I cleaned up the patio and bought a bunch of plants for my patio container display. The terracotta pots were painted with a charcoal-colored lime wash that perfectly coordinated with the rust-and-purple-colored plants I bought.
I got everything arranged on the shelves, stepped back expecting something worthy of Claus Dalby's container gardening book.
What I saw was an unremarkable group of pots.
Container display on my patio - still not what I want to achieve
The scale felt wrong. Nothing clicked the way I hoped. I moved pots around hoping to come up with something beautiful. No such luck.
Freshly lime washed terracotta pots for my patio display
It was getting late and I was frustrated. We were expecting frost so I moved everything back inside.
That's where I am. What I call the 'uncomfortable in-between'. To be continued.
Plants on my patio table
Creating Living Wreaths
After my frustration with the container display, I needed a win.
Petunia 'Ray Black' in front of heuchera hybrid 'Obsidian'
I made a living wreath from grapevines I foraged from Sugar Hill, relined with coir, and planted it with flowers I found at Walmart. I think it turned out beautifully.
Newly planted living wreath on the patio
Planting up a living wreath
The patio will get there too.
It's not easy to look at something you've made, dislike it, and keep going. Our willingness to work through those awkward beginnings is an important part of the design process.
Garden Moxie Field Notes is a record of my Kentucky garden as it unfolds. Every other week I share the design principles guiding my choices, the plants being trialed, the failures and the keepers, and whatever else the season brings.
