Category Archives: Container Gardening

High Rise Gardening

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Back in 2019, I received a voicemail from a gentleman, and he was looking for a gardener for his balcony. I immediately felt a certain tone in his voice. Something about the phrases he used and his professional manner in his voicemail to me made me feel this would be a call worth returning. And, my friends, it was.

It led to quite the adventure of planting not only one but two high rise balconies for five years, located on the very top floor of a building in Hartford, CT. It’s a good thing I do not fear heights, because if you did, you would not be able to look over the railing at the scenes far below. It can make a person with a fear of heights queasy.

There’s something special about working in a high-rise urban situation. The background city sounds are constant, but they are not the typical sounds I hear at my home, which is filled with birds and maybe a slight sound of road traffic. On a high-rise, you hear sirens, distant constant highway background noises, an occasional high-flying hawk, and air sounds. I liked that. It is not overpowering, just there and didn’t bother me. In fact, because I have tinnitus, I rather liked the background city sounds. It drowned out my tinnitus and also the enjoyment of working in this special place, made me not focus on tinnitus either! Plus, the views were enough to not even think about the background noises.

I also liked how you are up there overlooking the world, and no one knows you are. It is a really neat and inspiring situation. One time, when working on their planters, two helicopters flew right near there, as if a pair flying together. I thought, can they see me here, and I even wondered if it was the president. I had read he visited an area in CT that day.

And after a few rounds of plantings, I started to see bees. Usually, a solo one or two. One time, the client heard a tree frog in the planters. They could not locate it, but they were amazed, and so was I! He either hitched a ride on one of my nursery pots, or could it be possible he climbed up that high?! The balconies are 38 floors up! I always liked pressing that PH button in the elevators, I have to admit.

I thought, gee, I so wish I landed this opportunity when I was younger. I was very excited to work for these clients and their balcony gardening projects, and yes, it was all very large planters the full length of the balconies. Fortunately, they referred me to another couple in the same building, so had two wonderful sets of clients and wonderful planting scenarios.

Probably the best part of it all was the upmost appreciation for my planting work and craft by these clients. I was told often that I was an artist. Can you imagine how that felt? It was wonderful and meaningful to me. And their flexibility, as they fully understood this planting situation is unique and has special challenges. They were always, always polite and understanding because things unexpected can happen on a high-rise situation with plants. I knew it would be challenging yet extremely fun and rewarding for a plant person. Plus, I liked their style. Both had their own unique style, and it was fun to think about how to best meet their needs in that regard as well.

Working on a high rise has many challenges. Try – no water sources outside. Extreme winds that will shred plants. Cold temperatures when I did winter installs. And in the summer, extreme heat. I had a lot to learn and research. And, not to mention, going up and down constantly in an elevator. I am lucky I am a thinker about organization because you have to organize all to be efficient in those situations. And I got to witness how plants respond differently in a high-rise balcony situation in planters, pots, and spaces. Plant colors are different when experiencing extreme heat, they grew to amazing large sizes in some cases, which blew me away. I would plant a small herb and it would reach the size of a shrub by the end of summer. It would shock me sometimes, like wow, they love this sunshine and heat! I read somewhere you could not grow tomatoes on a high-rise, NOT! You sure can and they were wonderful.

I thought it would be a great idea to talk about the plants which worked well in these situations and what didn’t work so well on a high-rise. And write about my high-rise balcony gardening adventures. I actually had trouble finding good books on balcony gardening. I could write one of my own I guess, but I choose to use my blog, here on Container Crazy CT, to write about scenarios I encountered in a series of posts.

It begins today!

Sneak Peak of a Row of Big Square Planters
A tapestry of succulents in long square planters – Loved how this came out in year one!

I’m not sure exactly where to start but these two images above are sneak peeks of two of the many planters. The first is client number 1 and after much thought and questions, I ended up putting together a mini garden and I loved how the deep plums accentuated it. And for the other photos, it was a mix of succulents. Some grew two to three sizes larger in one summer. It was amazing. I will write about these and many other planting arrangements as I do my series of posts upcoming!

More later!

Cathy Testa
Container Crazy CT
Date of post: 9/12/2023
Location of Photos: Hartford, CT
My Location: Broad Brook, CT

Growing Pumpkins – Round Two

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This is my 2nd year trying to grow some Long Island Cheese Pumpkins and I started them a bit too early again. They were ready by mid-August, and I’d prefer them to be ready by mid-September. Anyhow, they are just fine sitting on a table with no blemishes and curing for a week or two in the sun. I use them primarily to decorate for autumn but maybe I’ll get into growing more of them next year as a food source for winter soups and Thanksgiving pies!

The Long Island Cheese Pumpkins resembles a wheel of cheese in shape and the color is very pale compared to ordinary orange pumpkins, but I like these for the shape. The seeds for these may be directly sown into a garden or large pot or started early indoors. I started these indoors in early to mid-May of this year, and last year, I had started them indoors in mid-April. It seems early May was still a tad bit too early. So, a new date is noted for 2024.

Because squash, which this pumpkin is technically a squash, grow really fast, they should not be started earlier than 3 weeks before spring frost. It takes about 98 days till they are ready. Anyhow, if they arrive earlier than your needs, just let them cure in the sun for a week or two. Cured squash will store all winter. They are pretty cool in that regard. And because they last a long time, they are perfect for the succulent topped pumpkins I usually make to display in the home thru Thanksgiving time.

This year, I grew them in two places. One in a super big pot on my driveway and one in a large square planter on my deck. The one on the driveway worked out well because I take garden twine and help them run up the twine along a wrought iron fence. The tendrils quickly grasp on various places on the fencing, and they hang on. By having them on a twine like this, the pumpkins do not touch the ground so there is less chance of any rotting from sitting on a wet surface and no blemishes. Also, no animals messed with them. That could be because they were somewhat hidden by a background of other plants.

The one on my deck sprawled out on to the deck floor and then I let it hang over the edge of the deck. I got only one pumpkin on that one, but it was cool to see it hanging in the air, so I helped it stay put by using a hanger. Anyhow, the one on the driveway got 4 pumpkins. I’ve been just kind of experimenting and having fun with them. As I learn, maybe I’ll get into growing more next year.

