A TROPICAL INPSPIRED CONTAINER - gardening

Whenever I talk about gardening in January and February I always get comments either about how lucky we are or how we miss out on the normal rest from gardening that winter provides.  And then we hit July and August and my desire to be out in the garden hits a wall.  That is my "winter break" from gardening, when I rest from the outdoor planting and move into the indoor dreaming of my fall and winter garden.

This year has been a little different in that the weather has stayed relatively pleasant and the garden is still lush enough to draw me out through this last week of July...but I'm waning fast.

Before I go into minimal survival mode (where I do just enough to keep my perennials and heat
loving annuals alive) I thought I'd pot up one last container with tropical inspired colors and textures for a semi shady spot on the patio.

I really love the bright pops of color amongst the green leafy textures that tropical plants provide so I kept that in mind when I selected my plants for this container.

Golden Lysimachia for trailing out front, a deep yellow Calibrachoa for gorgeous yellow flowers, some silver falls Dichondra for that cool splash of gray, a coral hued flowering Kalanchoe for it's petite blossoms, a bright pink dahlia with its glossy green foliage, a lacy autumn fern for it's lush tropical feel and a pretty pink hibiscus to ground it all provide such a great tropical feel to this arrangement.

Now I just need to be sure and keep it watered enough as we move into the warmest months of our Southern California growing season so that I can enjoy right through winter.

Have you hit your gardening wall yet and are those longing for everything fall and pumpkin setting in where you live?  Or are you still soaking in all the sun you can get before the days grow short and weather turns cold?  I think I'm somewhere in between, not quite ready to say goodbye to summer but inching closer to it every day.

Have a wonderful hump day!

xo, Patty

Here's a quick video of how I potted up my tropical container for a little inspiration.  I'd love to have you hit the subscribe button on my YouTube channel.  I have a variety of videos planned in the weeks ahead.