Re: container plants for sunny sites

Deborah Lindsay wrote:
--- Tony and Moira Ryan <tomory@xtra.co.nz> wrote:

Container plants for sunny sites do need to be
chosen with care as I found out the hard way many years ago!


Hello Moira and all, 
What have you found to be successful in this
situation?

Hi Deborah

It partly depends on the size of the container. Small amounts of soil naturally heat up the most and for them I would almost always choose some sort of desert succulent. With small and easily moved containers it is also possible to have an alternative set to substitute for the cooler (and presumably wetter) parts of the year with perhaps suitable annuals or small perennials, maybe storing the succulents under cover at this season to protect them from excess wet.

Larger containers give one a bit more scope, though succulents such as, for instance, aloes can still be a good choice. One can also add some South African bulbs - particularly nerines and agapanthus - Zonal pelargoniums, pomegranate (especially the dwarf form), many lavenders and other silvery leaded plants, in fact any Mediterranean type plant which is used to a very dry summer, cultivars of Cordyline australis
and (if the container is really large, such as half a wine barrel) a Bougainvillea I grew one of these for a client years ago in a particularly hot situation. There was a blank white wall, north west facing (our hottest aspect) and at its foot was a completely paved courtyard. A frame was hung on the wall up which the bougainvillea (the variety Mrs Butt with crimson bracts) could scramble and the effect was quite stunning.

These are only a few suggestions but if one confines one's selection to plants which live in hot summer areas and expect little or no summer rain, most of these are worth trying. What you _don't_ go for are any described as liking a cool, moist root run or partial shade.

Moira

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--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ.     Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
NEW PICTURES ADDED 4/Feb/2004

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