greentapestry : Garden Bloggers Foliage Day ~ On The Decking

Saturday 22 August 2015

Garden Bloggers Foliage Day ~ On The Decking


Blog posts here seem to have been few and far between of late. One of the reasons for this is that we've been making the most of our new caravan. Our internet access is not reliable there so I've yet to attempt a blog post from the southern reaches of the Lake District.

Our much anticipated outside decking was finally installed earlier this summer and is now complete with table and chairs. The summer however so far has not proved conducive to al fresco dining. We've only managed it twice so far and had to dash in quickly on the first occasion when rain arrived between courses. Next summer can only be better and we yet may be blessed with a gentle balmy autumn. 

With sitting outside in mind I've been planting up one or two permanent containers. We have gone for leafy loveliness rather than for flowers. The caravan is situated at the edge of woodland so it's more on the shady side rather than full blown sunshine. As it name suggests the Lake District gets copious amounts of rain, so hopefully we should not have to worry unduly about watering in our absence.

So far two big containers have been planted - one with an acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum' which we will have to trim as and when necessary. We bought this from the small but excellent garden centre in Grange-over-Sands, which is just four miles or so down the road from the caravan. On reflection I think that a green leaved acer may have made more or an impact but the deed has been done. 

The other container has been planted as you can see above although I still have to apply a top dressing. No doubt some re-jigging will be taking place before long. The first inhabitant is an unknown heuchera bought at our garden club plant sale back in May. I was attracted to it by its colour. There was a label but I've come to the conclusion that the seller probably invented the name, as I've been unable to find any mention of it in books or on the world wide web.



Keeping it company are plants that I already had at home. The fern is athyrium filix-femina 'Dre's Dagger', which was in a pot but suffered from me forgetting to water it regularly in dry spells. It was somewhat frazzled earlier this summer but has perked up considerably since moving house. Sadly it's deciduous.


The largest plant of the trio which may well eventually dominate the container is the evergreen nandina domestica 'Obsessed'. New growth in spring is a fiery red which slowly morphs into green over the season. It has the bonus of small white flowers in midsummer but my plant has not produced any this year.

So there are the big containers up to now but there will be smaller ones too. A hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' is waiting for a permanent pot. I've also walked round the site to have a nose to see what other plants are doing well in containers. I noted a number of flourishing hostas which much to my surprise have not suffered from the ravages of slugs and snails. So with this in mind I was tempted yesterday by hosta 'Catherine' spotted at the Southport Flower Show on the impressive 'Sue Proctor Plants' stand.


I have to confess that apart from the above photo the others were taken a couple of weeks or so ago but I'm sure that the hostess of 'Garden Bloggers Foliage Day', Christina over at "Creating my own garden in the Hesperides" will be gracious enough to permit this slight digression. 

27 comments:

  1. Lets hope for as you say a balmy autumn, we are going to Wales in September!
    Enjoy the rest of the summer relaxing and watching your pots grow.

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    1. Fingers crossed that we have some settled weather in time for your holiday Brian.

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  2. Nice plants & garden! Can't wait to see these plants grow. Enjoy!

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  3. I think your pots sound lovely. I have always struggled with mixed pots, there seems to be one that out competes the others. I tend to go for individual pots now and arranging them in a group. You will be able to under plant your acer with some snowdrop bulbs

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    1. Thanks Helen. You've hit the nail on the head with your comment about the pitfalls of competition when it comes to mixed planting in pots. I wanted the big pots to be relatively full so am prepared to do some editing as and when. Future pots will more than likely be made up of individual subjects. I had been pondering about planting some snowdrop bulbs in the the same pot as the acer :)

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  4. I know what you mean by lacking time to keep up with blog writing and reading at the moment

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    1. Yes time seems to be of the essence at the moment Sue. I think I'm doing better with the blog reading than the writing thereof just now.

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  5. I think they will all look splendid once they have filled out a little - a perfect miniature garden.

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    1. Thanks muchly Elaine. Hopefully they will have filled out by this time next year.

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  6. The hosta is lovely. You may just find that a change in location and the fact that it's being grown in a pot will thwart those pesky molluscs. Fingers crossed.

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    1. I'm hoping that the hosta will do well Jo. Maybe molluscs don't do wooden decking. Will just risk 'Catherine' for now and will see what transpires.