One of the nice benefits of pumpkins is their huge beautiful yellow flowers – which the bees absolutely adore. Some mornings, I’d find up to 4 bees in one flower buzzing away. If you want to help pollinators, plant some pumpkins!

Pumpkin on the left (tomato plant on the right)
Pumpkin hanging from deck above.
Sitting on a table to cure for a couple weeks.

You can see the color difference in the last photo above. I kind of determined when to pick them by the firmness of the rind and also looking at the stem, but I was somewhat guessing too. Plus, the plants started to look a little worn, so I figured it was time to cut them loose around mid-August.

I watered the plants regularly with generous amounts of water, but I did not fertilize except one time with a liquid feed. The soil had compost in it in the pots. The plants prefer full to nearly full sun, and the one on the deck didn’t get as much sun as the one on the driveway. Oh I said the animals didn’t bother the pumpkins, but some of the leaves got munch off once, maybe by a brave rabbit. Brave because my cat is an excellent rabbit hunter.

I plan to do more research on pumpkins because for some reason I’m interested in them! Maybe because it seems they don’t get bothered much if provided a safe place to grow. Wish me luck for next year – I hope to have more harvested.

Have a good weekend,

Cathy Testa
Broad Brook, CT

Watering Services

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Musa drops

Just a reminder, I offer watering services for your plants during the heat of summer. Focus is on container gardens, patio pots, window boxes, hanging baskets, raised garden beds, and anything grown in pots. I also water community garden plots. I do not handle newly installed landscaping areas or trees recently planted.

If you are in need and are local to or near my area, reach out by contacting me. I’d be happy to provide more information and availability with an information sheet detailing all. While we had a great deal of rain, the hot days are coming! It is nice to return from your vacations knowing your precious plants are not going to suffer while you are gone. Plants put out the most blooms and focus on fruits in the height of summer, which is why watering and care is so important when you are away.

I also offer help with monitoring your plants for any problem insects as well while you are away. They are best caught early, and this is part of the service when watering and I’ll pick up mail or other items for you too. When plants become stressed and thirsty, it signals pests to attack. Keeping up with your watering and come home to beautiful, lush plants!

Thank you and enjoy this beautifully sunny day,

Cathy Testa
Container Crazy CT
860-977-9473 (Texts welcome. I’m also on Facebook under Container Crazy CT. DM’s welcome!)
containercathy@gmail.com

Located in the Broad Brook section of East Windsor, CT. References provided upon request.
See also http://www.WORKSHOPSCT.com for more service listings.

Date of this post: 7/11/2023

Cathy Testa’s ABOUT Section.

Camping and Plants – Acadia National Park

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Camping is a new adventure for me and my hubby, Steve. We decided to buy a small camper last year. It was quite spontaneous, somewhat. We got a bit tired of the airline scene and thought, we could give this a try.

Steve really was all for it – but I panicked a little after he signed the dotted line and thought, is camping for me? Well, long story short – I absolutely love it. You are surrounded by nature, you are forced to relax and chill, and it is a fun adventure each time we try a new place. As one of his friends said, “Camping is just plain fun.” And it is and has been so far.

It got me thinking about plants too. On our most recent journey, to the Acadia National Park area, I saw plants here and there and welp, I decided to blog today on what I spotted.

Acadia National Park

Steve was the one who picked the Acadia location. Because I knew there are lots of nature things to do there, from hiking to kayaking, I wanted to make sure we could find hiking trails and know where to go, so I picked up a book by Hilary Nangle about the Acadia National Park area and it was quite helpful. She provides maps, tips and locations for hiking and kayaking, eating, etc. She divided the book into chapters about Mount Desert Island, Schoodic Peninsula, Blue Hill Peninsula, Deer Isle, Ellsworth and Trenton and more towns.

Our first little camper! You can see my basil on the table brought from home for my cooking.

Trenton, Maine

Trenton is where we stayed at a place called Wild Acadia Camping Resort. It is near towns like Ellsworth and Bar Harbor, and we liked the location. Originally, we picked this location because it has a kid’s zone, but we are kid-less, so it was more around the thought that my younger sister might meet us there with her kids. But that didn’t happen this go around, anyhow, we did like this little campground. One of the best amenities was a new barn they have complete with wonderful bathrooms, showers (coin operated), laundry and even a sink area for doing dishes for the campers. I thought it was just beautiful. They did have flowers barrels outside but stupid me, I didn’t take a photo, but it was several barrels of petunias out front.

Barn with showers and bathrooms

Every morning a crew cleaned this new barn, and I was very impressed with it – we got lucky! I had no idea this was there, and it is new. So are two new cabins they were in the process of building. They also have tents sites and RV sites. Some more in the wooded area in the far back than others. The kids’ zone is in the front entrance areas. I liked that our site was in the back by the barn.

Anyhow, that was our home base and we enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it was cool, misty weather the whole week with rain, but it was never a downpour or total rainy day. We had breaks of sun one day, and we were never rained out of sitting by a fire at the campsite, thankfully!

Planter outside of a Store in Ellsworth

Ellsworth and Bar Harbor, ME

One day we met up with my sister, Lisa and her husband to have BBQ at a place called Mainely Meat BBQ at 15 Knox Road in Bar Harbor. It was very good and had an excellent vibe with a brewery next door. That was fun and after we decided to go to Ellsworth and do a little quaint store shopping. As Lisa and I walked store fronts, I spotted this planter above with a Coleus (with the bright lime green edges around wine-colored centers), Sweet Potatoe Vine (with the dark chocolate color), and a trailing fuzzy foliage plant (having a brain fart on the name at the moment – I’ll update!). I paused to take two photos. What a lovely combination, I thought! I loved how all three plants intermingled well together. And whomever was watering and caring for it was doing a nice job – all was very healthy. We shopped the stores here and I really liked several of them, from cool clothing to artsy finds. Worth a stop on a rainy day.

