Cool wet weather has made it tough to get into the garden, I couldn’t take it anymore and put some containers together.
I’ve had a bunch out in the garden filled with pansies, my favorite for the cool spring weather, but there are a bunch of plants that will thrive in this weather.
I bought a couple six packs each of snapdragons, purple sweet alyssum, dusty miller and dianthus. That was enough to plant four nice-sized pots.
The key is using a good organic planting mix, not garden soil or heavy potting soil. Get the mix wet first, but not dripping, fill the pot and then plant.
If the plants are root bound when you pull them out of the six packs tear them up and be brutal. If you don’t spread out those roots they will stay that way all season.
Many of my containers were bought cheap at the nursery because the were broken or chipped. I just glue them together and face the crack the other way.
These certainly aren’t the most exotic plants, but I love them all and so will the bees. They will bloom all season filling the container with color.
The sweet allysum will attract good bugs and it’s so pretty.
I love dusty miller, if it winters over it will bloom with pretty yellow flowers. It adds a different color and texture to the container.
Don’t be afraid to fill up a container with cool weather crops like leaf lettuce.
ruby
‘Ruby’ lettuce was a gift from Dan Yarnick of Yarnick’s Farm. It will be ready to pick in a week or two. I might even sneak a few leaves off there today!
Put the pot right outside of the kitchen for the freshest salad. Leaf lettuce can be harvested by cutting the leaves close to the soil and the plant will return one or two more times for three harvests. After it’s tired and going to seed re-pot the container with something else.
Don’t let cool wet weather stop you from having fun, head out to a nursery and get some colorful plants and make your own design that will keep you happy all summer.