pardalinum said:
In that Timber Press book about growing on tables and flat surface there is a cool photo of the tall type Sanseveria growing on a slab of granite with the shorter birds nest in front and maybe some type of sedum(?) also. The whole thing is backed to a stone wall. (page 176)

Connie, That is so ingenious It makes me want to try to recreate a small one on my patio. Not hanging as I don't have a limb and it might be too heavy for hooks in the wall. But I could do a small board sitting on a couple of planters to provide the "feet." Maybe next year.

I'm thinking of doing a small one too. I just can't use any material that is too heavy for me to pick up, like a slab of granite. But maybe a couple of smaller flat rocks would work. There is a place not very far from me that sells all kinds of decorative rocks. I might have to go check them out again and see what's in stock...

Tiffany, that photo is beautiful. Love the color of the younger plants.

Okay Marilyn and Connie, I look forward to what you come up with for miniature table gardens. What a great idea.

I have plans for one (sorry, top secret) but haven't found the materials I will need (also top secret except I will say I have some of the stuff).

PS this is different from the rock one I was previously talking about. Still need to make a trip to the rock place.

I've heard several folks complain about the coconut fiber baskets after they'd tried them. I love them for growing the achimenes, eucodonia and their ilk, though. Those go dormant in the fall after bloom and are stored in a tool room in the garage in winter until they start waking up in May. I generally don't replant until the fiber starts rotting or birds, squirrels or, in one case, my own clumsiness forces me. Even then, I usually just get a new liner. Here's some photos of a eucodonia in stages and a couple showing how the baskets look when I first begin to bring them out of dormancy and how they look after growing a few weeks. These were taken in previous years except for the last one, which was taken this month. You can see they look empty at the beginning of the season. The early ones are beginning to bloom now.

I haven't repotted a thing this year. Hanging baskets are coming into their prime for this years' foray outside. Here's a few.

Begonias, Tradescantia zebrina and spathacea, Gibasis geniculata.


Syngonium, Begonias, T. zebrina.


Philodendron, T. zebrina.


Callisia with (can't really be distinguished) Easter cactus, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana.


Too many to type. I like it wild! :+)

A few pics I took today.

Wow. They are still growing stong Tiffany. When do you usually get your first frost?

TYVM, Lynn!

IDK, only lived in AL 7 years. Most of those few yrs I've been here, it was in late Nov. But last year it was Oct! Around Nov. 1 is prob average. Hoping for a 3-month winter this year. Last year's 5-month'er about drove me up the walls!

What are you expecting? (and hoping for?)

Here are some hanging baskets from my garden. I do a lot of container gardening (we have a gazillion nematodes in our sandy soil). My husband built me some verticals, which I love. It helps give another focal point in the garden, with color that I can change around. I plant my own hanging baskets. They start to look a little bedraggled by late summer, but I will swap out with something else for a the few remaining months or just use succulents (such as a variety of Kalanchoe).

Very beautiful. Nice stands for your containers and love the dragon wing begonias at the base of picture 2.

Thanks Spring Color. The Angel Wing begonias or the Dragon Wing begonias are very hardy here. The withstand the heat and the humidity. I have these mostly in semi-shade. A couple of them have hung in there for a couple of years ! I just break off a piece and stick in another pot (not when I know it's going to be raining a lot, which it has). So, later I will just keep on doing this and sticking the pieces in other containers. This isn't the correct way to propagate, I know; but sometimes it just works. If it doesn't - then there's plenty more to keep taking snips off! I'm not looking for anything too showy in certain areas; just looking for a "pop" of color.

If that isn't the correct way to propagate Begonias, I have tons of 'wrong' ones too! The thicker the stem, the more reliable they seem to be.

I have serious zone envy. What ever works is the right method of propagation. I grow the begonias from seed every year and just started pulling things before we get a hard frost. In your last picture that is a beautiful hanging geranium. Such a dark purple, beautiful.

Elfie what a great way to display container plants. I love the way it gives some height to the garden display. They all look so healthy.
I agree with Julia and Tiffany, if it works, it must be the correct way.
I find that dark geranium to be quite beautiful, as did Julia. Could we see a close up of it? Do you know the name of it?

@orchidgal LOVE the vertical stands your hubby made for you! Ingenious. You plants are beautiful, too!

The madness continues after a flurry of repotting the past few weeks...! Squirrels have continuously torn up plants all summer. Hope to get them back to looking like they were this spring. Sheesh!

Same thing has been happening here with the squirrels lately. It is nut saving season for them. They are even planting them in my lawn.
The plants are looking pretty healthy, bet it won't be any time at all before you have them looking good as new again.

The party has moved inside... the last batch of Coleus cuttings may have been done a day too late. Time will tell...

Good luck Tiffany. Wow, that container is full of plants.