Summer Container

September 18, 2010 at 7:08 pm (Containers)
Tags: Gardening, Tender Perennials, Vines

“Summer Container”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana

The garden is looking a little tired, and it will be nice when cooler temperatures arrive because the garden always perks up then. Until mid November when the cool season annuals go in, we still have to rely on our summer plants. One summer container that is still looking good after months of heat is the white mandevilla vine and angelonia.

 

 

The white mandevilla vine was a cutting rooted by my mother three years ago. This is supposed to survive zone 8 winters, just dying back to the ground, but I have never chanced that. Every winter, I dig it up and overwinter it. I wouldn’t do this ordinarily, but since my mother, who is getting on in years, rooted this for me, I want to keep it as long as I can. This is the best year ever for this vine, and I must remember next year to replant it in this large container.

 

 

This is the first year I have planted angelonia (Angelonia augustifolia ‘Serena’). I, at first, had planted it in the “white garden”, but it did not do well there. I don’t think it was getting enough sun. It was getting spindly and had few flowers. When I transplanted the plants to the container with the mandevilla vine, they really took off. The two plants I had bought as four inch pots went from being weak, lanky plants to full, flower-laden specimens. Angelonia are supposed to be perennial only in zones 10 and 11, but my mother’s have survived for years in her zone 9 garden, even surviving last year’s colder than normal winter. I am not putting too much hope in mine surviving here in zone 8, but maybe they will reseed. I do think they make a great pairing with the white mandevilla vine.

So, even though the garden is looking a little worn out by this time, this container is still making a very nice show as the heat still hangs on a little longer.

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