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  7. It is a good choice to go with foliage for your pots as you won't always be there to dead-head etc. I wonder if your new Nandina is one of the new hybrids that don't produce many flowers or berries developed in the States where they are considered invasive in many States. I have to say I would be thrilled if any of mine produced any offspring!

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    1. I hadn't considered the dead-heading etc. Christina but that's a good point. I opted for foliage interest as there's a chance we could miss flowering. I'm not sure where 'Obsessed' was bred. I was putting the lack of flowers down to it still being a very young plant and hope for better things next year. I think that I too would welcome offspring :)

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  8. You're so right to enjoy time out in your caravan, Anna. Summer will be gone in no time and wouldn't it be sad not to make most of it. That decking looks great - can you possible show a wider few some time? Love the planting combination in your pot which will certainly look great all year. I'm opting more and more for long-lasting displays instead of seasonal ones. PS: Still can't comment with my WP account ;), best wishes Annette

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    1. Summer has never really arrived here Annette but we are just getting on with it :) I will try and oblige with a wider shot next time. I'm so sorry that Blogger is still playing up :(

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  9. You were so wise to go with foliage plants in containers--they will look beautiful all season and won't require the constant deadheading and upkeep flowers do. Some of my flowering containers are looking pretty ragged at the moment, especially after the past couple of weeks of heat and no rain. Love that hosta!

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    1. Thanks for your comment Rose. Yes the foliage plants hopefully will require little maintenance other than some pruning and occasional tidying up. I will enjoy a little bit of gardening when I'm away but not too much. Will send you some of our rain if you push some heat in our direction :)

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  10. The pots look fab, looking forward to seeing them as they grow and fill out, I struggle to keep up with writing and reading blogs at the moment, by the time I get home from the nursery and do all the home chores, I just want to flop on the sofa with chocolate! :)

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    1. You deserve that chocolate Rona! I'm a lady of leisure now and still find that there are not enough hours in the day. I was going to say enjoy the long weekend but then I realised that you will probably be working. I hope that you treat yourself to extra choccies.

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  11. Hope you get out onto your decking properly soon, Anna! I shall be watching reports on your nandina with interest as I have a new one just the same (no flowers on mine this summer either) - and of course you had to have that hosta! I have found my hosta pots at the side of the side of the house by the hedge (mostly holly) have remained unmunched, unlike the ones near the softer leaves of the herbaceous borders (although these have only had minimal munching this year. I am curious about the name the heuchera came with - I suppose people who breed them can come up with any name that they like and some of them can sound a bit odd but you have clearly done your research, thanks to www.

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    1. I'm reassured to hear that your nandina did not flower either Cathy - no doubt we will be rewarded next year. The hosta was a must especially once I saw its name. I can't remember what the heuchera was called or what I've done with the label now although I think it had the word 'sunset' in its name. It may well be that the sun has set on it as it is not looking very happy this weekend unlike the nandina and the fern.

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  12. A decent autumn? Dare we dream :)
    Foliage themed pots will always earn their keep I think. On the odd occasion I've grown a hosta in a pot it seems to suffer less to the slugs and snails Anna.

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    1. Oh dreams are sometimes what keeps us going Angie :) A pot is another obstacle but I will still be keeping my fingers crossed for my hosta once it's planted.

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    2. Oh dreams are sometimes what keeps us going Angie :) A pot is another obstacle but I will still be keeping my fingers crossed for my hosta once it's planted.

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  13. I love the idea of foliage only pots. I have a couple of nandinas and I love them at all times of the year. What a pretty hosta that is. They look great in pots.
    Sorry to hear you haven' t had much summer, it has been quite good here. But not today, the rain was almost biblical in its intensity today. I had forgotten what real rain is. Still, it saves watering.

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    1. I think that there has been a real north/south divide this year when it comes to the weather Chloris. Maybe it will be our turn next summer :)

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All your comments are much appreciated and treasured. I wil try to reply to everyone who leaves a comment, but it may take me a few days, especially when I start spending more time in the garden and at the lottie. I know that you will understand :) I am sure that I will also visit your blog if I have not already done so. If you have any specific questions I will either reply to them here or you can email me at : thegreentapestry@gmail.com

Namasté

- Anna.