into the recycle which I loved, many mail orders plants come with plastic and packing peanuts.  Every plant was healthy and loaded with flowers.  I was sent Calibrachoa Superbells 'Blackberry Punch', Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost', Lobularia 'Snow Princess', Mecardonia 'Gold Dust', Supertunias 'Vista Bubblegum', 'Royal Velvet' and 'Pretty Much Picasso'.  I've bought their plants many times at nurseries, but after seeing the great quality the mail order ones were I wouldn't hesitate to mail order from them either.

My husband and I had lots of fun planting our new flowers in all the containers I've been collecting.  This is a small galvanized washtub we found at a flea market.

A row of containers between the two big beds in the front yard.

The large washtub I found at an antique mall awhile ago full of water garden plants.  Two of the plants are just emerging but will be tall with flowers later in the summer.  I'll share pictures of how this changes during the seasons.

This year I decided rather than buying a hanging fuchsia already planted I'd make my own using the starts I found at a grocery store.  I love how this hanging basket looks compared to the plastic or pulp pots I usually find them in.

I went outside to find my husband planting this shade container by himself, usually I do all the containers and he helps carries them to where I ask him to put them.  Now if I could just find him outside weeding one day I'd really be happy!

You can see how huge the plants were by how they already fill out the window boxes.  Normally I fill them full of lots of different flowers, this year there was only room for three each.  One day I'm hoping my husband will build a wood window box for this window.

I still have several planters to fill and others that are still holding on from last year, but the now there are lots of spots of color until the perennials finally get a chance to start blooming.
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress. Pin It

45 comments:

  1. What a fantastic win!.....you must have had a lot of fun with the planning and planting. I love to see the colour start to come into the gardens.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey garden friend, I love the plants you won and purchased, as I too, adore flowers in containers. Yesterday I wrote about lobelia on my blog, since I planted many of them in hues of blue. Your metal washtubs make neat containers, and I am a fan of all plants that are bell-like, like the million bells you mention.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, I'm so envious of your front yard now! It looks fantastic! I have the typical front yard of grass and shrubs. Want it gone!
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  4. Absolutely beautiful! I too am feeling envious of your gorgeous garden that you've worked so diligently to achieve. You must be feeling so much pride and joy in it all, Catherine!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Those plants are gorgeous Catherine. What a great win for you. Your little dog is so sweet in a couple of the pictures.
    Hope you all have a good week.

    ReplyDelete
  6. All of your containers look great. I love how they break up the straight lines in your front garden. That hanging twig basket is really nice. The PW plants do look good. Glad to hear they came packed in recyclable material. That means a lot to me too. Everything looks beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a nice treat to win all those Proven Winners when it is container planting time!! Love the verious combinations!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nice! Great looking plants. I have most of my containers filled and it feels great.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats, that will be a great addition to your new yard!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've been putting off doing my containers too. I'm pretty sure it won't get down below freezing again, but it has gotten pretty cold some nights, which makes me just a bit scared of putting cold-sensitive annuals out.

    Yours look wonderful, you got some great plants with your win! I need to find that Diamond Frost Euphorbia. I've seen it on a couple of blogs now, and I like it. Your husband put together a very nice container too, with that Heuchera. I'm planning to do my own hanging baskets this year too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lucky you and I spy a few PW that I bought as well in that bunch...I have only just begun my containers and am looking to add more veggies and herbs to them to keep the cost down on the grocery bill and the gardening bill...lovely containers and love the water garden

    ReplyDelete
  12. Don't you just love the "Picasso's". I am just in love with them. I think I would like anything called "bubblegum"! Everything is looking fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Catherine, what a great prize! Those plants look so healthy and vibrant. Hey, could you husband swing down I-5 and come teach my husband about gardening? ;) It will be fun to watch your containers burst with color this year :) Cheers, Jenni

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's still too early here to plant our flowers in Southwest Saskatchewan ~ but looking at all your lovely flowers is giving me the itch! Beautiful Catherine!

    xo Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your cute pup is in a lot of your pics. Lucky you with all the Proven Winners. You certainly made them winners with your creative and pretty plantings. Lucky to have a husband that helps too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a wonderful prize! Lucky you! I'm glad the weather cooperated and you were able to get them planted. They look good now, they are going to be stunning this summer, I just know it!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow--How quickly the "front bed" becomes the 2 large beds AND you containerized it with pretty flowers! What a transformation!
    Now if your husband DOES read this you will get a new box built in the next month and he will help weed when he has a hand free :)
    Good work!

    ReplyDelete
  18. $100 prize of Proven Winners??? Can I just say (channeling Charlie Sheen) "WINNING"!! Congrats, they are even prettier in their new homes.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Lucky you! All those little pops of color youre adding everywhere. Congrats to you on the win!

