I had a GREAT time on the Bonnie Hunt Show!
I wanted to recap the items I touched upon ... The Power of
Pruning was pretty straightforward - CUT YOUR PLANTS! Don't be
afraid! They will grow back! They may not look gorgeous for a few
weeks, but tighter, healthier, prettier plants will be the result.
When you cut the leafy top of the plant, the roots will do their
job extra fast and extra well, because you have given those roots
less plant to take care of. Okay... this is a very simple
explanation of the whole process, but there it is! (Bonnie made a
funny joke about this which I didn't quite get until a little
later. Duh!
Trust the roots - cut your plants, they will LOVE you for it!
The Germinatrix confesses that she is a definite cutter! More reasons why cutting your plants is right for your garden.
The second part of the segment was about One- Pot Gardens, and I demonstrated the garden in a pot thing by (of course) using my favorite plants of all, succulents!
I did a 'Groovy Underwater Vibe' garden in a pot, using Euphorbia 'Stix on Fire', Aloe plicatilis, Echeveria 'Arlie Wright', Senecio cylindricus, and the beautiful Euphorbia 'Black Bird', which is destined to become one of my new pets (Sorry, Dexter, Sorry, Sadie - Sorry Aloe marlothii!). We had to rush through the demo during the show, but I loved the plants so much I had to come home and do a couple of Groovy Underwater Pots for myself!
Yes, this is sort of a 'garden pun' - using dry plants to create a
container garden that looks like a coral reef - but the results are
just so spectacular! On Bonnie's show, we used blue tumbled glass
to dress the top of the soil and complete the watery feel - here at
home I used glass marbles.
Here are a few tips for creating One Pot Gardens - I was giggling too much on the show to hit all the points, thank goodness I have a blog where I can fill in the blanks!
- Pay attention to contrast. With these pots, the contrast is all about color and shape - The orange Euphorbia 'Stix on Fire' is tall and branching with glowing pencils, while our other Euphorbia, 'Black Bird', is fluffy and dramatically black - a color that really calls attention to itself in a planting. The flower-like forms of the Echeverias create strong focal points at the front of the pots, and their unusual colors really help to bring the theme of the pot home. The concept wouldn't work without all of the variety of shape and color.
- Hit different levels. Any planting, in the ground or in a pot, needs to have interesting topography. In containers I try to always have a tall element, elements to fill in the medium/ low plane - and I like to always have a 'drippy' plant to break the edge of the pot and flow downwards. ('Drippy' is a very technical term)
- Texture is key. The 'Underwater' pots are all about the slick, rubbery texture of the succulent palette. But even within that, the fine, slinky gray 'fingers' of the Senecio cylindrica play beautifully against the sharp green Aloe ciliaris right next to it. In my humble opinion, texture is more important than flowers!
- Use every opportunity to infuse color into your gardens - like using a gorgeous glazed ceramic pot! Terra cotta is nice - but colorful ceramics are hot hot HOT! If you are going to use a pot - make it a fabulous pot!
Okay! I hope those of you who saw the segment on The Bonnie Hunt Show enjoyed it!
Today, Bonnie Hunt, tomorrow - THE WORLD!!!
If you're new to gardening, then check out this beginners guide to potting plants. This foolproof step-by-step works for potting vegetable or flower seedlings.
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