Unusual Containers

[primrosecottage]

I scored at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago and bought 12 huge conch shells for $5. I've been planting them up with mostly hens & chicks or sedums, not sure of the correct name and a couple with baby tears. I'm participating in a couple of antique shows coming up and plan on selling those - I'm hoping some might want them for a nice Mother's Day gift to give away!

Anyone else potting up containers either with annuals or other plant material or is it still too early?

[Lowcountry Living]

That's a fun idea. It's been in the 70s and 80s here for the last few weeks, so everything is blooming in Charleston. The azaleas finished a couple of weeks ago and the camellias before that. Now we have tons of amaryllis flowers and blooms on roses, geraniums, dianthus and others.

I need to re-do my window boxes. I usually put a bunch of small red geraniums in them...maybe I'll try something different...any suggestions? They get 3 or 4 hours of afternoon sun. I'd like either red or yellow flowers.

Otherwise, hubby and I are constructing a patio. So, we've been mixing and pouring cement sections (and laying slate tiles) for the last week. We're about halfway done. I'll have to post pics when it's completed next week. After that, we'll build up the herb bed and some other flower beds. Then, re-sod. We have a long summer ahead of us!

[Cottage Flourishings]

I'm a transplated New Englander and wondering if you have some ideas for plantings in a shady or dappled sun area of my garden here in the coastal Lwcountry of SC. Thanks!

[Lowcountry Living]

Hostas should be happy in the shade, and they multiply nicely. Some varieties of Camellias like shade with some sun. I'm experimenting with Maidenhair Ferns in the shade (with morning sun)...so far, they've done well.
I also have English Ivy as groundcover, and it thrives. We have a ton of azaleas in the shade, and they bloom like crazy in the spring. They were planted decades ago by the previous homeowner, so I'm not sure how shady the spot originally was, but they get sun in the winter and early spring before the trees have leaves. (We just moved in about a year ago.)

Also, Impatiens (annuals) will add some color, and some varieties survive our mild winters from what I've heard. I've never planted any myself. I hope that helps!

[Cottage Flourishings]

I'm definately going to try your ideas. Our house came with some basic landscape that included Camellias. They thrive. I read in a book about South Carolina gardening that Hostas don't do well in the Low Country (except one variety). But I love them and I'm going to try anyway (I had a mass of them up north). Azaleas are on my list, and I definately want to try the maidenhair ferns.

Speaking of annuals that survive all winter here in the Lowcountry.....I had begonias hanging from plant boxes on our sunny back deck last summer. Just for the heck of it, I left them there all winter. They looked sad for sometime, but now their growing like weeds!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_2_201v.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN) Thanks,

[Cottage Flourishings]

Check out this site:
http://www.southernliving.com/southern/gardens/seasonal_gardens/article/0,13676,1036631,00.html

[Lowcountry Living]

Nice link to Southern Living...very helpful. Well, my husband and I finished making our patio. It took 2 weeks, over 4500 lbs. of concrete (mixed by hand) and some slate tiles. We finished it on the eve of an afternoon baby shower I hosted for a friend. The weather ended up being in the 70s, so we enjoyed drinks and dessert on the patio. Our sunroom overlooks the "Plaza del Sol" (named by my best friend...instead of "the patio") so we all had a great view throughout the party, as well. It will look wonderful once I finish planting everything. Now, on to the rest of the yard...

Not sure if I attached the photos correctly...we'll see...

[Lisa S]

Looks great! You're giving me ideas! :p

[Cottage Flourishings]

The "Plaza del Sol" look fabulous. Did you lay a slab of concrete and then another layer to place the "tiles"? What vendor did you use for the slate?

[Lowcountry Living]

Thanks! We made a pie slice-shaped wooden frame...if that makes sense...and poured about 350 lbs. of concrete in that section, placed the slate tiles on top, and pushed them into the concrete. We found the slate (for free!) listed on www.craigslist.com. Someone was getting rid of it from some commercial property. It is actually roofing slate...we hadn't planned on using concrete at all, until we saw how thin the tiles were. We knew they would break when people walk on it, so we figured we'd have to place them in concrete. We did 15 "pie slices," and had enough wood (and strength & time) to do 2 slices at a time.

[Cottage Flourishings]

:) Good old American ingenuity. I'm curious (not having much construction knowledge)...what kind of wood did you use to make the curved part of the "pie slice" and how did you attach it to the sides? We will probably set our stone or slate in sand only because our property is on a barrier island in a maritime forest...the land is very sandy. Some of my planting will have to be in raised beds, or highly amended soil. Send along more photos as you progress...
Regards

[Lowcountry Living]

Hi Cottage Flourishings:

The curved edge was created with plastic flowerbed edging (from a local garden center). We used paint stirrers as stakes and bricks laid on top to keep the wood and the edging in place. It's difficult to see the paint stirrers in the photo, but I circled them. We happened to have a bunch of paint stirrers left over from painting inside the house. After the concrete dried, it was pretty easy to pull the stakes out. However, be sure to grease the wood frame really well, otherwise you'll have to pry it out with a crowbar.

I hope that helps!

[C'est Chouette]

Fabulous~ I want to be there ~now!

[Lowcountry Living]

Thank you! We've been working on the rest of the yard, so hopefully I'll be able to post more pics in a few weeks.

[FlowerLady6]

You did a lovely job with Plaza del Sol. A real labor of love.