Garden Photo of the Day

And finally, some COLOR!

comments (14) July 15th, 2011 in blogs

Michelle Gervais, Senior Editor

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Photo: Michelle Gervais

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I just took a look at all of the GPODs for the last 2 1/2 weeks and realized that there hasn't been a single ounce of color besides green in any of the photos. Can't have that! So, to get your color juices flowing again, here's a selection of containers from one of my all-time favorite container designers, Deanne Fortnam in Nashua, New Hampshire. Nope, those aren't tropical borders - every one of these plantings is in a container! Deanne's a wiz. She's is a frequent commenter on the GPOD blog, so I'm hoping she'll stop by and answer any questions you may have...

See more photos from Deanne Fortnam...

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Comments (14)

soilgoil writes: These photos make me drool! I think I'm a pretty good gardener, but I've never had containers this wonderfully lush. I enjoyed reading Deanne's growing tips and have taken note. And it's great that this GPOD has elicited so many comments. Thank you, Michelle. Posted: 11:41 pm on July 16th

PerenniallyCrazy writes: DROOL!!! What magnificent containers Deanne...I absolutely love them! I don't have all the issues of FG Container Gardens but I do hope that one day you will be editor of one of these special issues and do full page features with recipes of all the fabulous containers that you have created in your design career. Thank you Michelle for featuring these. Posted: 10:11 pm on July 16th

JardinDelSol writes: Ahhhhhhhhhhhh -- at LAST! Some color! Just lovin' this. This brings excitement and makes things fizz. Green is lovely, but bright is RIGHT! Posted: 11:35 pm on July 15th

Deanneart writes: Hi everyone, so nice to see all the comments here! Many thanks!

Petuniababi, when I first plant a container arrangement I like to ‘stuff’ the pot with plants. I keep things pruned as they grow and some I let ‘fade away’ or remove, if they aren’t vigorous enough to keep up with their companions. When the container is first put together I give it a good watering then don’t water again until the soil is going from damp to dry. It’s easy to overwater early on. I also throw in a handful of Osmocote when I first put a pot together. After the plants become established and you see nice growth coming on I normally water once a day in sunny weather. After a few weeks I start feeding a liquid feed once a week following the recommended application for whatever product I’m using.

Hi there Mindy! Nice to hear from you and yes, I go to The Farmer’s Daughter a couple times a season. I also love Walker Farm in East Dummerston VT. And Lake Street Gardens in Salem NH. Hoping we get to meet this summer.

Cwinnie, in that first photo that corkscrew-looking plant is actually a piece of curly willow that I spray painted red and added as an accent to that container.

Deerfeeder, I always cultivate one of the neighborhood children and pay them to water my pots while I’m away. If you don’t have anyone who can help you with that, moving the containers to a shadier location, placing pots in a saucer of water and pruning would all help get them through.
Posted: 3:58 pm on July 15th

petuniababi writes: This is truly stunning!!My containers always end up being failures.I would like to know how do you start to make sure it turns out a success?If i could just get maybe four plants to thrive in a container i would be thrilled. Posted: 1:13 pm on July 15th

arboretum writes: deanne, are you an annual customer (pun-ishment)at The Farmer's Daughter in Kingston R.I.?and The Umbrella Factory nearby?I was completely blown away by the variety in their annuals stock this year. If not them, who?
thanks so much for the continued inspiration!Hoping you'll visit the 'retum this summer.
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/ Posted: 11:28 am on July 15th

cwinnie writes: Deanne, I'm wondering if you can tell me, in the first picture, what the red corkscrew-looking plant is. Love your container gardens! Posted: 11:20 am on July 15th

sheilaschultz writes: As much as I love subtle color combinations, I adore the intense, rich colors even more... must be all the years of gardening in the shade! Deanne, your containers are always dreamy and lush.
Posted: 9:10 am on July 15th

elizh writes: Beautiful! Posted: 8:45 am on July 15th

deerfeeder writes: Any hints for when I have to be away? I am: putting all pots in shade but in a place where they would catch any rain, watering lots before I go and even filling up saucers under pots with water. Would it be good to trim/prune heavily? Posted: 7:47 am on July 15th

Deanneart writes: Hi ncgardener good questions!
1. All the plants in these photos are annuals or temperennials for me in NH.
2. I normally start all my container combinations in early May through the beginning of June.
3. Container plantings are naturally stressed because they are crowded into the pots. To keep them looking good all season you need to pay close attention to their watering needs. Some of these need water twice a day by end of August. I usually feed them with a liquid plant food once a week and I groom/deadhead them once a week (prune out any overaggressive growth to keep the design balanced)
4. Favorites?! LOL I love them all… It’s very hard to pick a favorite, I’ve got a great collection of acalyphas, fuchsias and abutilons and there is nothing better than coleus. The newer cultivars are fabulous. Great colors and many can be grown in full sun. I really love designing containers with dark violet and oranges.
Posted: 6:15 am on July 15th

ncgardener writes: Okay, this is great. But here are my questions:
1. Are all of the plants perennials or is that a mixture?
2. Do you start all of the containers in the Spring for all of that fullness?
3. Are there any tips for making them last?
4. Do you have any favorites or color combos?
Thanks for any help every year I try to work on my containers but end up with 1 or 2 plants that make it. Posted: 5:53 am on July 15th

Deanneart writes: What a great surprise to see the GPOD this morning! Yes indeed, I do LOVE color. Will be happy to answer any questions about my container gardening. Posted: 5:41 am on July 15th

gottagarden writes: Wow! Amazing gobs of color, love it!
Posted: 3:20 am on July 15th

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Welcome to the Fine Gardening GARDEN PHOTO OF THE DAY blog!

Every weekday we post a new photo of a great garden, a spectacular plant, a stunning plant combination, or any number of other subjects. Think of it as your morning jolt of green.

Sign up to get new posts delivered to your inbox each morning so you'll always remember to take a look, or subscribe to our RSS feed. We look forward to sharing our garden travels with you.

If you think you have a photo that we should share on the Garden Photo of the day, email us. Send hi-res images to mgervais@taunton.com with GPOD in the subject line. We'll only respond if we plan to use your photo.