Every year about this time, I take a close look at the plants in the pots, containers and hanging baskets in our garden to see what’s doing well, what’s flagging and what’s ho-hum. There are favourites I include every year, but I always trial a few new varieties, some of which are new to the market or older varieties I’ve never tried before. It’s important that container … [Read more...] about 6 container plants looking good in the heat
ivy geraniums
Ivy geraniums for containers
Plants that offer both attractive flowers and foliage are the first to go into my nursery shopping cart. Ivy geraniums (Pelargonium peltatum), tender perennials native to southern Africa, never disappoint in this regard. Their semi-cascading, trailing habit is always attractive, and I enjoy their surprising differences in style and flower form, and crisp, ivy-like … [Read more...] about Ivy geraniums for containers
Plants struggling with the heat
It’s hot as Hades (again!), and I frequently need to remind myself that this is early July, not August. Plants are struggling to stand in the heat and wind — or perhaps I could say that I’m the one struggling to keep them going. Strong sunlight has made beds by the front walkway inhospitable for plants like Durand’s clematis (Clematis x durandii, Zone 6) that bleaches to … [Read more...] about Plants struggling with the heat