Update: The trailing silver fuzzy plant in the combination above is called: Helichrysum petiolare ‘Silver’

Roses along a shore path behind Bar Harbor Shops

Bar Harbor Area

My husband and I walked the Bar Harbor area as well on another slightly rainy day. There are several shops and restaurants. Down one side street off Main Street is a larger parking place, so we parked there and took a walkway shore path along the back that is lovely. We packed some snacks and a blanket, so we sat there admiring the views and watching boats for a while. Beach roses scented the area for us. We watched sea kayakers go by, there is a town pier to checkout, and a really nice Inn facing the water along the shore path. In the old days, we would stay in an Inn like that – but these days we are campers! LOL. And of course, there are shops and pubs. The shops had lots and lots of t-shirts and sweatshirts. Lots of trinket shops whereas Ellsworth had more artsy shops, at least I thought so.

Not Cimicifuga Plant! This is a Black Lace Elderberry!

Along the road to the parking area, where we started our walk the shore path, was a very impressive Elderberry plant. In my prior post, I mis-identified it as Cimcifuga. Their foliage is similar, and I was super tired when I wrote my blog post yesterday, ooops! I realized my error this morning. Either way, it was one of those that I knew the plant, but my brain fog made me forget the name at the time and later. Must be getting old! LOL.

Crabapple Tree at Lamoine State Park Beach

Lamoine State Park and Beach were not that far from our camping place, so one day, I said, let’s go look at it – maybe it is a nice place to camp next time we come out this way. They charge $6 per person to enter the area beach area, and because it was rainy or wet like weather, the place was pretty much void of people. There were a couple of people fishing and a few just kind of looking at the views like we did from the beach. It has a big vast ocean view, and I noticed this tree as we stood at the beach. I believe it is a crabapple. Anyhow, the beach area is not huge, and neither was the parking, so I can imagine when sunny and busy, it may be tricky to get a spot there. It has a boat launch too. There was also the state park with campsites area, however, we were not allowed to go there so we could not see how it was set up. Apparently, the state park area is 55-acres. I was disappointed to not be able to drive thru to see how it was setup.

My homegrown basil
Yummy pasta creation with Gorgonzola Sauce

After several days of grilling food, we really had a hankering for some pasta by our fire at the campsite. I had purchased some Gorgonzola Cream Sauce from Difiore’s in Ellington and made up this quick recipe with my basil, of course. I cooked the small sized brussel sprouts in a little bit of olive oil and tossed them around for a while. The were frozen in a bag, and then I added the yummy sauce, some white wine, and angel-hair pasta that was pre-boiled, and wow, I have to say, it was just delicious! Maybe it was that sauce and the fact it was like a cool fall wet day; we gobbled it up!

Lively Lobsters!

We also had lobsters, of course, while in Maine – and found this place from the book I referenced above. Wow, it did not disappoint. Nothing like fresh lobsters while viewing views of the pier and ocean, and boats. This place was 12 miles from our campsite location and worth the drive. It is called Beal’s Lobster Pier at 182 Clark Road, Southwest Harbor area.

We did tons and tons of other activities, from walks to browsing areas. Two favs of the week were the drive to Schoodic Point and Peninsula of Acadia National Park. And hiking Ocean Path starting at Otter Cliffs on the one sunny day we had. Those were amazing sights to see. We did not eat and only sit by campfires but the weather prevented us from some hikes and kayak plans. There’s always next time!

I hope to take more photos on the next camping adventure and continue sharing it with you. I think it will become a new hobby for me.

Thanks for visiting!

Cathy Testa
http://www.ContainerCrazyCT.com
Located in Broad Brook, CT
Date of this post: 7/10/2023
Location of Camping: Trenton, Maine

Salvias – Plant Them if You Want Hummingbirds

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Salvias are definitely a favorite by the hummingbirds visiting my surroundings at home. I have 2 male hummingbirds and I’ve seen one female hummingbird so far. Every evening, one visits my Salvia blooms between 5 and 6 pm.

Cathy T’s Planters at Home with Salvias, Sky Petunias, and other plants.

This one with the fuchsia-colored blooms seem to be his favorite. A male hummingbird pops by it and bounces from bloom to bloom. This one I don’t have the plant tag for but the darker Salvia in the taller planter is Salvia Rockin’ Deep Purple.

Salvia Rockin’ Deep Purple

The Rockin Deep Purple hybrid is a bit shorter than the other one. I’m not sure if the other one just bolted more due to weather conditions. Rockin Deep Purple Salvia reaches about 30-40″ tall per the plant’s tag.

Salvia with Fuchsia-colored Blooms

I didn’t have a tag for this one, but it has the most beautiful vivid deep fuchsia color to its blooms. They all have an upright and vertical habit and bloom till end of the summer season here in Connecticut. They are treated as an annual here in Connecticut as well.

Sky Petunias

I wanted more color this year in my planters to attract the hummingbirds and butterflies. Although I’ve witnessed butterflies going by my trees near my house often this year, I still haven’t managed to catch one on a bloom. The Sky Petunia annuals really add a nice pop of color. Although, I tend to love big foliage plants, I decided to add these along with the Salvia plants. The hummingbirds do not feed from the Petunias (yet). I’ve seen them look at them, but they do not feed for whatever reason.

My New Blue Glazed Pot

My sister-in-law gave me this nice big blue glazed pot because she moved into an apartment and there is no place for outdoor gardens. She generously donated this pot to me. So, yesterday, I wanted to again add color around my deck and got a Salvia Black & Bloom to plant with these other annuals.

Sweet Georgia Heart Light Green (Sweet Potatoe Vine).

I added a Sweet Potatoe Vine with a bright light green color to give an additional contrasting pop of color. I felt like I hadn’t planted a sweet potato vine in years. It was like being reunited with an old friend. This one picks up on the colors of the Coleus in the planter which has edges in a similar color. Sweet potatoes vines are vigorous once they get established so it will spill over the pot’s edges eventually.

Coleus Vino

I swear I had no idea this cultivar was called Coleus Vino! LOL! Contrast is so key and the darker tone next to the bright tone of the potatoe vine would work I thought when I grabbed this Coleus. The edges are perfect to pair.

