Okie, dokie....the weather has been just short of spectacular the last few weeks and I've been trying to do some of my late spring outdoor work before the real heat and humidity of the summer sets in. One of the projects I've been meaning to get around to is replanting a basket that sits on top of a 4X4 post set in amoung the bushes along my back fence.
The idea came from a wonderful gardening book by Pamela Crawford about container planting and now I'm hooked on the whole concept. She even combines veggies with her flowers in her planters! Gonna try that this week...anyway, I digress. So, I bought a bunch of succulents from Lowe's, plants that don't require any care and love, love, love the sun.....and they don't need to be watered hardly at all. A great plant for someone who tends to neglect their garden for weeks on end when they get busy with other projects. (Hmmm, who might
that be?)
I buy the baskets from Kinsman Gardens online....a shop that is in a little Pennsylvania town I used to drive thru when I lived up there. They are very helpful if you call them and they have a full selection of the baskets and accessories for this project. I bought a basket and liner from Kinsman and Jeremy used the post hole digger to sink the 4X4 in the ground and poured quick set cement around it to make certain it won't lean after the heavy basket is attached.
Next, you pour potting soil into the liner (while it's sitting in the basket) up to the first set of side holes, then push small plants into the side holes, topping off with soil to hold the roots in place. Repeat up to the next side holes. To finish it off, plant what I like to call a "spikey-uppey" plant in the center of the basket and fill around the perimeter of the planter with "drippey-downey" plants so they will eventually drape over the sides and fill in any gaps between plants as it grows. The idea is that you will have a lush, full planter when finished.
Depending on the plants you put in your basket, it can look completely filled in as soon as you plant it, or you must be patient and let nature take its course as the plants slowly grow and fill in all the blank areas. It's a very cool project and so satisfying to see the finished project when it's up on it's perch. Can't wait to do more!
What I really like is that you can add these posts anywhere in your garden that you feel you need a focal point or where you just want a pop of color. The possibilities are endless. Hope you're enjoying your "gardening" day today.
Debbie
