Remember those pots we did together a few weeks ago?
I focused for a few posts on container garden tips and tricks
and used a project from our church as the example..
Here are some quick links:
Container Garden tips and tricks-Part 1
Container Garden tips and tricks-Part 2
Container Garden tips and tricks-Part 3
It turned out pretty rad.
I don't think there's been a single project
this rewarding for me personally.
If you doubt that plants can welcome people
then you should see the faces and hear the comments
of our congregation when they enter.
Our goal was to help our church family
feel welcomed and lifted up as they
gather together.
Mission accomplished!
Many people actually touch these
plants as they walk into the church.
I take that to mean that
they find the pull of the plant material
and the beauty of the colors irresistible.
As immediately satisfying as these beauties were,
gardening is not something that
I do for immediate (and only immediate) gratification.
With good planning, gardening
is the gift that keeps on giving
as the plants mature.
In this post, I want to share some photos that demonstrate
how the planning we did in the beginning
has allowed for these living creatures
to grow, evolve and change
in beautiful ways.
Late May (2 weeks post plant):
You can see that the plants are bigger.
They are settling in enough to show their colors but
are still quite small compared to their mature height.
There is a lot of visual interest (different shapes, textures) while they get going
so the viewer doesn't feel like there's a pause happening.
The Dahlia in the middle was showing off quite a bit this week.
Also, the double impatiens were starting to kick it up.
Having single doses of an individual plant
keeps the eye from trying to balance everything in symmetrical form.
Keeping the palette similar (lime and purple)
means that in spite of different form/texture,
everything in the pots seem to 'go together'.
The lime green coleus and sweet potato vines really shine here
and have started to quickly add on size.
We are seeing height begin to reach
but also seeing the drape over the sides
begin to add dimension.
These planters are beginning to show us the 3-D design
we envisioned.
Mid-June (5 weeks Planted):
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If we had not planned for this....
we would be freaking out within a month of planting these beauties.
Look at how much size the plants have put on
within 5 short weeks?
Can you believe these are even the same pots?
Look at that Lantana sending out fireworks!
You can barely see it in the first picture.
And the elephant ears have tripled in size.
The fountain grass is a great backdrop,
the Canna lily shot up and is blooming!
I didn't get a good side view on this day
but the sweet potato vine and coleus on the sides
are starting to spill out.
We had to move the pots away from each other
to give them space and keep them
from crowding each other out.
Early July (6 weeks Post-Plant)
Approximately 6 weeks after planting, these pots have
lost their minds.
Can you see those petunias and sweet potato
spilling over the sides? They reach almost to the ground.
The Canna lilies and elephant ears almost cover the brick.
And the color focus has shifted once again
as the Lantana takes a short pause
before it blooms like gangbusters again.
You can see more of the lime and purple contrast
happening in these photos.
One of the best parts so far is that we've only had to water
these plants about twice a week.
I expect that to change as the summer heats up
and the plants become even more gigantic.
It's also likely that as the summer continues
and plant growth continues
that we'll have to do some strategic pruning.
The Lantana has already needed some trimming.
The pots on the right side get slightly more shade than the pots on the left.
It's interesting to see how different plants have
responded to the slightly different micro-climate.
Well...it's interesting to me the plant nerd.
