Containers

September 16, 2010 During our visit to Madison, Wisconsin, last weekend, I noticed that big, bold tropical plants were used everywhere to great effect far from their natural climate. For this month’s Foliage Follow-Up, I’ll show you what caught my eye at Allen Centennial Gardens on the University of Wisconsin ...

September 07, 2010 Sea holly, or eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii) I tried watching an instructional DVD about using my new camera on Sunday but fell asleep halfway through. When I awoke I decided a real-life test drive should be the first step, at least to try out the semi-automatic settings. So ...

August 21, 2010 For a nursery located within spitting distance of downtown, on South Congress Avenue, The Great Outdoors is surprisingly large, which befits a place featuring a nearly life-size topiary elephant as its mascot and another on its sign. From the street you glimpse a colorful mural, a screen ...

August 16, 2010 It’s August. It’s Austin. It’s incredibly hot and humid. Flowers for Bloom Day were pretty scarce, but foliage is, as always, carrying the garden through the toughest months. My faves for Foliage Follow-Up this month are visually cooling, with variegated or glaucous leaves. But really, anything that ...

August 12, 2010 It’s a little hoot outside today. I think I’ll stay in. All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited ...

August 06, 2010 Good morning! Let’s stroll the garden before it gets too hot. It’s going to be 100 degrees (37.7 C) again today, so early morning or evening strolls, dripping wet from the pool, are recommended. And yet I was crazy enough desperate enough for fall to plant a ...

July 16, 2010 Two buses carrying the garden bloggers of Buffa10 jounced slowly down a long, skinny driveway in the woods near Hamburg, New York, to deliver us to the creekside glen that is Kathy and Mike Shadrack‘s garden. A former London bobby with a sly wit, Mike has authored ...

July 14, 2010 Exuberantly planted front-yard gardens, colorful window boxes, lush container plantings, shady nooks, garden art, and Crayola-hued houses make the Cottage District in Buffalo, New York, a delight to explore. It’s one of the most popular neighborhoods to tour during Garden Walk, which begins in two weeks. Lucky ...

July 13, 2010 Sweet-smelling, freckled lilies. Crimson bee balm as tall as myself. Soft-textured lawn grass spangled with white clover, so different from Austin’s coarse, shaggy St. Augustine and so much more inviting. Tall, brick Victorian homes standing shoulder-to-shoulder on streets shaded by goth-cloaked Norway maples. A city eager to ...

June 13, 2010 Morning strolls are best during hot, sticky Austin summers. But the best light in my back garden comes in late afternoon. Luckily, for the virtual garden tour, you can have both—and stay in the comfort of your air-conditioning. Pictured above, my new Agave stricta from the recent ...

June 03, 2010 A little sunshine, courtesy of ‘Wilson’s Yellow’ daylily Yellow and blue, a classic combo, and a few colorful stars to brighten the wall. Ever since seeing the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks, though, I think of his “friend” Wilson, the volleyball, when I say ‘Wilson’s Yellow.’ ...

May 26, 2010 I ask you, where are the path-building elves when you need them? My sloping side-yard path still needs doing. And look—the faux garden shed in the background has not constructed itself either. Better to focus on the plants. They’re looking happy with the sunny, warm weather we’ve ...

May 25, 2010 Our owl box is home to this little screech owl, who popped out this morning to survey his domain. I have to say, this is one of my best containers yet! The cardinal is not so sure. All kidding aside, containers is the theme of the day ...

May 25, 2010 Our owl box is home to this little screech owl, who popped out this morning to survey his domain. I have to say, this is one of my best containers yet! The cardinal is not so sure. All kidding aside, containers is the theme of the day ...

May 24, 2010 Hot, muggy days in the 90s (33 C) signal that summer has arrived in central Texas, even if the calendar says it’s still spring. When the mercury creeps skyward, I take satisfaction in knowing that certain plants, even those in small containers, in full sun, won’t require ...

May 16, 2010 The day after Bloom Day means it’s Foliage Follow-Up, when we get to show off our favorite foliage plants for the month. Right now I’m loving the blond-and-chartreuse waves of Mexican feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima). I have an unidentified agave in the pot, a passalong from one of ...