Got some 3rd and 4th flushes of flowers on some of my annual container plants though
Sweet Alyssum
I seem to use sweet alyssum everywhere as a filler. The fastest damn flowers from seed EVER! When they start getting ratty, you just prune them down about 2/3 and they keep coming back.
Wonder if they would make a quick and easy cover crop instead of clover? @ReikoX any thoughts on flowers as cover crop in container grows? I only thought of it as I canāt germ dutch white clover outdoors to save my life, despite probably 12 handfuls of seeds in the last 9 months.
It needs to be in the legume family in order to get the nitrogen fixing benefits.
I suppose my regular old yellow clover that grows like gang busters will probably creep over eventually. Guess that will have to do. No clue why I canāt grow the white stuff
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
'Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family ā Fabaceae ā with taxa such as clover, soybeans, alfalfa, lupins, peanuts, and rooibos. They contain symbiotic bacteria called Rhizobia within nodules in their root systems, producing nitrogen compounds that help the plant to grow and compete with other plants. When the plant dies, the fixed nitrogen is released, making it available to other plants and this helps to fertilize the soil. The great majority of legumes have this association, but a few genera (e.g., Styphnolobium) do not. In many traditional and organic farming practices, fields are rotated through various types of crops, which usually includes one consisting mainly or entirely of clover or buckwheat (family Polygonaceae), which were often referred to as āgreen manure.ā ā
full of beans
Finally planted the 2 pink bleeding heart bare roots I received on the side of the house. Didnāt see any sign of the ginger from Kauai either. They went in the same planter. Planted all the lily bulbs as well in the back planters. I thought this Sea Holly I planted had died, but ended up digging up a big ass root that was alive, stuck it back down there. Maybe it will come back up. All of the bare roots that I planted in Spring have all gone ethereal on me. Itās really odd for me, as most stuff just stays alive in Cali, so all these non-native plants I have are tripping me out. Weāll see if they all resurface come spring. There are shitloads in the shade bed that just looks completely empty.
Anyways, ripped out tons and tons of dead bermuda grass from the planters and dead stalks of dahlias, lilies and gladiolas. Distributed all the used organic soil from my million pots of autos into the flower beds finally. Except actually rejuvenated a few gallons and planted 3 of my new golden stargazers in a pot with a 6 inch layer of promix on top, planted a dusty miller starter in there and threw some Nemesia seeds and some pincushion plant seeds in there too. Letās see what comes up while the lilies sleep underneath until summer.
It feels really good. I felt productive and just plain recharged spending time digging in the dirt. The planters although naked in the fall and winter, look much better now with all the dead crap pulled out. All the clover is starting in the grass and planters now too since itās cooled down and we have all this rain. If my garden canāt be filled with flowers right now at least it will all be a nice shade of green for awhile.
So what do you guys do when it rains off and on for 3 weeks and leaches out your plant nutrients and the plants are super wet? All of my container plants started yellowing and I didnāt know if I should feed them due to the wet soil. I basically waited 2 weeks and Iām a little unhappy with the yellow leaves now. Next time should I just feed them anyway, despite the overwatering or throw a tiny sprinkle of dry nutes in instead of the water soluble I usually use on my containers?
duh, I didnāt even think of foliarā¦ lol Thanks!
Went to this really awesome light display at a huge botanical garden last week. It was called Descanso Garden, Enchanted Forest of lights. They were selling tiny String of Pearls succulents! I bought 2 and just transplanted them into the huge pot that holds 2 lone strings that @Olbrannon had sent me in the summer. I am so stoked as this succulent is incredibly slow growing. I just now got a 2nd string from 1 starting after quite a few months. Decided to test out some Yucca Root powder I have. My succulent soil is so hydrophobic so I figured what the hell. This stuff is so concentrated it says only 1/8 tsp to 5 gallons of water. Watered my 2 container succulents with it and dumped the remainder in my succulent bed on the side of the house. Iām gonna have to check how often I can use it before it starts working great.
Night shots sorry
The string of pearls
Hi Meesh, first off you have a very beautiful garden 
Make sure you have enough drainage in your succulent soil, when you dump water in them it should not pool but rather just filter through pretty much straight away
Thatās why Iām trying the yucca root. The water doesnāt even want to breach through the top of that sandy soil. Basically the top is all that gets wet when I actually water them. Regardless, they still seem to be plump and juicy despite the tiny bit of water they do actually get. Weāve had some actual rain here in Southern California the last month but usually they get a light mist from the hose when I get around to it.
@Solaris423 this is succulent/cactus soil and is mostly rocks and sand. Problem is, this was an old bag of soil and I probably should have soaked it before I used it to begin with. So it was about as dried out as it gets. Any suggestions besides the yucca root I just used to rehydrate it?
Is it fine sand Meesh? Like beach sand? If so I would personally change out the soil completely. I hate using sand, eventually it will compact in your soil and form a layer, stopping water breaking through and reaching the root system. I have heard builders sand can work though.
I would try a humic acid product if you have one available. In sandy soils humic acids will increase the soils nutrient and water holding capacity by coating the sand particles themselves, preventing water and nutrient losses while transforming the soil itself through decomposition. Humic acids hold water and nutrients in plant available forms at the root zone and provide to the plants as needed.
Hope this helps
Biochar could also be a good solution. It is really good stuff.
I donāt know what it is, but I never really got in to succulents. Even before I always grow perennial flowers in any beds I had.
There are only a few that I really likeā¦ the String of Pearls is my fave! Iām partial to spilling plants in general though.
@WMoon518 itās because we live in So Cal. Why we donāt really dig succulents. They are a dime a dozen and damn near everywhere. You know Iām partial to all my flowers as wellā¦ btwā¦ succulents are flowering perennials lol
@Solaris423 just wait until spring and all my flowers start blooming again. Iāll really show you my garden. 
Right now itās pretty much my container plants keeping some color up in here.
Got a gift card for Jackson Perkins for 25 bucks. Okay that buys me a plant. How in the bloody hell does a gardener go onto a website and choose just 1 plant? WTF is my cousin trying to do to me? Gonna have me spending 100 bucks just to get 25 bucks free, thatās what! This woman right here canāt choose just ONE. Pahleeze! 
Shoot. Someone wants to buy me a plant then buy me a damn plant already! You choose, so I donāt have to!
@Calyxander not sure if youāve tried out growing Nemesia, but reminds me of an Angelonia cousin with the tall spiky flowers. Oh so pretty! Quickly becoming a fave. Even more an annual turned perennial than itās cousin. Iāve cut it back and had flowers twice since the Angelonia went dormant! I think youād love it in Florida.
