Thursday, February 23, 2012

Overwintering Containers & Easter 2012


Remember the big french urns I  bought last year and placed on each side of my garage door?

No?

Well, here's a reminder:

I decided to try to save them by putting the full containers in my unheated garage for the winter.  We have had an extremely mild winter and I think the garage temperature has remained in the mid to low 30's except for a day or two when it could have gone a tad lower. I park my car next to these urns every day and  I think they look promising for 2012.

Even the asparagus fern is still green.   I have never been able to over winter fountain grass, but I am hopeful that this will be my year of success.

I am way less hopeful for my cordayline plant.  Until February it looked great--nice reddish purple and healthy.  In the beginning of February, I noticed it beginning to change to a greenish color. It feels crispy....like dead....I am so disappointed! 
There are still a few spots near the trunk that are purple and feel alive.  Do any of you have experience with overwintering these?  It is possible that its still alive and it will grow new foliage from the trunk?
I just hate to lose it as I cannot buy one this size in my small town.

I wanted to plant different colors of coleus around it for 2012.   I googled coleus and I just realized that of the gazillions of varieties there are, I like the ones that lean toward a single color the best. Like these:

It would be wonderful if my Cordayline would survive so I can try out my idea with 3 or 4 coleus around it.   Then again, it is not likely that I will be able to buy any of these colors.  We usually only get the Walmart varieties, which are nothing like these.

I have also been thinking of Easter. It's only about six weeks away, you know.  I am thinking of hosting an Easter brunch, so I need to figure out my decorations.  I looked up a couple of previous year's tables to see what I have on hand as I tend to forget what I already own.
I think my new dining room chair covers will be perfect for Easter.  I have finished four of them and just need to do the two end chairs.  I found a fabric to add to it so that I will have enough of the pastel rope fabric I showed you a few days ago.

I also have an idea for this wooden wall shelf that has been living in the basement for a few years.

I need to paint it and add some hardware, etc.  If I actually end up using it, I will show it to you at a later date.

Until next time, take care.

6 comments:

  1. I'm not surprised that so much in the containers is still alive. I could live with a winter like this one every year. The other may still surprise you. Just make sure that dirt is damp for the roots and it might revive when you pop it outside.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  2. I have never wintered many plants. I have not had much luck doing that here. You might get lucky and the plant is just "sleeping". I would hold onto it and see what happens when it warms up a bit. The other plants do show some promise.

    When I lived in FL I had coleus plants that grew wild around our house. They were gorgeous but I like the more single colored ones, too. xo Diana

    Looks like you have lots to decorate with for Easter. I may host Easter here this year, too.

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  3. I think it could still surprise you...you never know how things will bounce back once they are back in the sun and fresh air...I'll keep my fingers crossed :-)

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  4. I love Coleus. My sister and I inherited that from our mother. Mom always planted them.
    My sister has two big urns by her front door, every year she plants a variety that gets huge!
    Last year I put some in my planted but none of them made it.

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  5. I think I have grown all those coleus-they are my summertime favorites. I have tried to save a few, but they are dying off.
    Dianne

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  6. You do such beautiful work with your containers. I think they will surprise you come spring. I think the cordayline plant will be fine too. I have a cordayline plant that I have over wintered in the basement for almost a decade. The bottom leaves have come off and it's almost 6 feet tall and a beast to move in and out but the coleus soon take over and look very nice growing around the bottom. Last year I ordered from Rosy Dawn Gardens and was so very happy with the selection, price, and quality of their plants.

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