This is what my wall pocket looks like right now, decked out for the holidays with two wintergreen plants, (Gaultheria procumbens) and a lemon cypress cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest Wilma’. I have had this pot for many years and am fond of it, but finding just the right plants has always been a challenge. It is attached to the wall next to our front door. The roof of the deck is plexiglass beyond a two-foot overhang, so it gets indirect sunlight. Early on, I was very pleased with a planting of Streptocarpella, which had deeply grooved, velvety leaves with pale blue blossoms on wiry stems that danced with the slightest breeze. Sadly, I have not seen this plant for sale anywhere in years.
A couple of years ago I hit upon this combination: a pale blue lobelia flanked by two sweet potato vines named ‘Marguerite’.
The lobelia did not fare well, but Marguerite flourished.
By season’s end, she was trailing flirtily down the wall.
With the idea of building on the previous year’s success, I repeated the Ipomoea, this time ‘Lime’, but I really did want to punch it up with a bit of contrast. Aha! A coleus with sunset tones and just a smidge of lime at the edges would be perfect.
What went wrong? I examined what was left of the plants for predators: nope. The plants had come from the nearby one-stop. While they were not primo, they gave no clues that they would end up like this. I had to believe I was the culprit. I dumped out plants and soil, then soaked the pot in a bleach solution overnight.
The replacement plants (from a real nursery, just to be on the safe side) were a less satisfying color combination, but they did thrive. My wish for you in the new year is that you will thrive, as will all that you touch…in the garden and elsewhere. I am looking forward to sharing 2012 with you.
Hi Ricki, Fry Road Nursery just outside Albany carries a couple different Streptocarpellus varieties. If you’re ever down this way… I love the Wintergreen and Wilma. At first I thought the berries were Begonia blossoms. Great combo.
I love that wintergreen and baby cypress combo, though I’m surprised to see the cypress outdoors: I though they were pretty tender. Maybe your overhang protects it enough?
I look forward to our exchanges in the coming year, Ricki…perhaps even in person!
Grace~Thanks for the Streptocarpella sighting. Fry Road is a place I have been wanting to visit. You have given me one more reason, and in a perfect world, we could even get together in person.
Jane~Funny, I never thought to check hardiness…but the tag says 7a without giving an actual temperature. Hey, Master Gardener, I bet you can tell me the 7a range. I was planning on adding it to the evergreen drive, but maybe life in a pot is more appropriate.
Now that we know each other by sight, we may bump into one another by accident, but by all means let’s take the guesswork out and plan something.
Ricki , I have a teracotta wall pocket that I pulled out of a tip in England. I’m not confident that it would hold up to being hung on a wall… looks rather old. Thanks for all the lovely planting ideas.
Linda~And what, pray tell, is a tip? I love these unfamiliar colloquialisms.
Sorry, Dumpster…
Thanks for the new year’s wishes, and the same back to you. Your example shows that we’re changing and improving on old ideas all the time. I’ll look forward to seeing what you do with your wall pocket next.
James~I’m somewhat tempted by the perky primroses showing up everywhere now.