Is it really spring? I hope so. I've been waiting for the freezing temps to end before planting my containers. I finally decided to get started this morning by putting together an arrangement in my planter on a sheltered east patio beside our waterfall.
In past years, I've often taken the easy route of planting a single type of annual in a planter. After being inspired by one of my favorite gardening magazines and by buddies on a gardening forum, I decided to mix it up this year with a combination of perennials, annuals and groundcovers.
The planter's main attraction is the deep pink calla lily backed by a Japanese painted fern whose stems go well with the deep pink calla. A heuchera's foliage compliments the color scheme. The flowering annuals include impatiens (lavender), a New Guinea impatiens (deep/light pink) and annual dahlias (dark magenta). I grabbed a few clumps of creeping jenny from one of my garden beds to brighten up the darker foliage plants and overflow from the planter.
Planter slideshow
This was also a great time to try out my new little camera. I gave the planter a good misting to test the resolution and clarity of a close-up. Yep, got water beads on the calla lily.
The next containers will be a trio of rectangular planters along the south-facing front porch. I'll post an update when that project is finished.