time to start moving /covering the pots.... or not?

At this time of year, all the local gardening advice says to prepare to start covering your pots, or move them to a protected place (like a garage) at night, to save them from frost, and for things you can't move, cover them with a sheet.  Yes, I can see that if you save things from one or two nights of frost, you may get an extra week or two out of them. 

But not me.  I'm done.  It's getting too dark and cold in the mornings (before the kids wake up, when I usually get my gardening done), I'm busy at my "real job", and I'm winding down for this gardening year.  Everything out there can just fend for itself now - except the tomatoes, they would be worth getting an extra week out of!

Caveat: I've said before that I don't do anything fancy with containers.  Maybe someday when I don't have major projects to get done in the garden each spring, I can spend a little time being more creative with container plantings, but for now, I must warn you that I am a perennial expert, not a container expert!  For the most part, I just plunk in a few tried-and-true annuals.  Anyway, for my own records, here's how my pots did this year:

The pansies I planted on my front step back in April lasted well into July, which I thought was impressive!  By that time, the pennisetum rubrum was finally starting to get some heat and look happy.  By this time of year it is so impressive that I am actually considering trying to overwinter it (it's a perennial in warmer climates).  I have a cold room in my basement so it wouldn't be too much work to try and save it...  The chrysanthemums I just recently picked up somewhere because, well they're just so cute!

By the garage door I've got a mix of begonias and impatiens in a strawberry pot, and some fabulous variegated thing I picked up at Superstore without a tag.  There's also nasturtiums and lavender in the bottom corners of this picture.  There's also a petunia in the hanging basket, plus some yellow creeping jenny which I should really pull out now and stick in the ground somewhere as it's a perennial.

In a corner of the north patio, I went for some tropical colours from this orange geranium, pink portulaca, chartreuse sedge ('frosted curls', if I remember correctly) and yet another plant from Superstore that didn't have a tag.

Can't go wrong with wave petunias, can you?  These ones are in a pot by the entrance to 'England', the far, yet ungardened corner of my backyard.

And finally, this isn't the best shot, but these pots form the focal point as you head down the path towards the back gate. And by the way, how do you like that unfinished patio? Sigh - there's always more work to do in my yard!  Anyway, this area is in deep, dry shade what with the garage, fence and spruce tree surrounding it, and the only things I've found that do well here, and brighten up the shade are spider plant, impatiens, and begonias. 

Comments

[Paula H]

I love doing containers-though this year I knew I would be pressed for time so I skipped them. I am with you on wrapping things up...last night I wanted to garden, but it was dark by the time the kids got to bed! As for thoughts on your unfinished patio, it doesn't look like it needs any water and the fence doesn't need pruning! enjoy it as a "low maintenance" area.

[Janice]

Ah yes, you're right Paula, no watering and pruning in that area, but the spruce needles and cones constantly need to be swept...! A patio under a spruce tree is just an extremely bad idea. We do need to finish the patio up to the retaining wall, but we're actually going to remove some of the patio in the far corner under the tree. This project will have to wait until next year, though! Or maybe the year after...?

[Jordan Hydro]

Love is fair garden and marriage a field of nettles.