Creative Containers - The last class

Tonight is our last Adult Education class on gardening. Our topic will be "Creative Containers" and we will be using different plant material with an assortment of containers. I saved this class for last strictly because of the calendar, I could not have gotten annuals before this week.

Considering the fact that everybody is feeling a pinch in their wallets, I thought I'd look at this topic a whole new way and try to come up with some cost effective arrangements. This morning we'll take a peek at the plant material. Later I'll show you what containers I decided to use and finally, the plant combinations.

The first photo shows a tray of "specialty annuals" I bought at Schmitt Farm on Bagatelle Rd. in Dix Hills. If you live on Long Island I highly recommend this place for these types of plants and hanging baskets. It's a family run flower farm and their prices are very competitive. I bought 13 4" pots and 1 6" pot (with the rex begonia). The 4" pots are $3.39 unless you buy 10 or more, then they are $3.20. The Rex begonia was $6.99 which I thought was pricey but I really wanted it.




Here you can see the Rex Begonia. They also had this plant in jumbo pots for $15.99 but they were very dried out and I was afraid the plants were too stressed so I went for the smaller pot. I could see though that they can grow quite large so it helped me decide what to do with this plant in my garden. I plan on using it in a whiskey barrel in a shady area.

Try as I might, I could not find a companion plant that worked with this. The first problem was that this plant needs to be in a shaded location. I thought I had a plant at home that would work and I was right but you'll have to wait for our weather to cooperate before I can plant this.


This flat of annuals came from Prianti Farms on Deer Park Avenue (also in Dix Hills). When it comes to old fashioned annual in flats, this is the place to shop. Prianti Farms is one of the few places that lets you mix and match individual cell packs of plants. Many other places no longer allow you to take the flats apart.

Prianti Farms has plants that are amazingly fresh, they move them in by the truck load and have plenty of workers constantly stocking the sales area. It was so neat and clean that I couldn't find an empty tray to carry my plants in. One young man was so helpful and immediately ran off to get me one.

This photo is deceiving because there are different types of cell packs in it. Some are four chambered packs and some are 6 chambered packs. You pay more for breaking up a flat like this so the total came to $19.

In total I spent $71 on plants which was really hard on me. I just thought it seemed like a lot of money for what is sitting on my dining room floor right now (it's only 31 degrees outside at this moment).

Here's a close up of half of the flat from Prianti. The red coleus might not have a fancy name but they will be just as beautiful in the garden and I got four of them for $1.89 compared to one plant for $3.20 in the 4" pots.

Here's a close-up of the other half of the flat. That single little pack of Alyssum scented my entire car on the short ride home. I need to go back next week and get a whole flat of those pretties.

See the dusky purple foliage in the bottom left corner? Those are 'Ruby Perfection' cabbage! I saw a photo recently of an amazing planter with these cabbages in them so I will give them a try.

Now comes the fun part. I'm going to scour my yard looking for things to use as containers tonight. Much as I'd like to bring in a Whiskey barrel, it is just too heavy for me. As it is, I'd never be able to do this class without the wonderful help I've been getting from the men at the school. Tonight might be a "two dolly" night.

One last note, yesterday I had a surprise visitor. One of you readers stopped by here with your adorable daughter. It was so nice to meet a fellow gardening fanatic and I can't wait for us to get together again soon!