I bought all the plants in the tank for $16, I believe, because I already had the sweet potato vine from overwintering. I bought 18 four inch pots of the coleus at $0.50 each, and I got 4 elephant ear tubers for $7. The coleus was the bit that worried me as it was beginning to bolt.
Since being planted in the tank, the coleus have cooled their breeches and are enjoying the good life. I'm guessing they were bolting due to stress and pessimism. Of course, it probably doesn't hurt that I've been going out pinching the growth to fill in the tank fully with beautiful moundy goodness.
The sweet potato vine is very, very small right now, but it grows ridiculously fast in the tank and will soon create a bib of lime leaves around the front which is part of "the vision" - the colors will go from lime (sweet potato vine) to variegated lime (coleus) to green (elephant ear).
The really strange thing is I don't much like the tropical look, but inevitably my tank looks tropical. Perhaps it's because tropicals can go from nothing to really big in a growing season?
What annuals are you growing this year?
Oh my! I Love your Stock Tank! Great selection of plants you have there to fill it. I'm not much for the tropical look either, but you are right that the offer fast growth and a lush look in a growing season.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm particularly in love with the coleus, which is my guilty gardening pleasure.
DeleteGorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
DeleteThat's exactly what I was thinking (not a big Tropical person either). Sometimes they are the best solution, with their fast growth rate and lush habit :-)
ReplyDeleteI've tried other plants, but the tropicals always come through for me and fill in for a show stopper - the stock tank is a major focal point in the front garden.
DeleteOver here is all tropicals ;-) Your stock tank combination is really attractive. Those 'ears' popping out from those coleuses look really cute!
ReplyDeleteHa! Tropicals here are generally annuals because we get too cold during the winter. And thanks!
DeleteI do like the tropical look, I guess because you really see it only indoors around here. Lime green is a color I adore and the combo you have in the stock take is lovely.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has their thing! I can appreciate the tropical look, and obviously I'm not super opposed to it or else what the hell am I doing?! lol
DeleteThanks! I thought a bright lime green display would be an interesting change for this year.
I'm actually not familiar with the term stock tank so I'm not clear what it is. Is it an indoor ornamental thing? Will the plants be transplanted into the garden?
ReplyDeleteA stock tank is a (live)stock (water) tank (e.g., cattle trough) which can be used as a giant garden container. The one above is 2' wide, 3' tall, and 6' long, and I use it like an annual focal point in the garden to give everything an extra boost of height and really awesome soil that I can water separate to everything else. Sorry for any confusion!
Deletefabulous idea - and also to change it each year by planting annuals. In that case my answer to the post is yes, I love the tropical combo. Looks new, I imagine soon they will all grow together and look really wild. The only annuals i grow are wildflowers that come and go as they wish.
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