I mentioned in JoAnn's post that I running around and pick up annuals on sale and put my pots together with what I find cheap and mix them with my tropical plants. This year I am also mixing some perennials in the pots so I do not have to bring in so many pots and so my pots are full early in the summer.

The patio needs cleaned but I do not do that until I finish potting everything because I will have soil everywhere.

Once they are all together and patio cleaned I will post a cleaned up view of the patio.

This is the Cannas that I keep in their pots all winter and they are a good size early in the season. In the head pot I have the hardy fern, and I plant Spring and summer bulbs and perrenials in those pots so I have something growing in them from Spring to Fall.





These have a hardy grass and Semp


Roses and Coral Bells I am going to add some coleus to this pot.


Another Canna that I will add some Coleus


And last a pot of African Daisy and I do not know what they call these purple things but it will just be those two plants.



So that is my beginning I hope to be finished by Saturday.

That is such a smart plan Cinta.
All of the containers are wonderful, but that last one with the New Zealand Flax is absolutely gorgeous.

Everything looks awesome, I love the variegated canna

Thank you Lynn and Christine. Summer is so short I want at least 4 months of pretty. I try to do everything I can to have immediate gratification.

My EE are slower this year than prior years. Usually when I keep them almost alive all winter they are as tall as the cannas by now. I like the pots to look good by the first week of June To accomplish that I use a lot of houseplants thrown in and keep the tropicals almost alive all winter and this year I have add more perrenials that start early.

I really like the way you stuff them from the beginning. I will have to try that when I start on the last of my containers for this summer. I am way behind.

Lynn because of my short summers I start with my tropicals and fill in with annuals. So they look full from June until Sept. The annuals will give me some flowers and a little different look but I like to start with full pots and the tropicals kept almost alive all winter gives me the full effect that I want early.

I cleaned the patio. That was such a job. I have to seal the stone every couple years and this was the year of sealing.

Next because the patio is so big I try to place the plants to see what you see from different directions.

This is the view you get entering the patio walking to the couch and chair seating.




Because when sitting on the bench or chairs you cannot see the face of the big head pots I am placing the small head pots across from that seating.








The left side corner is a table and four chairs. I am setting up a tri-level pond and I will put these two head pots on each side and the canna in the large shell in front.



Tomorrow I wlll finish setting up the next to corner veiws and my task will be complete for this summer.

Very nice Cinta. I look forward to seeing the pond.

I love the two Easter Island heads !

I also see you keep a distance between planters. I set the heaviest pots first ,then space the smaller ones around. As the season progresses the plants fill in. I found out the hard way how hard it is to move a large planter filled with dirt and plants, into a new spot because plants were crowding each other.

Jo Ann I try to keep the plants around the perimeter and leave walking space because I entertain some during the summer. so I need floor space. The patio is 60 ft wide and 120 ft long. I still have a few large planters to put together. There is the banana tree, another canna and a few Elephant Ear plants. I do not have a hard time moving the large planters I just push them. They slide easy on the stone flooring a wooden deck would probably be hard but the smooth stone slides easy..

Cinta Holicow thats a lot of territory, sounds fantastic for entertaining tho. My deck is two levels and 30 feet long bu 10or 12 feet wide. I group instead of lining everything up.
Your plants sound great especially the big one s.

Yes it is big that is why it looks like there are not many plants in the corners. I have big planters in the front with about 5 large plants in each added about 30 bulbs (Spring bulbs, Lilies Asiatic and Oriental (love the fragrance of lilies in the sitting area) I add some annuals for flowers and more all summer color. Canna really add the impact for my tropical look and color. Behind the big planters are about 15 small planters.

I would think I was in heaven with the planters that hold 30 bulbs. Awesome sight all year I'll bet.

Jo Ann if you leave any of your pots outside through the winter give it a try. I picked up the bulbs for 75% off at the end of the season at Lowes. It is about late Oct-Nov which most of the time too cold and rainy to plant in the garden so I just put them in pots for that price. The pots do not have to be big and they come back every year.

A group of Hyacinths blooming on the patio in the Spring smells wonderful. For 5.00 I picked up about 40 bulbs.

I have 2 ceramic plants on a front porch where they stay pretty dry all winter. The rest of my planters on the back deck are rezin type and stay outside during freezes.


the back deck is legend

The resins you have on your back porch would be great for daff and grape hyacinth both are fragrant. They do fine if you over plant them with annuals. Usually by the time I am ready to plant the annuals the leaves are ready to be cut.

My half dry pots I plant my lilies and Hyacinth. Those are the two big head pots. I cover them with plastic and blankets so they do not get moist and crack. They are terracotta.

I do love the clay pots.
I will try the bulbs in the big rezin pots.Just for an experiment, do you toss the bulbs before you plant annuals? Replant in the garden ?

No I plant right over them. They stay in the pots. What I do is use the pots just like I use my garden. They come back year after year. I have found that in the pots my Oriental and Asiatic lilies multiply fast and I have to thin them and put some in the gardens but in the gardens they slowly die or get eaten by the critters.

Cinta, I am kicking myself after reading the above. Of COURSE,treat it like the garden Duhhhhhh.T he answer was so simple.
I have a few lilies that I want to preserve so I will transplant to pots this fall.
I had lilies in a planter when we moved but put it in the east garden. Now I want to change things a bit in that area as the strawberry weed is taking over and I am positive that area will be gone in a few years.

Jo Ann you will love going out on the patio and see growing plants early spring instead of empty pots. Plus as I said they multiply in the pots because they have the perfect soil and no competition from the critters eating them. You will have replacement for the ones you lose in the garden.