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Past Shows:

Show #8
We pride ourselves in visiting top resorts and gardens across the
country, but we also know our viewers like to know what other home
gardeners are doing. In this show we visit a loyal Garden Smart viewer
who shares with us the latest in plants and containers. Container
gardening is one of the hottest trends in gardening today. In this show
we look at some of the hottest new plants, containers and garden art,
demonstrating how they all work together.
Peter Cilio is creative director at Campania International, a
manufacturing and design company located in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
They manufacture garden ornaments, including containers, statuary and
architectural elements for the home and garden. Peter's family has been
in this business for about 30 years. Campania was started in in 1983
and during this time they have seen a lot of changes in the garden
industry. People are starting to think of their garden as an extension
of their indoor space, they are taking their interior decorating
outside, into the garden. It's become another room in their house. A
big part of that trend has been an increase in the use of color. Last
year Peter's company introduced a line of what they call Lipstick
Containers. These are brightly colored red, orange, yellow, green and
blue containers and they have been extremely popular. When Peter and
his group design a new line they keep 3 ideas in mind - a classic
style, a contemporary style and a whimsical style. Each year they try
to introduce containers as well as statuary fountains in each of these
3 categories. One of the wonderful opportunities with container
gardening is the ability to mix and match, to move your containers, to
change with the seasons. You can change your gardening decorating
scheme throughout the year simply by changing the location of your
containers or the plantings within them. It's a simple way to make your
garden interesting throughout the 4 seasons.
Joe next meets Mindy, a Garden Smart viewer. Mindy has a yard that is
steep, thus doesn't lend itself to planting in the ground. When first
moving here she thought she had landed on the moon, it was bare and
rocky. Therefore she focuses on containers and the plants that go in
them. As a beginning gardener she focused on annuals. In April, like
everyone else, she ran out and bought anything she liked and stuck them
in containers. Then she started thinking more about designing those
containers, utilizing color, addressing heights and making the
containers more interesting. Next Mindy learned about perennials. In
the beginning, she was somewhat disappointed with perennials because
they were mostly green, they didn't have the bright colors of annuals
and they didn't bloom for a long periods of time. But in the wintertime
she enjoyed them because there was something in those containers, she
still had plants. Once spring sprung, she learned that spring offered
wonderful rewards. It was fun to watch those things that you planted
last year come back when she had thought they were sticks. And, most
importantly, they looked better than ever the 2nd year.
Mindy likes yard art and ornamental, architectural, pieces in her yard
as well. She finds these items at garden centers, catalogues, even
online. She has a bench, a birdbath and some bunnies, frogs and a
fountain. This year she found a wonderful column with a planter on top.
It is so pretty it could go in the house. She found wonderful chocolate
brown containers that go great with the house. The brown glaze goes
well with the front door and the accent tone matches the stone
beautifully. She thinks these items really warm up the outside. In the
chocolate brown containers she has planted Alstroemeria, which is a
great flower for an entryway. Its color really pops. Alstroemeria is
very popular in the florist business they are great cut flowers. The
term is called migrating. Take flowers from outside, cut them, take
them indoors and they're equally beautiful indoors. They migrate
indoors.
Mindy shows Joe her attempt at pot-scaping. She has placed this
grouping where everyday she can see them from her kitchen window. This
allows her to see what's going on. The wall behind them protects,
particularly the taller plants, from the wind. Joe likes this setting,
thinks Mindy has done an excellent job. It has multiple levels, with
low plants, taller plants, single column plants, even a vine to take
the eye all the way up the wall which softens the wall. She has
incorporated yard art, particularly her favorite - bunnies. Joe even
likes the empty pots, they make a perfect invitation for birds or
butterflies. Just add a little water, put a stone in the middle, it
makes a wonderful landing pad.
