This nice big green glazed pot has been migrating around the garden, looking for a home. I keep siting it where it seems to fit, and the surrounding vegetation slowly engulfs it.
Up close, not so bad, but as we back up, it begins to disappear.
Here it is, seen as walking from the parking area to the front of the house.
In my determination to be more methodical about the whole thing, I backed slowly away from the house.
Trying to pick a spot where it would have the desired dramatic effect when approaching the house.
It had always remained empty, but now is planted with Yucca aloifolia, or Spanish bayonet, from Cistus. Rather than filling the whole pot with soil, I stacked nursery pots to a level where they could support a large nursery pot whose rim is perfectly positioned slightly above the rim of the ceramic pot. I figure I can always remove it if things get too gnarly in the winter months.
A trip to Scappoose Sand and Gravel was in order. We line up 8 of those five gallon buckets in a double row, and the attendant positions his big scoop right over them and lets fly. He has very good aim. Everything that falls outside the buckets get swept up and deposited into a ninth bucket. This is the gravel (1/4-10, crushed basalt that has been washed to remove any dust that might rise to the surface and form a crust) that gets incorporated into the planting soil mix and also used as mulch.
And here’s the soil mix: 1/3 garden soil, 1/3 gravel, 1/3 dark hemlock mulch. The blue handles are on heavy duty metal cutters to use on the roll of metal mesh (from Noami’s at $6.99 per roll) that gets put down to deter the evil gophers.
In an effort to compensate for my tendency to overplant, I’m extending the bed by laying down cardboard, followed by metal screening held down by rocks.
So here is the pot in its new situation as seen from a distance, coming in the drive.
And looking the other way.
I have no illusions that this will be its final resting place, or that I will suddenly change my ways and resist the temptation to plant too many things around it and once again bury it under a deluge of plant material. Still, it was fun to take a more measured approach than my usual slap-dash. Another year or two should tell the story.
I admire your care in placement of your pot! Often when I have a pot that gets swallowed up by foliage, I find something to elevate it above the foliage. Of course, this has to get higher and higher as the foliage grows and additional items are found to stack under the pot. I end up with some huge pot mysteriously floating above tall foliage and it looks wierd. Truth is, the stacks of supporting items under the pot are usually fairly precarious and when the racoons decide to explore or the ground gets really wet in the winter, the whole thing comes crashing down. This solves the problem of having a pot that no longer fits, sometimes scares off the racoons, and often clears out some bed space by killing whatever it falls on. Added bonus: Large pot shards make interesting pavers:)
It is a pretty green pot and a nice addition to your garden. I like the way you planted it making it easier to move when needed. The color does blend with the rest of the garden so the contrasting red of castor bean (?) helps highlight it in this spot.
Alison~Good suggestions…everywhere else that I have pots they are in groups, but I kind of like this one as a stand alone.
Peter~We can depend on you to make a good story out of a bad situation. Hee Hee…I love the image of the pot falling on the racoons (only as discouragement, I don’t actually wish them harm).
Shirley~Glad you picked up on the contrast of the Castor Bean…I was proud of that.
Sometimes I lose whole vignettes under the cloud of foliage that emerges by mid-summer. It’s only in winter that those objects are evident. I like your solution. Your pot looks great.
Grace~Thanks. Hard to remember during the spring planting frenzy, when things are looking pretty bare.
Good for you to play around with the pot in different spots. In a large landscape seemingly large containers get lost.
I agree with Janet The Queen–you have a wonderfully vast landscape of a garden, the container is getting lost in that glorious vastness. A place by the front or back door? Or do you have a small enclosed sitting area some where that needs a focal point? It’s a lovely pot!
Sounds like you have a good solution already up your sleeve, and a group of pots is a good suggestion too!
Janet~Exactly! When friends bemoan their lack of space, I am ready with my own list of grievances. The main one is that it takes a lot more effort (and plants…and pots) to make an impact.
Hoov~A new voice…welcome! I’m storing up all of these great suggestions for the next big move. I’m sure it will come one day.
Mark and Gaz~Thanks! All garden solutions seem to be temporary, but this one works for me (for now).