Salvia Black & Bloom

This one has many flower buds about to open. I think this one is popular and I’ve seen huge plants of this one before many times. It reaches 24-36″ tall and blooms spring till fall. I’m hoping my humminbird friend will spot this one as well soon.

The Salvias like full to part sun, and the Coleus likes full sun and/or shade.

In the center of the blue planter, I put an upright Alocasia that is just starting to push its top growth out of the soil. Hopefully all will look splendid together this summer as the planter fills out.

Tucked in the back is a Heliotrope. A purple bloomer.

Heliotrope

I think I saw Heliotropes for the first time when I worked at a small business in Grandby. The owner liked these and used them a lot. They are low-maintenance, just like Salvias, in my opinion. However, I felt they were (the Heliotropes that is) a bit old fashioned looking for my taste. I must be getting older cause I like them now, but my overall goal was more color in my container gardens.

As for the hummingbirds, I am always thrilled to see and hear them around me. I put out feeders with the sugar water and one trick I do to make sure the sugar water remains fresh is I don’t fill the feeders all the way. I usually put about 1/3 of the mix in there and it forces me to refresh it often. Sometimes sugar water goes sour and that can make the hummingbirds sick or may even die. It is also good to keep sugar water out of full sun and wash the feeders between refills. I would never want to hurt a hummingbird as they are far too precious.

About two weeks ago, I witness a hummingbird do a u-shape pattern by my honeysuckle perennial plant in the ground. They like honeysuckles too. But back to the dance he did, I witnessed that same thing a few years back. I read it has to do with a mating dance. As noted below on Princeton’s website, they dive up and down (to me as a u-shape) and it is a super-fast motion. Very cool to witness!

I also have seen a hummingbird perch on the power lines to the corner of my house. Every evening, around 6 pm, there he is perched. He looks left to right up and down for about 5 or so minutes, takes off, comes back and does it again. I started to wonder if he/or maybe it is she, has a nest nearby in my front landscape.

“Hummingbirds are no exception when it comes to snazzy performances, as males of many species perform spectacular courtship dives. Broad-tailed hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) fly up to 100 feet in the air before sweeping down toward a perched female, then climb back up for a subsequent dive in the opposite direction. At the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, home to a population of breeding broad-tailed hummingbirds, researchers from Princeton University have been investigating how hummingbirds combine speed, sound and color in their displays. Their work appears in the Dec. 18 issue of the journal Nature Communications.”

https://www.princeton.edu/news/2018/12/18/hummingbirds-dive-dazzle-females-highly-synchronized-display

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Lastly, above it the Salvia plant label. I spotted some yesterday at Dzens garden stand, and you could probably find these at The Garden Barn in Vernon, CT or at Revay’s Garden Center in Broad Brook, CT. However, some of the local nurseries are already low on stock and/or appear to be closing. I think June 14th is way too early to close shop, but I realize patterns dictate. However, us plant junkies do need our plant fixes all summer long. If you see some good Salvias and want hummingbird visitors, I suggest you grab them fast. They really do attract hummingbirds!!

Happy Hump Day,

Cathy Testa
Container Crazy CT
Zone 6b, Connecticut
http://www.ContainerCrazyCT.com
http://www.WorkshopsCT.com
http://www.ContainerGardensCT.com

Find me on Facebook and Instagram under Container Crazy CT

Don’t forget – I’m offering Watering Services again this summer! It will get very hot eventually. Contact me at 860-977-9473 if you are local and have the need. Thank you – Cathy T.

Last of the Chill

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This should be it. The last of some quick short drops in temps in Connecticut during the evening. When I got up this morning around 5 am, it was 42 degrees. Now at 7 am, it is 48 degrees. Call me picky but tropical plants really don’t like below 50 degrees F.

So, what did I do? I took some Mandevilla plants into my house last night. As an “extra” precaution. The drop in temp didn’t last long (a couple hours) but I was being extra cautious because I’m planting these Mandevillas at a site tomorrow. The last thing I want is problems right before planting day.

I had some issues with Mandevilla last year and this has led me to being frustrated with them. Sure, “IF” they are healthy to start with AND the temperatures are well suited for them to grow well, all is good. Little to no problems. But “IF” they are having issues even before picking them up, it leads to problems (e.g., leaf drop, leaf yellowing, blooms with brown spots, or tips of the vines blackened). I’ve seen it all. And as you probably know, they are not cheap. They are a pricier plant, so we don’t want issues with them.

This frustration led me to do some researching and I am reading some thrip insect issues are occurring in Florida on many plants and Mandevilla was listed as being one of them. Thrips are a big PIA in the planting growing industry. Is this why the Mandevillas are showing up with problems? Not sure, but that problem is bigger than little old me can handle. It is a issue to the insect experts in the industry. So far, I don’t see thrips on my plants and that is good. You don’t want those pests in your growing environments.

So, I am very careful about which Mandevilla plants I buy when it comes to Mandevilla now. I inspect them carefully and if I see signs of issues, I stay away from those. I literally hand pick them. If I see an issue, I immediately say nope.

Mandevillas tend to show up at our local nurseries early in the season, but they are heat loving plants. The nurseries will usually keep them indoors in their greenhouses until it is warm enough outside. Or they should be in my opinion. Otherwise, they get exposed and can develop issues.

When I pick up Mandevillas before outdoor safe planting time, which I prefer actually not to do (pick up too early but sometimes you have to or they may run out), I keep them in the greenhouse if it is below 50 F degrees outdoors still and put them outside during the days when warm and sunny. Most of the time, I put them on my driveway where it heats up well and there is some protection by the garage wall during the day.

We have had beautiful weather the past two weeks (minus the late spring frost we got on 5/17-5/18). On those nights when it was either a frost or a quick low temp hit which does not frost but low temp (lower than 50 degress F) – I’ve had to carry them back inside. It is a PIA. Because the pots are heavy and they have long tall 5-6 foot poles in them. But it gives me a bit of a workout. LOL.

