How I enjoyed my fourth of July holiday. The weather was perfect-partly cloudy, and not too hot. With only one annual planting left to go, I had time to catch my breath, and tinker in my own yard. My container plantings are coming on just fine. As usual, I planted caladiums in my planters on the north wall-they thrive in that bright shade. This small leaved variety whose name I do not know looks a little like fireworks-does it not?
I suppose the fireworks designation really belongs to the Janet Craig dracaenas. The large strappy lime colored leaved make a big statement in shade. It will grow readily in very low light; direct sun will burn the leaves. I trimmed off the lower leaves, to make room for the caladiums.
I have planted one color or another of solenia begonias in the terra cotta boxes for years. Non-stop begonias are not that easy for me to keep-but here they are, in the most intense shade of orange. They succumb to rot so easily. My plantes are staked up for better air circulation, and I remove any deteriorating foliage at the first sign of trouble. The green and white caladium with terra cotta blotches face down some lime irisine that needs more time and heat to get tall. I like the change of texture provided by the liriope in front; lots of perennials are great looking in containers.
My potunia verbena pot has finally stabilized; the heavy and just about daily rains have abated. I keep this pot on the dry side. The container is placed between two chairs, so I plant for a top view, rather than a side view.
This pot always gets planted green in some form or another. The nicotiana alata lime is in its usual spot. Nicotiana is probably my most favorite annual flower. The cooly lime green, simple star shaped single flowers are my idea of a really great looking flower. Two varieties of coleus some lime licorice and selaginella complete the planting. I have had a tough time with licorice this year-I suspect the early cold rain is to blame.
Though I planted an embarrassment of riches in Orange Punch cannas at the shop, I had to bring one home; my olive jar is the perfect place for a tall growing plant. A shrubby growing orange lantana, and a couple of purple wave petunias complete the ensemble. The companion planter is planted with the same scheme orange and carmine color scheme. The heat of July will bring on the flowering of the dahlia.
The University series of dahlias is new to me; this purple variety is a great color. My coleus needs a little pinching, and my tricolor geranium needs to grow up, for all of the volumes to balance out. Annuals in my zone shine in July and August.
The lime irisine in this box has yet to make much of an appearance, but the solenia begonias are thriving. Like the non-stop begonias, I stake them with bamboo. The solenias will fall over with the weight of the flowers-this habit makes them great for hanging baskets. The vinca maculatum has grown so long, I swept it up on the ledge. I will be interested to see if it continues to grow, in this horizontal position.
There are 5 containers on the drive, and 2 in ground plantings at different levels. I have tried a lot of color schemes here; warm colors seem to look the best with the yellow and orange stone.
I have never planted any yellow flowers here before, but I am liking how it looks. Yellow butterfly marguerites are a nuisance in the deadheading department, but when they are good, they are very good. It seems like they are happy; they should double in size before the end of the season. As much as I love yellow petunias, they are not particularly vigorous. We’ll see if I can manage to keep them happy.
In the rose garden, a different color scheme all together. In deference to my pink and white roses, I have pink mandevillea, nicotiana mutabilis and alata lime, white angelonia pink and white petunias, and Persian Queen geraniums. Faintly visible is my steel plant tower; the vine and nicotiana get a lot of help staying upright from it. By summer’s end, it will vanish from view. This Tuscan style square is a very large pot; it asks for a planting that will grow large. Watching plants grow is my favorite channel.
What could be better than a giant pot stuffed to overflowing with nicotiana? OK, probably plenty of things, but no doubt I am a big fan of the nicotianas. There are a number of ornamental tobaccos suitable for cultivation in our area. The species nicotiana alata pictured above grows strongly to 30″ or better. It has a loose, rangy, and unstructured habit of growth. Sporting clusters of big leaves at the base, the flowers appear all along thin soft stems. They are indeterminate bloomers; a stalk will continue to elongate and produce flowers for months. Once a stalk blooms out, and starts setting seed, I trim it back. 
A pairing with Panicum Virgatum Dallas Blues makes that grass all the more icy blue in appearance. Grasses can be difficult to do well in a container, as they are stiff, or awkwardly floppy. Nicotiana makes for a graceful ruff here. They are not without their problems, however. The sticky soft succulent stems are a magnet for aphids. Their giant basil leaves sometimes need pruning back when they threaten to smother something else growing at ground level.
But by far and away my favorite is Nicotiana Mutabilis. It grows tall, and billows out over any edge with a cloud of small flowers that dance in the slightest breeze. Can you tell I like it? The flowers range from white to cream to pale pink to rose pink. This big thing requires secure staking from the beginning. It will pick up speed, and send out new growth from the base of the plant as the night temperatures start to cool. 
They are a nuisance to keep deadheaded-I don’t fuss so much with that. Its hard to spot which stems need headling back, and every part of the plant is sticky. This seems a fairly minor problem to me; a well grow stand of mutabilis is enchanting.
You can see the new growth pushing from the base of this pot on both sides; all of this came on strong in September, and will continue until a hard freeze. They also seem much more aphid-resistant than other nicotianas.
The individual flowers are so small and so delicate; the overall picture is delightfully meadow like. All of these nicotianas are a staple of my summer garden.
I like the fireworks going-on feeling of my terrace pots this year. Most of that has to do with how they have grown. I picked the colors and plants yes, but nature has proved unusually cooperative. We have had cool temperatures all summer, and now, regular rain. The usual bugs and disease must be at someone else’s house.
The Mital terra cotta gargoyle pots on their pedestals have never looked so rowdy and profuse. I grow nicotiana mutabilis every year for exactly the reason you see here. The showy oregano in this pot gave up and died, but I hardly notice. Besides, this pair of pots started out mismatched-I like that they will end up mismatched.
These two licorice plants have made a flared skirt of themselves. The shape is especially attractive with the garland pattern on the pot. Did I plan this part-absolutely not. Anyone who gardens gets to enjoy the unexpected.
The New Guinea impatiens this year are unbelievably gaudy-what fun. Even my million bells, which usually sulk as I have very alkaline water, are cooperating. My dahlias do not have mites or mildew. The cool weather has slowed the flower production on the cannas, but the foliage alone is well worth having.
