Hey there! How are you doing? Is it hot and humid where you are? It certainly is here!
Today I want to share with you the struggle I have been experiencing with some of the container gardens (planters) I have on my deck and how I have been working to get them thriving again. I am hoping and guessing you would say the planter above is looking pretty good. I think it is too...NOW...but not too long ago it looked worse than the one below.
I hadn't taken a picture of the first planter when it was in distress and needing attention, but I hope you get the idea when you look at this photo.
What had happened with this potted plant was that I had purchased it originally to be a centerpiece for a little gathering I was having about a month or so ago. The gathering was held in my screen porch and I left the container in the porch after the party and somewhat forgot about it, aside from watering it once in a while. For some reason the plants got a type of fungus on them and I thought the whole container would need to be thrown away.
However, I wiped off all of the fungus, moved the planter to my back deck and carefully and thoughtfully removed dead stems. Then I watered it as needed. Slowly but surely the original plants started coming back to life with lots of new growth.
But there were some bare spots left in the pot that never recovered so I chose to plant some morning glory seeds in the bare spots. This variety of morning glories is the smaller pink variety. I am hoping they will train up the little supports of the container. Part of the recovery was to transplant the whole flower mixture into a new pot.
We will see but so far, the planter is looking very good, and I am pleased with the progress.
For this planter and its problems, I would suggest these remedies.
Clean off any fungus or damage
Cut out any dead material
Water it as necessary but do not overwater
Add some fertilizer
If it is early enough in the season, plant flowers seeds or even herb seeds in the bare places
Finally, HAVE PATIENCE: Recovery takes time :).
Another planter that suffered the same fate in the screen porch was this plant below. That porch must have had extremely humid conditions or something. I didn't have this problem last year so I wasn't ready for it. Unfortunately, I am not sure if this container is going to make it but we will see.
Half of the plants died so I picked up replacements at the garden center. The alyssum is alive but not blooming.
I even purchased another tuberous begonia but, again, half of that plant died, too.
The original begonias are hanging on but, I am still not sure. I have moved the whole container to a sunnier spot and I am hopeful the container will again start to thrive. I will probably bring it with me when I go to Cape Cod for a weeks' vacation. The Cape environment usually does wonders for plants. Fingers crossed, anyway!
My remedies for this container are:
Replace badly damaged plants
Move the container to a new location if it isn't getting better
Fertilize, of course!
Say a prayer and hope for the best!
The final planter is the one below. This one had been doing great until just a few days ago. All of a sudden it is showing this bald spot. I am not at all sure why it is distressed. I have been watering it but, the heat and strong sun has been excruciating the last several days. I suspect this is the cause of the distress.
This photo was taken yesterday. Today I decided to cut out the dead stem seen here. I don't have the patience at this time in the summer to wait and see if it revives itself. I have another solution for this planter in mind.
Since I live 5 minutes away from one of the best garden nurseries in my area (Nunan's of Georgetown, MA), I decided to take a drive over there and get a really healthy plant to put in the bare spot.
I think it was a good choice.
So, for this planter my remedy is this~
Take your losses but salvage the planter with the infusion of new blood.
I really think it is worth trying to salvage and repair your planters. I routinely do this throughout the summer if I have the time and the availability of plant material. This will save you money because replacing the whole container can be very costly. Thankfully, the nurseries in my new area of Massachusetts do seem to keep the flowers coming much of the summer and I am able to find filler plants. I would run out fast, though, the nurseries will probably slow down and begin preparing for fall plantings.
I hope you are enjoying your summer!
Joining these Link Parties:
P.S. I have not been paid by Nunan’s for my plug. Just sharing info :).
