The Strawberry Pot

This season I will be planting very few containers with flowers. I'll be going to Germany in July, a time that is traditionally hot and dry here on Long Island. It's enough for my husband and daughters to try to water all my usual plantings, adding in tons of containers just isn't fair.

My strawberry pot though is one I don't have to worry about. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite containers in the garden. This is what it looked like yesterday morning. All of these plants were put in the pot last spring and they came through the winter just fine. The pot itself got a tiny bit of damage, you can see where it chipped a bit at the base.

The back side of the pot looked empty. There is one skimpy Sedum poking up out of the top and the bottom pocket was empty so I yanked a handful of Sedum 'Angelina' and stuck it in the opening. I'm not sure yet what I'll add to the top pocket.

I think the reason one side looks so lush and one side is sparse is because all last summer, fall and winter I didn't turn the pot every week or so. It's important to do this so that every side has the chance to have the most sunlight.

I just love all the textures and colors here. These pockets are just fine and will fill in quickly in the next few weeks. As for the full pockets, they might actually need thinning out.

Look, here comes a new addition. For three years I've planted a small fiber optic grass in the top opening but it's expensive and doesn't survive our winters. This year I'm going with something new. This Sedum is one I forgot to bring to the plant sale. It needed to be cleaned up and have the solid reverted pieces removed.

And here we are, all potted up and ready for summer glory. Best of all, other than that occasional turning, this pot required no care at all.