They next talk about some specific plants. The first is dwarf
Echinacea, called 'Pixie Meadowbrite'. She chose this variety because
some coneflowers get too tall, this is more compact and it does well in
a container. 'Art's Pride' is another, it too doesn't reach the typical
height of a coneflower, instead it grows to about 20 inches and puts on
a lot of flowers per plant, often as many as 15 flowers. Mindy has
always wanted to replace her fake ficus tree with a real tree. She saw
the red Flowering Maple and loved the blooms. It looks tropical, so why
the maple tag? That's because it's not truly a maple. It is an
Abutilon. It is called a maple because the foliage looks like a maple
leaf. It will need to be brought indoors in the winter because it
prefers a warmer climate. Mindy's friend Nicholas suggested she plant
some really cool 'Golden Zebra' daylilies, which have striped foliage
around the base of the tree. She has a Meyer Lemon because she had
always wanted a citrus tree. It's a great choice for anybody. When it
gets cooler it will also need to be moved inside but will it overwinter
in the house perfectly. There is no reason lemons won't grow for the
better part of the year. One of the bonuses of citrus trees is the
fragrance of their flower. It will flower year round in the right
conditions and the smell is exquisite. Another container has Royal
Velvet Supertunias, their color is brilliant and bright. Here she
didn't want a glazed container to take away from the bright purple
flowers, thus chose a muted, yet elegant container. To accent the
container, she then tried to pick up the muted color of the Verbascum.
The container has a smoky look which matches the Verbascum perfectly.
Verbascum is famous for flowering around the top 10 inches or so but
all the foliage is at the bottom. The petunias at the bottom will cover
up a lot of those legs, especially when the container fills in. This
will provide the best of all worlds because the beautiful Petunias hide
the legs of the Verbascum. It all ties together making a beautiful
container. Mindy has a scented container because she loves the aroma.
Here she has 2 scented plants, an Everblooming Gardenia and a Winter
Bee Spanish Lavender. The Gardenia is bothersome because its leaves are
yellowing. Joe says not to worry. Gardenias are prone to yellowing
foliage this time of year but fertilization would be a good thing. He
recommends an all purpose fertilizer, a 10/10/10. If liquid iron is
available that would be good as well. The chlorotic leaves are an
indicator or fertility and iron deficiencies. Joe likes the fact that
this container is close to 2 entry points, the garage and the front
door. It's a great place for a fragrant container.
Eric Johnson provides his weekly update. One of the most frequently
asked questions we receive is how to keep deer from browsing on tender
garden plants. Deer will eat just about anything when they get hungry
and it's tough to find a chemical that's safe for the environment, safe
for your loved ones and safe for the plant. There are a number of
exciting organic chemicals just on the market that are great for
keeping deer off your plants. A couple of sprays will keep your plants
deer free for weeks.
Visit our web site for more information - www.gardensmart.tv, click on
GARDENING TIPS.
Joe likes sitting on Mindy's deck. It's peaceful and a beautiful spot
for her containers with the lake as a backdrop. However, this area does
get quite a bit of sun. Here Mindy is trying some tropical plants. One
area has 2 levels because of the steps coming up from the driveway to
the deck. She's planted two tropicals right next to each other, which
provides a feeling of a tropical arrangement. This fills the space and
the different foliage is dramatic. One of the plants is a Variegated
Shell Ginger, which has striking foliage and if lucky will have a nice
bloom later in the spring. She has combined it with a Blood Banana and
a 'Tropicanna Gold' Canna. They are great plants together. Joe notices
an Australian Tree Fern in a stunning container. The Tree Fern is
tropical but prefers more of a shady environment. Because this area
gets a lot of sun Mindy needs to be careful, if tip burn or damage from
the sun becomes apparent be sure to move this container. That is one of
the best parts of containers, they can be moved, they're mobile. She
does have a shadier spot picked out if need be. She liked the container
and liked it in that spot, thus put it in this location. Joe says we're
all guilty of finding a place we want to put a plant without regard to
the ideal conditions for the plant. Mindy has always loved roses but
knows roses can be tricky, they can get diseases. She felt that by
putting Roses in a container she could better control them. She has
been thrilled with the success she had with her Knock Out Roses, thus
was excited when she heard there was a Double Knock Out Rose. She has
one. Knock Out Roses are a great choice for somebody intimidated by
Roses. They're resistant to a lot of disease, like black spot. And they
make a great rose in a container.