But is that worth it? Are planting vining Mandevilla plants worth all the trouble? Absolutely yes, when they thrive. Which my plantings have for several years. I feel like issues surfaced more with them the past couple of years and that is frustrating for little ol’ me. I’ve written about Mandevillas before, and how wonderful they are and what a beautiful show they put on. It is on my other website, here is the link:

For an Amazing Wall of Flowers, Consider Mandevilla Tropical Plants in Summer in Connecticut
Stunning photos of Mandevillas planted by Cathy Testa of Container Crazy CT.

I’m hoping this morning’s quick chill was the last of it. My house had the company of some nice blooming Mandevilla last night which I will once again carry back outside today. Today will be a stunning day. Full of sunshine so that is good. Oh! Yesterday it wasn’t just the drop (a quick one) but it was windy too. I could feel that whip of cold air at times even when the sun was out.

As I’ve said repeatedly, Memorial Day is the safe time to start planting warm loving tropicals and warm-loving vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, etc.). And it is also safe for Basil. Basil does not like the cold. When I walked to my greenhouse this morning, I was still in my PJ’s and slippers (too lazy to put on my flipflops), and the ground was very cold and wet. That to me is a reminder, the ground is still very chilly. Containers are a big of a different story and warmer. But you get the idea. The ground is cold until it warms up well which should be happening now that we are past this cold crap, LOL.

We are scoring an amazing weekend of weather for Memorial Day – AMEN! Will be perfect to do my site plantings and get started on my home plantings. It has been so very tempting to cheat – remember in April? We had an 89 degree F day! WTF. That is nuts, right? What happened is everyone got antsy. One garden center told me people were asking for tomato plants in April – that is way too early for them to be planted but I think everyone got super anxious and I don’t blame them. I did too.

I only tempted fate by putting out my agaves and cacti. On the late frost we got, I covered them with sheets that night. Cacti, remember, can take a dip in cold – that happens in the dessert where they are from. But tender annuals, tomatoes, etc. – that would impact them, and it may not show up right away. What happens is they may look fine but they won’t grow if they were exposed to too cold of temps They will just sit there – stubborn as heck.

Well, rant over! It is go-time this weekend. I need a real good night of sleep tonight and then working tomorrow. I see it will be like a summer day! 70 degrees expected tomorrow. That is nice. No rain, no cold, just warm sunshine with the birds and tree frogs chirping. Finally.

Oh, and why did I carry these into the house? Cause my greenhouse is full and plus it was a shorter walk, LOL. My cat curled up under them and slept there last night. Guess she likes the Mande vibe.

Enjoy your weekend!

Cathy Testa
Plant Crazy Enthusiast
http://www.ContainerCrazyCT.com (this blog)
http://www.WorkshopsCT.com (misc plant services)
http://www.ContainerGardensCT.com (container services)

Cozy for the Nite
Inspecting the Blooms
Nice blooms on this one.

Frost Arrived in Connecticut Overnight in 2023 on…

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If you are on practically any Facebook gardening page, you saw the plethora of posts by people preparing for the pockets of freezing temperatures in areas of Connecticut and Massachusetts, as announced by the weather stations for the evening of May 17, 2023, and early morning of May 18, 2023.

Many nurseries also posted warnings to take in your hanging baskets, potted plants, and cover any plants you may have put into your gardens of the ground. They wrote titles such as, “Frost/Freeze” warnings. It was noted to occur in areas of New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It was important for plant lovers to heed their warnings and take “precautions” depending on where in the state you are located.

Because we have had spectacular weather for the past week or so, and Mother’s Day was just last weekend, many people got their plants started outside and patio pots were probably potted up and hanging baskets of annuals were hanging. Some of these items were probably easy to take in (such as the lightweight pots, and the hangers) while others may have been a real chore to move for some protection.

Even though I know the potential for frost and kept some of my plants in my greenhouse, I still had some out too which I was acclimating to the outdoor environments, and I even moved a few plants up to my deck but most of my pots have been empty because I wait till Memorial Day to plant my tomatoes, peppers, succulents, cacti, agaves, and Alocasias and Colocasia (elephant ears), etc. Anything tropical, cold sensitive, and any warm loving vegetables stay inside. I only take them out to harden off (acclimate) on good days this time of year and wait it out till Memorial Day to plant permanently in their intended locations – but it was rough to wait!

Light sheets were used to cover up the plants I did move out to the deck that I felt would be okay, like some Yucca plants I have in pots. But a lot of the smaller items I had out got moved in. My petunias, a few of the Mandevillas I was acclimating on my driveway, the Alocasias in two pots still small enough to lift, the Mangaves, and some Agaves. Anything with succulent like tender foliage (like the Mangaves, they have foliage similar to Aloe if you crack them open, they have gel inside).

So, we got our exercise last night. I did not cover up my amazing tree Peony as shown below in the photos. Plants which have been growing in my landscape for years, like my gorgeous yellow-blooming Peony, I didn’t bother to cover up. I checked them this morning and they looked okay.

Frost on the windshield of your car or truck is a good indication that yup, it got cold enough to get “frosty” on windshields, but just how long did the drop in temps last? It may have been quick, only an hour or so just above or just below freezing. At 4:30 am, it was reading 35 degrees F on my weather app. So, bear in mind, it was quick and not a drop you would get in winter that would surely completely kill your plants.

While this type of frost may not outright kill some of the plants you risked leaving outside, it will stress them. I didn’t want to subject the Mandevillas I am holding for a client to this quick frosty episode because then the plants’ leaves drop off, the plant gets a bit stressed, and they are temperamental to start with so even those have 5 ft poles in them, I took 3 into my house. The rest of my Mandevilla are still cozy in my greenhouse.

After years of stressing out about plants, I kind of know which are more susceptible and need to be babied in these situations and which are possibly okay risking. As I have noted in my recent posts, I always use May 12th as an estimated last frost date. This year, frost came a bit later (May 17-18, 2023) and I have already marked this on my calendar so that when I get my 2024 calendar to hang on my office wall, I will have already noted that it arrived on May 17-18. Even with me noting May 12th, that is safe because I don’t permanently put the plants out – I am usually hardening them off – by putting them out during the day to get acclimated and taking them in at night if I felt it dropped below 50 degrees.

