-
- Articles
Index : Container Plants & Patio Gardening
-
-
- 3. Trailing Plants Great for Planters and Pots - Top
- Ornamental plants with long stems and a cascading habit of growth are ideal for planting to spill out over the edge of raised bed planters, retaining walls, hanging baskets, and tall pots. They’re also ideal for planting on mounded and sloped areas in the landscape. Here are some of the best for Tucson area gardens:
Purple Queen (Setcreasea pallida ‘Purpurea’) is a thick-stemmed, nearly succulent-leaved herbaceous plant with vivid deep purple leaves and small pink flowers. If can be grown as a ground-cover, but looks best for trailing over the edge of planters, raised beds, and hanging baskets. In unprotected spots, Purple Queen will freeze back in the winter, but recovers rapidly in the spring. When grown in containers, plants can be moved to protected locations during winter cold snaps. Purple Queen makes for a striking patio accent plant. For the best leaf color, grow Purple Queen in light to medium shade. Water daily during hot weather.
Firecracker Plant (Russellia equisetiformis), should be named the fireworks plant as it explodes with bright red bursts of flowers atop bright green streaming stems. This is a great plant for hanging baskets or tall pots. Give it room for the 2 to 3 feet long stems to hang over without splaying on the ground. Firecracker plants are have wispy green leafless branches and clusters of bright red tubular flowers that bloom throughout the warm season. Give them plenty of water and a growing spot shaded from hot mid-day sun. They preform best in raised beds, tall containers or flowing over the front of terraced walls.
Trailing Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’) is one of several spreading - cascading rosemary cultivars. Others include; Huntington Carpet, Irene, Lockwood de Forest, Santa Barbara and Corsican Prostrate. Rosemary is “tough as nails” and well suited to the desert with good drought and heat tolerance. It can be grown in full sun or partial shade. In deep shade however, plants become “leggy” and are prone to pests such as the spittle bug. Trailing forms of Rosemary are great for growing in raised beds, over the edge of retaining walls or as a spreading ground cover. Besides it’s attractive and aromatic needle-like foliage, Rosemary produces bursts of small lavender flowers throughout the year.
Hearts & Flowers (Aptenia cordifolia) is a type of ice plant best suited to growing in containers. It has little, heart-shaped, succulent leaves. Plants mound to 6 inches tall and spread 2 feet with dense, shiny green foliage and small, but showy raspberry-colored flowers. Hearts & Flowers are great for hanging baskets and medium-sized patio pots, alone or in combination with taller growing plants. This plant requires full to nearly full sun and plenty of water. But as with other succulents, let the soil dry some before watering thoroughly. In the heat of summer it’s still likely the plant may need daily watering, especially when grown in containers.
Asparagus Fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’) the Sprenger fern is what most people refer to as Asparagus Fern. Although there are many kinds of ornamental asparagus, Sprenger is the one best-suited to planters and containers. It’s loose, cascading stems with bright green needle-like leaves spill over the edge of pots. Although flowers are not showy, Asparagus Fern develops large clusters of bright red berries at the ends of it’s branches. A compact variety ‘Sprengeri Compacta’ is best used in hanging baskets. Grow Asparagus Fern in full sun to moderate shade and water thoroughly when the soil feels dry.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona,
520-626-5161. - Updated: September 23, 2007
-
-
[e-Mail me
the Articles] - [Search
the Articles]
-
|
