Hi GPODers!
Are you ready for more summer color? That’s exactly what we’ll see as we head back to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to enjoy more creative containers made by Leslie Ornelas. If you missed it yesterday, check out Part 1 so you don’t miss out on the designs that we have already shared. Otherwise, enjoy this second batch of incredible containers.
Gardening in Colorado is always a challenge, dealing with late/early freezes, desiccating winds, semi-arid conditions, and the dreaded H-word—HAIL. Yet gardeners are a hearty and stubborn ilk, not easily dissuaded from our passion for growing and immersing ourselves in nature.
Container planting is a favorite creative outlet of mine, given the flexibility of growing a vast variety of plants in ever-changing combinations. Especially exciting is experimenting with new designs each year, as well as repeating successful mixes.
Over the years, foliage has become the foundation of most plantings. Flowers are always enchanting, yet interesting foliage plants, especially coleus, ensure consistent beauty throughout the season. Along with grasses, which fare well through bouts of hail, perennials such as hostas and heucheras are great container choices.
Yesterday we saw a lot of stand-alone pots and container groupings, but this photo shows that Leslie also adds container magic to her planted beds. This bright blend adds a bit of warmth to an otherwise cool-toned planting.
As we saw yesterday, Leslie has a real eye for fabulous foliage combinations that don’t need flowers but only get better with the addition of blooms. Happy Days™ Purple dahlia (Dahlia ‘HDPU165’, Zones 8–11 or as an annual) has black foliage that really makes it shine.
Leslie is able to add even more plants to her space with planters that hang from fences and walls. This small blue planter is particularly eye-catching with a chartreuse creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia, Zones 4–8), blue lobelia, and a bright pink calibrachoa.
Now that’s what I call a spiller! This sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas, Zones 9–11 or as an annual) is so long and lush that it can be hard to tell at first glance where the plant begins or ends. What an effective illusion, if you enjoy the look of a vine climbing up a tree but want to avoid potential damage.
Check out this amazing focal point pot! The plumes of the purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’, Zone 9–10 or as an annual) are glowing in the fading sunlight while a multicolored Joseph’s coat (Amaranthus tricolor, annual) is a kaleidoscope of color shooting up through the center.
If you find interest in foliage, there is a whole world to experiment with once you turn your eye to succulents. The choice of a bright green sedum here gave this pot some crazy cool hair.
This is a stunning fire-and-ice combination. Orange-red zinnia is a fantastic contrast to ‘Silver Swirl’ dusty miller (Centaurea ragusina ‘Balcentsirl’, Zone 6–9), while a rainbow dracaena (Dracaena reflexa var. angustifolia ‘Tricolor’, Zone 10–12 or as an annual) unites the two.
And it looks like Leslie’s pup also enjoys her container plantings! On a sunny day, the space under her sprawling designs becomes the perfect spot to enjoy some shade.
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely array of containers with us, Leslie! Your creativity is absolutely boundless, and they are an inspiration to anyone looking to experiment more in their plantings. I hope that we get lots more updates from your garden.
How did your containers perform this year? As colder days blow in, this is the perfect time to reflect on summer successes to plan ahead for next year’s designs. As you’re reminiscing, consider sharing your favorite summer container creations with Garden Photo of the Day! Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
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To submit, send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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