I do believe that we are safe now – except for tonight – they said this occurrence of a quick drop in temps may fall again tonight, May 18th, for some areas of the state. Massachusetts was colder than CT last night, and my uncle, who has an amazing garden in New Hampshire, posted snow falling yesterday! When I see his posts, I know it is true that frost will hit us. And it did.

I tend to make a note here on my blog to serve as my reminder.

What I took in:

Sky Petunias – which are in tiny pots (they smell so strong; I took them in last cause I’m actually sensitive to the scent).
My Mangaves – because a) not frost tolerant and b) tender succulent foliage is more likely to get damaged.
Mandevilllas – They tend to get stressed, and I don’t like that cause it sets them up for leaf problems. They don’t care for below 50.
Agaves – Those prob would have been fine, but what the heck, if they weren’t too heavy, I took some smaller ones inside.
Alocasias – That were overwintered in the greenhouse, were outside to acclimate for a few days already, and were not too big yet and still in medium pots. They have tender foliage too. If the foliage were to get damaged from the frost, it would probably regrow from the tubers below the soil, but I just figured, take those two in.
Cacti and smaller Succulents – I had some on the deck in small terracotta pots, what the heck I took those into my bedroom, so it would be easy to put them back outside. Cacti can take cold drop, but the succulents cannot.
Houseplant Hanger – I overwintered a houseplant in the greenhouse and had that hanging outside for a few days now, in it came.

I probably will leave most of the smaller pots in today and tonight. I’m taking the Mandevillas out for the day and back in tonight and then finally this routine will be done! Friday night will be plant celebration time! Along with happy hour!

Remember, note the 2023 Frost Dates for reference and reminders next year. And enjoy the rest of your spring and summer planting season. I hope next week’s weather will be as pleasant cause I have lots of plant work to do.

Thanks!

Cathy T.
Container Crazy CT Blog
Zone 6b
Broad Brook, CT

Screen shot at 4:30 am on 5/18/2023
My gorgeous tree Peony blooms before the frost episode!
After the frost episode – a little stressed but the flower petals didn’t drop off – yet!
Frosty on the vehicles this am!
Two Alocasias that were in my greenhouse and outside for a few days – Took these in last night – Pots not too heavy.
Mandevilla and Dipladenia I have in the greenhouse
Yuccas I had put outside for a few days, then had moved to the deck – I covered these up with a light bed sheet last night.
Agaves with thick skin may have been okay – like this one but I took a few in, and others are still in my greenhouse.

Possible Pockets of Frost in CT and Mass 2023

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That is what two televisions station weathermen said last night (5/9/23), that we may get “possible pockets of frost in some areas” of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

If you look at my prior posts and some from past posts about when to expect our last spring frost date, I always use May 12th. The possible frost in some areas of CT (and MA) was announced for last night.

I am not going to count my chickens before they hatch, but this could mean we are fairly safe to put out warm season annuals, at least during the day, like Petunias.

Tomatoes and peppers wait till Memorial Day still for me – but it is a great time to harden off plants outdoors that you have started indoors from seed to acclimate them to the sun and temperatures gradually – remember shade first for those baby seedling starter plants and gradually into the sun every day for a few hours, back inside at night. If you put them directly into sun, the leaves will get sun scald/burn, and you will see white patches on the leaves the next day. And avoid windy days as you harden off plants.

As for the tropical plants, I still wait on some, like I won’t put out my Mandevillas yet, but other plants are going out! Yippee. Oh, and I don’t put out basil yet either – they like warmth like tomatoes or peppers do.

Last night, I used a bed sheet to cover up some Yucca plants which have been in pots in my greenhouse all winter. They are hardy but they were inside all winter, so with every plant I take out of the greenhouse, I introduce them to shade for a couple days first or dappled sun, then move them into full sun if they are sun lovers.

All the deck furniture is out – the patio umbrellas are out; the cushions are out! Just waiting to glam up all with my plants!

Hope you are enjoying this fantastic weather this week. (P.S. I saw a couple hummingbirds this week, so I put out the feeders too.)

Cathy Testa
Broad Brook, CT
Zone 6b
Container Gardener
Date of this post: 5/10/23; Wednesday
Potential Frost Pockets: 5/9/23, Tuesday evening

Light Bed Sheets are perfect for a little protection when the weatherman announced a potential light frost in springtime overnight.

Is it okay to buy annuals now and plant them now?

3 Comments

This was a question posed by a person on a Facebook group page of CT gardeners today (5/5/2023). Great question, and it also included the statement of, “There are annuals being sold everywhere right now.”

Yes, the garden centers and nurseries are packed right now. Not unusual, I think, especially with Mother’s Day around the corner (next weekend). However, as tempted as we are to plant now, some plants (such as annuals) should probably wait until we are beyond chances of a spring frost and when the soil temperatures are warmer.

What is confusing is that our climate is constantly changing. We have global warming experiences and fluxes of crazy warm temperatures sometimes during the spring season. All of this leads us to wanting to plant now.

What is a person to do? Wait? Plant and risk it? Get plants and wait. All of these choices are applicable.

Comments and Responses to the Question:

I loved the commenters’ responses to the question posed above. I had to share them and my thoughts on each! Here they are:

“I look at the ten-day forecast in the middle of May. If it looks good, I plant. I get too anxious.”

  • That is good advice actually. I’ve always told folks watch the weatherman/women talk about the weather in mid-May. They usually give a heads-up if a frost is about to occur but usually that is only a one-to-two-day warning or less. However, you may use your weather apps or watch weather forecasters on television to get an idea of the next 10 days. As noted in my prior posts, I always use May 12th as my estimated last spring frost date in Connecticut (Zone 6b) area. So, start watching the weather next Friday.

“May’s full flower moon, and fully leafed out maple trees are always a good indicator for when it’s safe to plant annuals, tropicals and most herbs. I’ll start Sunday.”