    ReplyDelete
  20. That was a very exciting win! Love how all your containers are looking. There is hope for the men, I found my husband deadheading roses on Saturday!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Have fun planting all those plants from Proven Winners. You got some wonderful ones there. Kudos to your husband for planting a container. It'll probably be the one that does the best:)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lucky plants! They sure picked a winning gardener. Beautiful. I have yet to plant any containers. We, too, have rain, rain, rain. Love that washtub ... I have been wanting to try a water garden and have a smaller galvanized tub. I just may have to go for it. Look forward to seeing all your gardens, containers too, grow. Oh, also love the hanging basket.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh the plants look great and I'm so glad you are happy with them!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love, love, love the galvanized tubs!
    Bet they hold moisture better than clay when it gets hot out!
    Beautiful yard!

    glimpsesofglory-karen.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  25. Congratulations on that wonderful win. You got some real beauties and I love how you used them.

    FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  26. What a wonderful win! The containers look great and so does everything else. We DID have some great days last week and it looks like this will be a good week also. Have a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hold up your hand if you are sick of this cool wet weather. LOL! Ours is back again and I am not liking it one bit. LOL!
    Hey, but new flowers always just perks one up. I love the choices of your plants. Girl that blue petunia is just gorgeous! Those window boxes are pretty now but just wait until they start cascading. I like the use of the galvanized containers in your front garden. Have a wonderful week.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Congrats & love what you have chosen for your pots! you will have a colorful garden in this dreary weather.....which will bring you smiles! xoox, tracie

    ReplyDelete
  29. Congrats! That pile of plants looked like so much fun, can't wait to see the pots in a couple of months when they're overflowing with flowers.
    It's raining again here, this spring has felt like Seattle weather took over Spokane! Though I'm sure you've had your share of rain as well.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a beautiful collection of containers!! Can't wait to plant some this weekend. Your front yard is so very different, what an amazing transformation. :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. I just love to see what other's are putting in their blue pots, washtubs and hanging planters. Some fab ideas here. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
  32. What a fantastic prize to win Catherine. Sounds as if your husband is taking small steps in the right direction :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. How awesome to win flowers! It's like a dream come true :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Oh my, you won a wonderful prize! I'm impressed with the quality of the plants, and they'll grace your containers beautifully for the entire summer! As for wooden window boxes...never again. There were some on this house when we bought it. They were lovely, from a distance, but the damage to the siding was unfathomably expensive.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Good for you Catherine! Winning a $100 dollars worth of plants has got to be fun!

    I'm still waiting on springs arrival, until than...I'll keep checking out your nice garden.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thanks for stopping by (and letting me know we live close). Now I'm wondering where you are. I'm also going to check out a couple of the PNW blogs in your sidebar that I hadn't stumbled upon yet. I haven't bought a single annual yet this year due to the cold and rain. I'll bet the nurseries are packed this weekend if it really gets sunny and 70.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Well aren't you the lucky one. Girl I can't get over you won $100 worth of Proven Winners. They have such good plants. I'm gonna check out their website again.

    You got so much and it is so pretty. So many containers you got done and thanks to the hubby. Not many guys are gonna get out there and put a flower in a pot now. But yours did! Enjoy Catherine.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Woohoo! What a terrific score! And such a great splash of color, all around. Love those washtubs you've collected. (Kudos to the husband for helping out with all the planting!)

    ReplyDelete
  39. Hi Catherine~ I'm glad to see you're taking advantage of those brief but welcome sunbreaks. Your garden looks great and the plant winnings couldn't have come to a nicer person.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Wow, what a great contest to win! I think a big box of plants would perk me up about now. Congrats ~ they look amazing. I have barely begun to think about my containers and I'm usually done by now. I agree, it's the weather holding me up too. Someday it will break ~ it has to, right?
    I love your new potting bench from your previous post. Your garden is looking so fantastic with all the new additions and changes.
    p.s. That was a floating pond container I had my pitcher plant in ~ I have several for plants that don't like to be completely submerged. I found them at Lowe's.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Congratulations! How inspiring. This is my 3rd year for my garden in 5B, acidic soil and my first blog!
    http://wny-gardening.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  42. Wow, what a win! Fantastic colors.

    ReplyDelete
  43. What a absolute treat to win all of those plants!

    They look great.

    Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

    ReplyDelete
  44. Love it! I love container plantings. They bring such a splash of color to the gardens. Very beautiful indeed.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and leave a comment. I try my very best to answer any questions you may have, but usually don't have time to respond to each comment. Please leave a link to your blog so I can visit you in return.