Completely satisfied Monday GPODers!
We’ve seen an assortment of fabulous backyard retrospectives through the years, however I feel this submission breaks the mildew. Final yr, Tatyana Searcy in Washington created a container show so distinctive and thrilling that it deserved its personal highlight. With the assistance of some native expertise and consultants, she was capable of create a backyard point of interest that turned increasingly magical because the rising season went on. Tatyana graciously gave us an in-depth description of how this container show was created and maintained, as properly a improbable assortment of pictures that doc the evolution from empty art work in March to end-of-season enjoyment of September.
That is Tatyana Searcy (@tatyana.mysecretgarden – my IG account), and my backyard is situated on the Kitsap Peninsula within the state of Washington. The backyard was beforehand featured on the GPOD in 2013 and 2019 (Tatyana’s Backyard in Washington State, Tatyana’s Blue Poppies, Tatyana’s Gazebo in Winter, and A Entrance Mattress Wanting Its Finest).
At this time, I’d prefer to share considered one of my backyard containers from 2024.
This container was the favourite amongst my open backyard guests and my private favourite too. Month-to-month photos beneath present how the plantings regarded by means of the season in addition to how the metallic sculpture regarded empty.
The information that the planter doesn’t have strong partitions and moss dries up shortly required common watering and misting. I’m very acutely aware about water consumption in my backyard. Considerate use of water in different elements of my backyard made me really feel higher watering this particular container a number of occasions per week.
This yr, I would attempt to develop completely different vegetation on this construction. Winter is an effective time to dream and plan!
The rusty metallic sculpture is the creation of the gifted native artist, Ray Hammar (BlueCollar Artwork Work). It’s a nice piece by itself. It’s all product of repurposed metallic: an outdated auger, hyperlinks of a 100 plus yr outdated marine chain, a heater’s band and a automotive’s wheel rim. Chain hyperlinks are welded to a sphere. Higher a part of the sphere was taken down and set on the pedestal (automotive’s wheel rim) to create a separate bowl-planter.
We obtained the 6 toes metallic sculpture from the Loopy Hill Backyard & Botanicals in Belfair, WA owned by Michael Kerkes and Elton Busby. Michael considered filling it with vegetation whereas it was exhibited at their nursery, and I appreciated that concept too, so we ended doing that thrilling challenge collectively! Michael, a Licensed Skilled Horticulturist, supplied his in depth data and expertise, and I chosen the vegetation and the potting combine.
The method began from the underside and went up: lining partitions with soaked moss, including potting combine, then inserting vegetation (repeat until the bowl received full). Sluggish-released fertilizer was added to the potting combine and a few smaller vegetation have been added by means of the bowls’ openings later. One of many issues I realized from Michael Kerkes whereas engaged on this challenge was to not fluff the basis balls excessively to forestall completely different vegetation’ roots from tangling up. It helped to disassemble the plantings when temperatures went down and tender vegetation wanted to be moved to our unheated storage.
I didn’t make a particular buying journey to purchase the vegetation for this challenge, however used what was already in my backyard. A few of the vegetation got here from my favourite nurseries and others from our native plant swap.The planter location gave the impression to be fairly good for the vegetation I had: it faces east, will get morning solar and a little bit of afternoon solar, and it has the remainder of the day in vibrant shade.
Filling the planter was completed in late Might. It was enjoyable to see the vegetation develop, bloom and take turns as a star in that fabulous construction. All of the vegetation grew significantly and have been wholesome. Little hardy fuchsia begins developed tall sturdy stems and beautiful a number of blooms, golden lysimachia (creeping Jenny) reached the bottom, ferns turned to stunning luscious mounds, tiny Viburnum plicatum in a 4-inch pot adopted at a plant swap turned a two-foot good fellow. There have been no casualties, all of the vegetation survived. The one challenge was slugs that managed to climb a number of toes to get pleasure from coleus leaves. It was thrilling to see new stunning licorice ferns (Polypodiym glycyrrhiza) seem and unfold on the mossy partitions of the bowl (moss was responsibly harvested on a non-public property).
The assortment of the vegetation, most of that are foliage vegetation, included:
Ferns: Fowl’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus, Zones 11–12), cretan brake fern (Pteris cretica, Zones 9–12), ‘Brilliance’ autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’, Zones 5–8), blue star fern (Phlebodium aureum, Zones 9–11)
Hardy fuchsias
Plectranthus (with golden and inexperienced foliage)
Creeping saxifrage (Saxifraga stolonifera, Zones 6–9)
Hosta ‘Curly Fries’ (H. ‘Curly Fries’, Zones 3–9) and others
Coleus
Senecio
‘Jose Puig’ tradescantia (T. gibasis ‘Jose Puig’, Zones 9–11)
Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9)
Rex begonia (Begonia rex-cultorum, Zones 10–11)
Japanese snowball (Viburnum plicatum, Zones 5–8) (a tiny begin)
A detailed up of the bowl planter offers a greater have a look at the moss used to include the soil. Whereas the moss has a sensible goal, it additionally provides to the general fantastic thing about the design.
In July, the planters have been actually filling out and bursting with all of these fabulous foliage vegetation. It’s completely unimaginable that Tatyana was capable of pull this along with vegetation she already had in her backyard.
And closes ups of each halves of this show. Whereas distinctly completely different within the vegetation used, there’s a sure cohesion of the foliage-centric designs. It additionally made the general show extra thrilling to see completely different vegetation above and beneath, fairly than precisely matching.
It’s a testomony to Tatyana’s upkeep that the show regarded this lush and ample in August! The vegetation have crammed in and trailed out a lot that it’s even arduous to see the hampers they’re planted in.
When within the floor, numerous folks have a tendency to chop again hosta blooms to encourage extra foliage development or just because their usually floppy peak doesn’t move with the remainder of their design. Nonetheless, when planted in a container (just like the H. ‘Curly Fries’ Tatyana has right here) the flowers can add some extra late-summer shade whereas commingling completely with different vegetation rising up and out.
By September, the vegetation have all however taken over the metallic sculpture that when drew your eye to the design. Whereas crimson began out as a minor accent shade in June, it has taken over and change into the signature shade of this mixture. The brilliant crimson coleus had an incredible rising season whereas the hardy fuchsias had within the pot are lastly placing on their floral present.
The openness of this sculpture permits for 360-degree views, that means the again aspect of this container show is simply as thrilling because the entrance.
What a metamorphosis over the course of 5 months! Everyone knows that so much adjustments within the backyard from Might to September, nevertheless it places all of it into a distinct perspective if you hone in on one container, space, or only one plant particularly. Whereas this planting was equally as superb in Might, it’s fascinating to see the evolution that occurred.
Thanks a lot for sharing this spectacular container creation with us, Tatyana! The design is so charming, I’d assume it was stolen straight from a botanical backyard or artwork set up. It’s clear why this creation was a your favourite, and adored by your entire guests.
Did you’ve gotten any containers that regarded increasingly magical because the rising season carried on? Or did you make updates so your containers advanced with every season? As we dream of the rising season to come back, we might use all of the container inspiration we will get! Following the instructions beneath to submit your container pictures by way of electronic mail, or ship me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
Have a backyard you’d prefer to share?
Have pictures to share? We’d like to see your backyard, a specific assortment of vegetation you like, or a beautiful backyard you had the possibility to go to!
To submit, ship 5-10 pictures to [email protected] together with some details about the vegetation within the photos and the place you took the pictures. We’d love to listen to the place you might be situated, how lengthy you’ve been gardening, successes you might be pleased with, failures you realized from, hopes for the long run, favourite vegetation, or humorous tales out of your backyard.
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