by Fern on April 30, 2009
I alluded to how much I am in love with lemon zest petunias yesterday, so allow me to show you why I like them so much…
Aren’t these just…tasty?! They spill over the sides of pots very nicely, and man-o-man are their yellow and white flowers show stoppers! I paid $5.98 for a petunia, and I’m not afraid to admit it!
This is a view of the completed pot, although I feel like the shot doesn’t do the pot justice (I really should fire my photographer!). I used a metal bucket from the hardware store and filled it with the lemon zest petunias, molimba helio double pink, and bluebird nemesia.
Here’s how to create something similar:
Gather up everything you’ll need, including a metal bucket, the three plants, potting soil, a hammer, and either an awl or a large nail.
Make several holes (I made five) in the bottom of the bucket, using the hammer and awl (or nail).
Fill the pot with some potting soil and then add in the largest plant (in this case, it’s the petunia). You want the petunia’s soil line to be about an inch below the lip of the bucket.
Add in more potting soil and place the two smaller plants around the petunia. Then fill in with more dirt so that there are no spaces left in between the plants and the soil line in level throughout the pot.
To quote a radio commercial: Easy peasy lemon squeezy. 
I made two of these up for clients to give as gifts for Mother’s Day. I have some extra supplies, so if anyone out there in Southern California would like an unique gift, shoot me an email. I deliver!
by Fern on March 30, 2009
If my site logs are on to anything, gardeners are REALLY interested in growing edibles in containers. So here goes nothing. Bear with me on the graphics, I’m having some technical issues behind the scenes. But hopefully they’ll get my ideas across.
Rosemary, Meet My Friend Strawberry
A super easy combo is to plant up a strawberry pot with strawberries in the lower half and rosemary in the top. Start by filling the pot with enough dirt to reach the lowest hole in the pot. Insert the first strawberry transplant and then fill the pot with enough dirt to reach the next hole, and repeat. When you’ve planted the last strawberry, add enough dirt so that the rosemary’s roots will be about 2 inches below the lip of the pot. Place the rosemary in the pot, fill around it with dirt, and voila! You’re done.
When the strawberries are ready to be picked, consider this strawberry and rosemary jam recipe (scroll down to the bottom to see how she tweaked the recipe to include rosemary). If you want extra credit, train your rosemary into a topiary.
Eat Your Beets and Carrots
A really attractive combo of root vegetables is carrots and beets. The finely cut foliage of the carrots contrasts nicely with the bold, dark foliage of beets. I like planting beets in the back of the pot, and then a short variety of carrots in front. As the beet leaves are also edible, you’d be hard pressed to plant a more efficient pot.
More Good Veggie Combos
- Tomatoes and marigolds – Probably the classic vegetable companion combination. Marigolds fight off some of the pests that attack tomato roots.
- Lettuce and Radishes – Ring a pot of lettuce with radishes and you’ll have an attractive salad in the pot and on the plate.
- Mint and Broccoli – Broccoli is actually a pretty attractive plant. Mint will spread around the base of the broccoli, covering the dirt.
- Swiss Chard and Cabbage – The striking white and green of the chard contrasts nicely in both shape and color with the cabbage.
