Florence downtown containers

I serve on the Florence Beautification Board and this year I was asked to put together the planting schemes for the pots in the downtown area. I was a little apprehensive about this assignment because containers are not really my forte. At home, we have around ten large containers and I have big plans for them in the spring and can picture them abundant and spilling over with blooms like the ones I've seen in gardening magazines. This is rarely the result though and by summer's end, I'm ready to rip them out and start over again.



One strike against me was that we were late getting this task accomplished. It was mid June before we got started! The hot temperatures had already set in and the plants at the nursery were already past their prime. I wanted to use a variety of plants and tried to adhere to the "thriller, filler, spiller" concept. The pots were already planted with an arborvitae in the center and these were to stay in place. Knowing that planting in June was going to be a challenge, I chose plants that I knew would be tough and proven performers.



Some of the plants I used were coleus, sweet potato vine, purple heart (Tradescantia pallida), Mexican heather, million bells (Calibracoa), lantana, plectranthus, angelonia and petunias.



The first month was shaky but the plants finally started growing and filling in about a month later. The business owners are supposed to keep the containers watered - some do, some don't - and for that reason, some look better than others. I think I'm pleased with the way they have turned out. Now it is time to start thinking about the fall plantings.