CULT: mixed flower beds

For years, I tried to grow flowers in mixed beds, borders, various
combinations and care, with nothing that looked good or was manageable
by me.

About two years ago, I started planting things in big pots and tubs,
even an old wheelbarrow, with a few perennials in the ground amongst the
pots.  I've posted a couple of photos.  This bed isn't a spring
perennial bed - spring only lasts a moment here - my goal has been to
have a big splash of color in a wide range of textures and forms through
the summer and fall.

There are irises in the bed that bloom well in the spring, but I've not
discovered (or bred) any rebloomers that thrive in this kind of mass
vegetation.  Yet.

The bed is on the north side of the house, gets about 5 or 6 hours of
sun in the middle of the day, <very> gravelly loam, intense competition
from shallow roots of enormous buckeye tree.  Heavily mulched with
shredded oak bark.

Containers are filled each spring about 2/3 with horse manure, the rest
a mix of potting soil, dirt, and sometimes perlite.

Next year, I'm going to try adding some irises in pots of dirty perlite
to see if I can get some summer rebloom.  Rebloomers planted in the
ground haven't performed so far.  Stay tuned.

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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