I started container gardening mostly as a matter of weed control. My flower beds got taken over by weeds and I'm not really one for getting out there on my hands and knees to clean them up. The containers do sprout some weeds, especially this year after they hadn't been planted in the prior year and had been allowed to grow full of weeds. But it's a lot easier to weed containers because the soil is loose and they don't require quite as bending and crawling around.
An unexpected benefit of gardening in containers is how easy it is to move them around. My container garden was pretty much the same for a few years but then I moved it when the boxwoods had to be cut back. I moved it again this year, but I also violated one of my own rules this year, by creating multiple garden areas instead of just one. This complicates watering somewhat, but I think it's going to be worthwhile. Here are some short videos of each garden area this year.
The primary "new" garden is in the center of our driveway under a saucer magnolia tree. This first video is a walk around the new circular bed in the center of the driveway. I'm generally referring to it as the circular garden, for unimaginative but obvious reasons. Although it's under a tree, I was expecting this area to get more sun than it does, although all parts of it get at least some direct sun at different parts of the day. This year will be sort of an experiment to see what combination of things grows well under there.
The second planting area has been in existence; it's the smaller circular bed that holds a three-tiered iron plant stand. I'm calling it the water garden this year because I've put all my water features in or around it and I've added at least one new one. They are all working well so far although I had to replace a pump yesterday because some critter chewed through an electrical cord.
The third one I'm referring to as the formal garden because it's a symmetrical arrangement of planters and other elements at the end of the double row of boxwoods in front of the house. The concrete architectural elements in the center are very heavy and tricky to position, so I did not want to move them. Besides they look nice where they are. I added a number of things to it this year and have made it so it looks nice from both sides. It became the new home for those two long wooden box planters that I moved here from Kansas a long time ago. My father made them, they've been around as long as I can remember, maybe as long as I've been around. I remember him telling me that they were made of redwood, which is a very durable wood.
I laid the stones creating this semi-circular bed out in the front yard when we first bought the house and moved here 20 years ago. I planted burning bush on the back side it and they have really grown. I probably should consider whacking them back this year but I hate trimmed bushes. In the early years I planted this full of zinnias and it was a spectacular sight coming down the road. But then the weed problem set in, bind weed in particular, and I gave up the fight and stopped planting in this bed. This year I've filled it with containers and my pink flamingos. It is the flamingo garden.
Finally, there is the little spot I call the shade garden. It's not new. It's really just a collection of planters on the back side of a maple tree where I've had good success with shade loving plants.
That's the end, although it's really just the beginning of the growing season. I got started earlier than usual this year because of the virus and because we had some really warm weather in early spring. That came back to bite me on the butt with some late freezes, but I'm still glad I got a start on it. I'm catching up on a lot of yard maintenance this year and have been enjoying it. Staying at home isn't all bad at this time of year.
Actually I have a vegetable garden this year too -- five straw bales planted with tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini. It's very experimental but I'll take some pictures of it later if it turns out well.
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