Mindy next shows Joe the container that sold her on perennials. Last
year when she planted this combination it did well but she wasn't
excited because she never saw any flowers blooming. This spring she got
her reward. It is as beautiful as she had hoped plus it was great
during the wintertime. In this container is Fernspray False Cypress,
also known as Chamaecyparis. If nothing else was in this container it
would look great. Joe loves the cinnamon tips, they add a nice
dimension. Beneath that is a Pieris, this is a variety called 'Prelude'
and it stays small. Pieris prefers more of a shady situation. Although
the container is in full sun the Chamaecyparis shades it and creates a
micro environment that provides the conditions it needs. Also included
is a Tiarella or Foam Flower. It's easy to see where this plant gets
its name. It ties in perfectly with the other plants and is gorgeous.
It also prefers more of a shady situation but again, the Chamaecyparis
provides shade. When stepping back and taking in the whole picture this
container adds a lot of interest, everything ties in beautifully
together. Mindy's added a mini gazing ball as another point of interest
and the bunny feet that hold the container look great, plus they
provide drainage underneath. Without them the deck could get stained.
Mindy has stained her deck before, thus has gotten a pressure washer
which helps a lot. Mindy calls this container A Sunny Walk to the Woods
because this leads to the woods, where there is a lot of shade. Thus
we're going from sun to shade. In this area Mindy has utilized a
colorized, dark brown mulch around her plants. It really makes them
pop. Everyone loves the way it looks. Mindy says she has gotten some
new gardening things this year. She has always wanted a potting bench.
This one is perfect, it helps keep everything organized, she knows
where everything is. The best part is that it has a real sink with real
running water, simply hook it up to the hose. It's perfect for potting
plants, allowing for very easy clean up. She has also gotten a hose
reel cabinet for her hose in the front yard, it hides the hose, so it's
not just coiled on the ground. Another thing she's added is a
workbench. She ordered it for her husband and when he didn't use it
right away she started putting her gardening things in the cabinet.
Mindy says now he's not getting it back, it's hers. Again, she loves
knowing where everything is, being organized.
They next look at some of her shade loving plants. One is a Kaffir
Lily. It will have a flower that is bright orange on a spike. In zone 7
it can't be left outside when it blooms which is late winter or early
spring but it can be brought indoors. Don't put it in a west or south
facing window because that's too much heat and light at the same time.
Monitor the moisture and don't let the soil dry out too much. Next we
view a beautiful Hosta. Joe notices the blue of the foliage matches
perfectly with the blue of the container. He's not sure one would
notice the blue of the Hosta if it weren't for the container. There are
thousands of varieties of Hosta, thus there's a Hosta for every
situation. As long as it's shady you have many choices. Mindy had
gotten tired of the deer eating her Hostas, thus put these in
containers and placed them close to the house, making them safer. In
the container, during the winter nothing was there, but in spring it
came alive. Hostas enjoy being in containers, they like their roots
chilled a bit, then perform better the next season. The next container
has a Columbine, 'Woodside Gold', which Mindy's friend Nicholas
suggested massing and combined it with Black Mondo Grass, Ophiopogon
'Ebony Knight'. It's a slower grower, performs well in the shade, even
sun. Joe likes this plant, thinks it works in most settings. The plant
in the front is 'Stop Light' Foamy Bells. That is a great name because
the leaves are green with a red vein. Mindy is confused because it is
called a Heucherella. Joe explains, it is both, that it is a cross
between a Heuchera and a Tiarella. It's a shade loving plant and there
is a lot of variety in these plants. Mindy chose these plants because
she had wanted a container with black and chartreuse, it's a hot
combination right now. She did that and Mindy likes the result.
Joe thanks Mindy for showing him around her garden. She has learned a
lot and is always learning new things and Joe appreciates the tour.
Hopefully many of the lessons learned today will benefit other Garden
Smart viewers.
Links ::
Campania International
Monrovia
Wayside Gardens
Garage Workshop
Pressure Washer
Potting Bench/Hose Reel
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FEATURED ARTICLE
By GrowJoy
Pollinators are vital to our continued existence. But you may respond - Winter is here, the pollinators are gone. There are quite a few pollinators that overwinter in or near our garden. click here. for an article that will tell you more about how to encourage pollinators in the winter months.
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