  • Interesting on this commenter’s comment of the fully leafed maple trees! We use the maple trees to determine when to take the pool cover off our pool – after our maple tree is fully leafed out and because they drop samaras (winged seeds) first, and those make a mess. I never use the “moon” to gauge my planting time, but people do – and that was interesting advice.

“I always wait until after Mother’s Day and full moon. Last year was so cold but I planted my tomatoes around May 20th and I had a bumper crop.”

  • May 20th is probably somewhat safe; only about 9 days before Memorial Day timing (which I use as safe planting for tropicals, tomatoes, succulents, cacti, and annuals). But be sure to also tack on the ‘ten-day forecast in middle of May advice’ along with that timing by watching the forecasts, and you may use this as your gauge if you are okay with risking it and your internal mind is sure all is okay. (Again, I use Memorial Day as the safest planting date.) It is possible your yard or garden has a unique micro-climate situation based on how it is situated too. I know this is confusing, but some people get anxious and go for it.

“I buy now to get the best selection and then store on an enclosed porch until planting time in mid to late May.”

  • Also, excellent advice. If you have a place like an enclosed heated porch, heated greenhouse, and an attached garage that doesn’t get too cold at night, picking up plants to get the best selection now and waiting to put them outdoors is a choice. Just bear in mind, environmental stress is not good for plants and can impact their growth somewhat. I would use caution for plants that really need warm temps, but many people probably do what this commenter noted, pick up and store until safe. Or you may put some plants out on warm above 65-degree F sunny days and put them back inside the home (like hanging baskets for example) during the evenings until it is ultra safe outdoors around Memorial Day in May.

“Experience tells me to wait…some years I planted annuals before Memorial Day and spent the entire summer trying to backfill those that rotted.”

  • Note she said she planted annuals (in the ground). Remember, the ground is still very cold. Dig a little hole and feel the soil right now. Warm loving plants like warm soils (think tomatoes). So, while the air temperature and sunshine may feel right, the ground is cold and sometimes very damp from April showers. This led to rot on some of her annuals as she noted.

“From someone that has lost many plants due to frost in May, I’d be patient a little longer.”

  • I always note the frost incidents on my calendar, and I swear, I just don’t recall a frost in May of last year (2022), but IT DOES HAPPEN usually – thus, why I personally use Memorial Day as the safe planting time for annuals, tropicals, tomatoes, succulents, cacti. You may be safe putting out containers and patio pot during the day right now, because those are easily movable, or putting out hanging baskets, then if a frost comes thru one night in mid-May bring them inside that night so they don’t get killed by frost, but planting in the cold ground is riskier for warm season and non-hardy plants. They will suffer and not perform well and may die or rot.

“This is the magic questions. Usually, I wait till Memorial Day for annuals, tropical plants, succulents, warm loving tomatoes, and peppers. Frost usually occurs in mid-May but global warming seems to be changing that. It’s a tough call. Depends how safe you want to be.”

  • This comment above was my response to the question. I know, I know, it is super frustrating to wait. I have to wait for some of my client site plantings because I certainly don’t want to do all that work and have it fail. I so wish I could start right now! But at home, I tend to mix up the rules a bit. I have a Yucca in a pot – I moved it outside and it is fine. I actually moved it out because I found tiny ants in it – I also moved out one of my Alocasias in a pot because it was struggling anyhow (so, willing to risk it struggling and see how it does). But anything really healthy that needs warm temps, I’m waiting on. Next week, we have a mid-40’s at night range to anywhere from 62-70-75-degree days! Today’s temperature range (per my weather app) is from 42 degrees F to 62 degrees F and supposed to be mostly cloudy. Combine all the factors and make the decision which is best for you. Everyone is different. I know my Dad always said he waits till Memorial Day to plant his garden and today is his birthday, so it is a reminder, he is a wise old (sorry Dad, LOL) gardener. He has decades of experience!

The second part of this person’s question was: “Should I wait a week or two to be sure the threat of frost is gone?”

If you want to be super safe, and not risk the plant’s health and growth, then I say, yes. But this is the crux of it all, I believe, in my opinion, global warming is changing things. Years ago, Canna Lily plants would not survive in the ground, now they are – as an example. We have been having crazy weather experiences all over the country. What I mean is the golden “Dad” rule of waiting is best and has been for years, but things are changing with our climate and weather.

And don’t forget that Mother Nature creates unusual freakish weather scenarios sometimes. One year, after I planted on Memorial Day, we had the worst windstorm, torrential constant cold rain and the temperatures dropped super low over that weekend from a freak storm. I was devastated. I did lots of work and was worried about the damage and how the plants would or could recover! That is just an example. No matter what we do, we can’t fool Mother Nature.

Have a good weekend!

Cathy Testa
Plant Enthusiast and Plant Blogger
Container Gardening Obsessed
Broad Brook, CT 06016

Date of this post: May 5, 2023 (Friday)

Is it okay to buy annuals now and plant them now? Great question, See people's responses and my comments on that subject! Enjoy!
Variegated Yuccas – Were in the Greenhouse all winter, the one on the right had tiny ants in the soil I discovered – I put it outside and left it there since last week. It is doing okay. Need to repot it. Those tiny ants found their way to the pot’s soil – what a PIA they can be. Easily remedied though, repotting it will fix that. Note Yuccas are technically hardy, but these have been in my greenhouse all winter. So, they are okay moved outside early if need be (due to the ants!).
White Mandevilla I got recently, as noted by the person who said they pick up now and keep indoors – that is what I’m doing with a few of these healthy Mandevillas I acquired recently. I won’t put this outdoors till Memorial Day. Environmental stress is not good for these, they tend to suffer when left out in the cold! They are tropical. They have been in hot environments and shipped here, so think about that – you have been sunning in warm cozy temps and then someone puts you outdoors without a jacket – That’s shocking to the system! These are sensitive to cold snaps – keep them inside until Memorial Day.
Pansies I put out in early April – they are doing great! They are my color filler around my house until it is safe to plant the warm loving plants in my life outdoors later in May. In the meantime, stick with pansies or perennials which bloom in the springtime (and of course the daffs and tulips give us spring color) – those are options to serve as eye candy as well until we can enjoy the other heat loving flowering plants which we want to put outdoors.

