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| Full sun is an understatement. In summer the front of my house gets the full sun and it can be brutal. I have a beautiful urn that I have attempted to fill with plants in the past. Watering fully early morning just doesn't cut it. Is there anything that would grace the front of the house and not die quickly in blazing heat? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, May 18, 13 at 17:47
| if your pot wont hold enough water.. then you probably need a bigger pot.. and better potting media ... i hope you arent using dirt ... that said.. where are you.. and any other pertinent info might get you closer to an answer ... BTW.. does your pot drain??/ ken |
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- Posted by donnabaskets 7b-8 MS (My Page) on Sat, May 18, 13 at 18:36
| Ken is right. There are loads and plenty of plants that will grow in those conditions. That describest my front porch precisely. But, the pot and soil that you are using is crucial to success. More info, please! |
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| Re: Planting medium: I never grow in straight potting mix, it dries out at the drop of a hat and if it thoroughly dries can be very difficult to get moist again. I mix in topsoil in about 50:50 ratio - the topsoil allows for much better moisture retention. As long as the planting vessel has good drainage, there won't be a problem with too much moisture. I typically buy good-quality bagged topsoil every year as needed. I save whatever potting mix I can from prior year's plantings - I just dump the medium from the pots/containers in a mound on the side of the house for use the next year. If I need to mix a fresh batch, I put half peat and perlite-based potting soil and half topsoil in a wheelbarrow, wet it and start mixing it - doesn't take long at all. Also, if you have a clay urn you would do well to line it in some fashion, as the clay will suck the moisture out of the planting. I either plant inside plastic pots which I slip inside the clay or line the clay with garbage bags/plastic cut to fit (with drainage holes, obviously) before planting. |
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| mdzee, I have the same conditions you described. My front yard has a southern exposure and the sun and heat is brutal on my front porch. I have not found many plants that will survive all summer. I have had success with an annual called blue daze and petunias and sweet potato vine does fairly well. But I still have to water, water, water...sometimes twice a day! One year a container of sun coleous(misspelled) did very well. |
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- Posted by susanzone5 z5NY (My Page) on Thu, May 23, 13 at 10:51
| Lantana, nemesia , agastache, portulaca, verbena...and use Pro Mix BX potting mix. It holds more water than any mix and alreay has a wetting agent in it. |
This post was edited by susanzone5 on Thu, May 23, 13 at 15:49
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- Posted by susanzone5 z5NY (My Page) on Thu, May 23, 13 at 10:52
| Lantana, nemesia , agastache, portulaca, and use Pro Mix BX potting mix. It holds more water than any mix and alreay has a wetting agent in it. |
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| Thanks for the ideas everyone. I'll give them a try. Maybe this year I'll get something that won't fry. My saving grace is the knockout rose that flanks my sidewalk. It doesn't care how hot it get :) |
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| I second Lantana and you may be able to overwinter them if you cover them. I do that here in Upstate SC. Mine are growing really well - love the heat - don't need much water (if you mulch) - come back every year (I cover with black plastic). Homestead Verbena is a good choice too (though not necessarily an annual but it does peter out after a few years). |
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