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Old May 13th, 2007, 09:24 PM
joeysmama joeysmama is offline
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Need help filling these pots !!

I bought two great big pots at Costco last year. I haven't filled them yet. So I have on on either side of my front door. Someone told me to fill the bottoms with packing peanuts before I add the potting soil so I don't need to use a ton of soil and so they won't be monstrously heavy, which they kind of are anyway.

So I did the peanuts and the soil today and I'm going out tomorrow or Tuesday for plants to fill them.

Here's my problem: The porch gets the afternoon sun. But one side gets less than the other. In fact one side is mostly in the shade while the other gets the late afternoon sun. But I'd like the plants to look "even". I don't want one pot to do better than the other and I don't want to switch them around. They're too unwieldy for that.

What would do well in both pots ?????
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Old May 13th, 2007, 09:30 PM
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Impatiens would probably do pretty well. And they'd attract hummingbirds, too! Depending on how big the pots are, you'd need larger plants, too, but the impatiens would be a good accent plant.
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Old May 14th, 2007, 03:46 AM
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How tall are the pots? Some leafy shrubs do well in full/partial shade but you need depth for the root ball.
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Old May 14th, 2007, 07:41 AM
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Joeysmama,we also bought big pots at Costco a couple of years ago and every year since,we have bought the big hanging plants,they have tons of different plants in them($17,99)at Costco and plunk them in to the pots,together with extra soil.
We bought 5 this year,it gets a bit pricey,but they always look good..I'll get some pics..and post them in a sec..
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Old May 14th, 2007, 07:48 AM
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Here they are,they will still fill out a lot,the 2 smaller ones were only $9.99,Costco is a great place for healthy plants
You'd think I have shares in Costco
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Old May 14th, 2007, 07:49 AM
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and the smaller ones..I have a couple more in the front,just could not go out and take pics in my housecoat there,don't want to scare the neighbors
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Old May 14th, 2007, 01:12 PM
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Oh definitley the impatiens, I plant them by our door every year and they love shade or some sun.
And be creative plant different colors of impatiens so you have a variety, and maybe around the edge of the planter put some trailing plants so the sides of your pots fill up too.
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Old May 14th, 2007, 01:13 PM
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That's what I do now too Chico2. I used to go out and get all kinds of plants and make up my own planters and baskets, and it was quite satisfying to watch them grow over the season, but it cost a whack of money and took a lot of time that I don't have. It's enough to keep them watered (feeding isn't an issue anymore with that shake and feed stuff), daily from now until fall. I too buy the hanging baskets as costco and plunk them into the planters, pots and all. The only thing I still put in a couple of planters is a few elephants ears. I love those plants.

Joesymama, I would just do that, buy a couple of hanging baskets already planted that you like and set them pot and all in the planters. Turn them a quarter turn every day or every other day lest we forget to keep them growing even (I turn mine clockwise), keep them fed and watered and they'll look beautiful all summer.

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Old May 14th, 2007, 03:41 PM
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clm,I take mine out of the pots,add soil and they seem to grow like crazy.
I also have a barrel where I plant impatients,but with a risk of frost still,they'll have to wait.
You can never go wrong with impatients,but they die first sign of frost.
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Old May 16th, 2007, 07:11 PM
joeysmama joeysmama is offline
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They say that May 15 is a good time to begin planting here in NJ. So I'm going to go to the nursery tomorrow and get some impatiens. I have a half flat of petunias that I haven't planted yet. Do you think they would work in the pots or should I put them in the ground?

Also, as long as I'm having you do all the thinking for me, what would be a good hanging plant to trail over the sides?
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Old May 17th, 2007, 07:03 AM
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Joesmama,I am NO good with names of plants other than the regular ones,check out the hanging pots at the nusery and get some ideas from them.
Often times it's cheaper to buy the already finished hanging pots.
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Old May 21st, 2007, 11:26 AM
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I really like begonias, there are many different kinds, including trailing ones for hanging over the edges. They are good in the shade, which is mostly what I have around my house. Not sure how they would do in a full sun situation. That last pic of Chico2's looks like some begonias... Or, check these out: http://www.dragonwingbegonia.com/ Impatiens and geraniums are also good in the shade. If you can't put the same types in both pots, maybe just matching flower color would look fine. Last year I found something called 'summer snap dragon', which were really pretty but I had put them in what was pretty much full shade so they didn't bloom very well. The tag on them said they would do ok in partial shade though. I found something else yesterday but will have to check at home to give you the name, they are pretty and hang over the edges of pots, and even have fragrance.
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Old May 22nd, 2007, 09:01 PM
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ok, here is that plant I mentioned (Nemesia hybrids). They are supposedly good for partial shade and sun. I just got mine so I can't really review it except that they are really pretty and smell nice. They would be good trailing out over the pot and look a little like violets but seem to bloom more profusely. They come in many colors. Right now mine is in nearly full shade. I can report back in a few weeks about how they have held up.

http://www.provenwinners.com/plants/...ype=Sun&page=2
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Old May 23rd, 2007, 02:27 PM
joeysmama joeysmama is offline
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Oh thank you for all the advice. I think I WILL try to match the colors as the difference in light exposure is pretty substantial. They're still sitting there empty so hopefully this weekend I can print out this thread and take it to the nursery !!
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Old May 24th, 2007, 07:18 AM
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joeysmama,here are some of the hanging-over-the pots plants in my planters,The purple,pink and peach ones are Wave Petunias.
Don't know the name of the others the deep purple clusters smell really nice.
Every pot has a Geranium for height,different colours in each pot.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 07:20 AM
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A couple more,the only"problem"with the Wave Petunia,you have to deadhead every day(like most flowers)or it will just be greenery
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