BEFORE: (2nd Generation)
I got excited with all the various colours of coleus. They seemed to do very well in hanging pots and I decided to experiment them with few other variegated species hanged together.
They last about 4 months, easy maintenance and well behaved.
Until.. they start to crawl all over....
.
AFTER:
.
As you can see, the Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina), Joyweed & Coleus had become too leggy.
As you can see, the Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina), Joyweed & Coleus had become too leggy.
Weeds started to appear and had taken root and half of the hanging pot. Some of the coleus had died and the pot appear to be barren. All an ugly site to behold at the front entrance of the house.
.
.
NEW: (3rd Generation)
.
I had finally reset these ones and cut back most of the Coleus from the hangers. Its a pity most of them didn't survive & slowly wither away. I had lost few species (those which are not the hardy ones) I had manage to keep aside some cuttings and placed them on ground pots but they don't seemed to bounce back.
.
Anyway, those that had pull through are Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina) and the white variegated Joyweed. Purple Queen too does well but they tend to rot with too much water.
.
These compliment very well and quite hardy. They also maintain the non-leggy appearance by growing downwards (instead of upwards) and able to do very well in both extreme (heavy rains and extreme heat)
.
Hope these last till next year (another 4 month's duration). Alternatively I can hang ferns here which they do quite well actually but I'm not so interested in the monotone green (not at the entrance for show)
.
Share with me your ideas on hanging pots in your garden - those that give the rich colour, hardy and last long.
.
Hi James, your hanging pots look pretty to me! I like your ideal of having coleus up and hanging there. Their colours are attractive. But they usually have a some 'glorious' time and then look spent after a while.
ReplyDeleteI have a nong nooch vine which is doing really well, hardy and flowering yellow blooms/bracts nicely all the time. So, why not have some vines trailing down from hanging pots ;-) Oh, maybe suitable for the side of the house in order not to block you from viewing what's or who's infront of your house. Just an idea...
I have not started playing the hanging containers yet, but I think certain succulents that may also be good to use to create the basket, such as those that have interesteing foliages, and have trailing effects.
ReplyDeleteI love the Tradescantia zebrina and joyweed in your container, very pretty.
Coleus is becoming my new favorites in the garden. I am collecting different colors right now. I heard if you keep pinching their heads off, they can stay longer, and not get leggy. You have a beautiful collection there!
Looks great James nice combination, each plant brings out the very best of the other one. I would almost say that they they were competing for the best in show. NICE JOB~!! btw.I added a cpl more posts if you want to check them out later have a good one and keep up the great work.. GOD Bless! Walt
ReplyDeleteStephanie - Yes, I agree with you about the "glorious time" now its a "beggar's time" none of them are thriving now. I never come across any nong nooch vine around anywhere. Where can I get them?
ReplyDeleteAaron - hope you manage to get some cuttings before the whole plant is gone.
Ami - Succulent do very well in sun but not so well with too much water - especially when it rains and the hangers are totally exposed to it. Yes you are right - pinching Coleus prolongs the lifespan but better if you manage to propagate it with cuttings as the parent plant end-up dying after reaching its maturity stage.
Walt - thanks for the compliment. I will surely check your blog.
I think some grasshoppers were eating my coleus and I will have to cut them back and start over.
ReplyDeleteUsually I don't get many weeds in my hanging pots but my pots dry out very quickly. One of my favorite things to grow in pots is Asparagus Fern...
I like the color combinations you used and it is almost like a privacy screen on your front porch. Nice!
Your coleus plants are doing very well. Is it tedious to water the hanging plants? I think your bleeding heart vine will also do well in a hanging pot.
ReplyDeleteI find coleus plants hard to keep alive as I end up watering them too much. But I still keep trying them every year as I adore their foliage colours. I don't think I would be successful at growing them in hanging baskets either. When I do grow them I keep pinching the growing tips out of the stems to keep them nice and bushy.
ReplyDeleteHello James,
ReplyDeleteI do love coleus. I have fond memories of dissecting the leaves and looking at their bright colors under a microscope in my plant biology classes in college :-)
wow, you could have a nursery! The coleus look great in the hanging baskets. The colors are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteYour coleus looks great, James. I love their colourful foliage.
ReplyDeleteRecently I bought a packet of Coleus seeds from ACE. Yet to sow them. I hope to get some colours like yours.
Rosey - Ahh yes, Asparagus ferns - they really look lovely in hanging pots don't they?
ReplyDeleteBelle - well not so tedious when it rains, they pots are hanging just below the roof and so when it rains it pours automatically. Bleeding hearts require a good size pot for its roots system, I doubt they can do well with too much water pouring on them when it rains.
Rosie - Do you know you can root those coleus in water too? Once you pinch them, place them in a waterbottle - once they root - you can plant them. This way, they got a better chance of growing them.
Noelle - It must be pretty amazing to see those vibrant colours under the mircoscope.
Wendy - Thats a lovely idea - but if I start selling, I guess all will be sold off and there is nothing would be available in my garden (lol)
J.C. Lovely, I never tried sowing coleus using seeds - do, share the story (post) when you have started them. OK?
Thanks everyone for your lovely comments.
Hi James, try to look out for them in other/the nurseries yeah. Quite a popular plant actually. Sorry I cannot recall one that has them in abundance. Btw, it's really easy to propagate. If your neighbour has it, try to get hold of a stem cutting. Then, sit back and watch the plant grow nicely for you ;-)
ReplyDeleteThough Coleus have fantastic variegation, somehow they don't seem to last long! Hence, we've given up growing these beauties. As you've experienced, they're not that hardy, more like annuals and propagating ain't that 100% most times...a pity though with their parade of fabulous colours!
ReplyDeleteYour Coleus look really healthy! It's really creative idea to put Coleus in hanging basket!
ReplyDelete