Container Showcase #5

At the end of yesterdays post I murmured a little something about "taking a short break from the container parade" but this AM I decided to feature one more (this one) and then a little break.  So without further ado, here's what I call my "Tropicanna" container:

 

Obviously this container is completely dominated by the 'Tropicanna' canna.  It also contains many plants that I've featured singularly in previous posts (click on the links if you want to go back & read those).  Like the gorgeous yellow & pink hibiscus (tinged with a hint of orange) which is being overshadowed by the four foot growth of the canna.  Spilling over the edges is Lantana Camara 'Irene.'  The hummingbirds loved it.  I also had  Verbascum 'pink petticoats' (which passed its peak long ago) stuffed amongst the lantana.  Its flowers were a subtler shade of the same yellow/pink/orange color palette I used when planning this container.  I think I will haul the pot (in its entirety) into my basement for the winter then dismember it come spring.  That sounds kind of brutal, doesn't it?  But the canna definitely needs dividing and maybe the hibiscus would do better in another setting?  After reviewing the container posts I've made so far, I've concluded that 2008 was the year of the "wild and unruly" containers.  Most of what I've posted so far looks somewhat "overgrown?"  I'm fairly new to container gardening, so this is another area I will need to work on in the future.   

Comments

[Racquel]

What a gorgeous combination of tropical & tropical like plants. I love the shades of orange, yellow & red in this container.

[Nicole]

WOW, how beautiful! This looks like a rainbow in a bucket!

[Shady Gardener]

Kathleen, I wouldn't recommend trying to be less unruly... you have made fabulous combinations in your pots! I really like this last one. I also have a question about your canna.

If you leave the canna in the pot, will it divide okay in the Spring? And will it grow?

Last Fall I took a great new canna out of the ground and divided it when it was dry, and removed most of the dirt. This Spring, all the (corms?) were dried out and nothing grew.

[Northern Shade]

I think containers always look best when they are a little overstuffed. Your tropical explosion looks great.I like the exuberance of the hot coloured leaves and flowers together. The backlighting really shows the beauty of the canna leaf.

[Kathleen]

Thanks Racquel. When I was planning this color combination I was hoping it would be as pretty in real life as it was in my head. It didn't disappoint me. :-)

[Kathleen]

I love the "rainbow in a bucket" comparison Nicole. That's perfect and thank you for the compliment. You should work for Hallmark!

[Kathleen]

Thank you Shady Gardener for the compliment on my containers. To answer your question, I never divide my cannas in the fall. I usually just haul the whole container indoors (to a dark corner of my unfinished basement) after frost has blackened their foliage. I cut the foliage off near the base, and add a tiny bit of water off and on all winter until spring when I start hardening them off again (or dividing). Every time I've dug them and stored them in peat, etc., like you read to do, they've dried out like you describe. Also, I believe cannas start from "tubers" (you had a ? behind the word corms). Does that help??

[gail]

New to containers! No way, the containers you have created are beautiful! You have a great eye! Now question for the container artist: How large is the pot you used for this planting? It's hard to get a sense of proportion on a monitor! Really lovely Kathleen!

Gail

[Kathleen]

Thank you so much Northern Shade for the nice words about my containers. I like to stuff mine full too. and the afternoon sun was hitting those cannas from behind to create that lighting effect. It was pretty nice timing for me.

[Anna]

OH my goodness!! It's so beautiful and lush. The colors are stunning which I knew they would be. You are so good with color. I haven't seen your other containers so I'm off to take a look;)

[Kathleen]

Gail, you're so nice. Yes, I started container gardening in earnest about three years ago. I have a much smaller garden at this house than at previous ones so after I filled all my garden areas, I moved to containers as a way to continue buying and planting. I have always had a few pots (your usual variety) but never experimented on the scale of what I do now. It's addictive because you get a lot of "real estate" value for that one little area! Most of my neighbors think I must have gigantic pots for the size of plants they produce but most of my containers are not extraordinarily large (I need to be able to move them for one reason). I went out and measured the "tropicanna" container and it's 14" tall by 15" wide. It is very difficult to figure scale on a monitor, I agree.

[Kathleen]

Thank you Anna. I think of containers as another kind of canvas upon which to combine color, texture, etc. I look forward to changing the plants and trying new combinations each spring. Some things work, some don't, but that's okay. It's always fun and that's what its about, right?!

[kerri]

Wow! That's a gorgeous container! The Tropicana is amazing! I love the hibiscus and lantana with it too. Interesting to read how you overwinter the container. I had the same thing happen to my cannas when I took them out of the soil...all dried up in the spring.
I agree with your thoughts on containers being another kind of canvas..and yes, addictive. I get a bit carried away with them :) It's easy to do!
Yours are all fabulous!
Your glitter letter projects are gorgeous! So pretty. I can see you're going to have lots of fun with them :)
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment.

[Kathleen]

Thank you Kerri for all your thoughtful comments. I appreciate them especially since you know a lot about containers and have many beautiful ones yourself!!