Headliner Sky Petunias Caught My Attention Last Summer

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Last summer, I noticed some beautiful Headliner (TM) Sky petunias at a client’s home when watering her plants. I had seen them in grower trade magazines and didn’t think much of them at that time, but her use of them in her pots and window boxes got me a bit more interested and excited about these galaxies of spotted white patterns on the sky petunia’s blooms. I remember thinking to myself as I watered her plants, “Wow, she has some of those sky petunias I read about…I wonder where she got them from?”

Headliner (TM) Sky Petunia – Purple Color

If you haven’t seen them before, they have speckled white patterns, spots or splashes of white areas reminiscent of a galaxy of stars or perhaps, a Star Wars themed look! A purple one caught my attention yesterday when browsing a nursery because my sister-in-law’s favorite color is purple. I know it is too early to put petunias outdoors right now in early May because they prefer warmer temperatures and are not frost tolerant, but since this nursery had some small sized pots of these, I grabbed 8 of them. Two of the purple, and then grabbed 2 reds, 2 pinks, and 2 off pinks.

Headliner (TM) Strawberry Sky Petunia

I kind of felt I was taking a chance because I know I will have to maintain them indoors for a few weeks, but these plants looked very healthy with no signs of problems. I know petunias can be prone to issues from aphids or rot at stem bases, so I considered those plant care aspects, but I want to try some out this summer. I will watch them carefully for the next two to three weeks, water appropriately, and all that jazz until I plant them into a combination, hanger, or perhaps a dish garden.

So, this morning, I decided to read up on them via some google searches. Imagine my surprise, when I discovered the plant breeder/inventor is an Italian Plant Breeder, and a woman! I mean, I just got back from Rome, Italy. Life is funny like that sometimes! Seriously, a flower captures my attention enough to start researching it – and she is Italian! Bravo!

Plant Inventor – Antonello Capo

I believe this is she above in this Italian magazine I found on google this morning. Must be as she is holding those petunias. Ah, if only I was a scientist!! LOL! The article is written in Italian, and I didn’t learn enough Italian to read this but pretty cool to find this now as I was just in Italy two weeks ago. I’m also impressed by the list of patents she has at this website:

https://patents.justia.com/inventor/antonella-capo

I located a list of her plant patents on the website listed in the above URL. Yes, plants have patents which means plant propagation is prohibited, and enforced by plant growers. When you look at plant labels, check out the patent number on the bottom of the plant tag. I’m sure propagating these on a large scale without obtaining the approriate approval is a no no in the bz, so that just FYI stuff.

Headliner (TM) Pink Sky

I typically avoid petunias in my container gardens because they need cleaning a bit meaning removing dead blooms, they tire out late summer into fall (and I like long bloomers into the Autumn season), and I guess they are somewhat traditional, but these sky series are a bit more intriguing to me. And the tag indicates they bloom into autumn, so that will be remained to be seen as I use these new ones. I’ll be sure to take photos all season. Also, petunias are prone to insects in certain environments, so I tend to stay away from them. I prefer the smaller ones as noted below.

In researching them further, day and night temperatures will either increase or decrease the splashes of white patterns on the blooms. This website called ZME Science, noted below, explains this scenario pretty well:

https://www.zmescience.com/science/night-sky-petunias-03042019/#:~:text=They%E2%80%99re%20called%20%E2%80%9CNight%20Sky%E2%80%9D%20petunias.%20There%E2%80%99s%20nothing%20cosmic,careful%20selection%20by%20Italian%20plant%20breeder%20Antonella%20Capo.

The white pattern of these flowers isn’t constant — it only emerges when there’s a big temperature difference between day and night during the summer. Basically, you need hot days above 24°C (75°F) and colder nights of around 17°C (63°F). When it’s hot during both the day and the night, the coloring becomes almost solid purple, and when the opposite happens, it moves towards white.

By ZME Science
Photo of them in a hanging basket at the nursery (photo taken on 5/3/2023 by C Testa)

I noticed the blooms have a delicate scent and I’m sure hummingbirds will notice these. My idea is to monitor how they grow, note how the color changes, and be mindful of the fact these need to be watched for insects before I plant them out into larger containers.

They are sun lovers blooming from spring to autumn per the plant tag. They like medium moisture and reach a height of 10-16 inches. Full sun means 6 or more hours a day. I will not put them outside till around Memorial Day or put them out on warm days until I feel it is safe from cold night temperatures. It is best to wait for consistent mid 50-60’s at night for warm loving annuals and/or tropical plants. Petunias are annuals here in our CT gardening plant zones.

In the past, I primarily prefer Calibrachoa and smaller petunias in my dish gardens or patio pots. I’ve paired them up with succulents many times. Here are a few photos of those. The add bloom power to the arrangements, but take note, often times the flowering petunia plants overtook the planters by the end of summer and covered the succulents.

Dish Garden by Cathy Testa
Dish Garden by Cathy Testa of Container Crazy CT
Agave with regular pink petunias (few years back) by C. Testa
Headliner (TM) Pink Sky – Petunia – Mix with Other Sun Lovers

As for a combination, hmmm, I really will be using my eye power to figure out the best combo’s with these. I think because of their unusual patterns, it may be somewhat tricky to decide. I find when I put plants next to each other and let my eyes do the talking is the best method. You could leave them solo in a hanger as well. If I find some combinations I really find striking with theses, I’ll be sure to post photos here later this year.

Have you tried these already? What are your thoughts and experiences?!

Thank you for visiting.

Cathy Testa
Plant Enthusiast
Container Gardeners
Located in Broad Brook, CT
See also:

http://www.WorkshopsCT.com
http://www.ContainerGardensCT.com
http://www.ContainerCrazyCT.com (you are here, my blog)

See a couple Italy photos below!

Cathy Testa with Hubby, Top of Spanish Steps in Rome 2023!
Cathy Testa – In Rome!