Yesterday I “fallified” my front porch. I used several types of pumpkins and some ornamental cabbages and kale. Let’s start with how the porch looked on Sept 24.
Here is how my containers looked at the end of September. The Mojave Tangerine Portulaca that cascaded over the front of the pots was still in full flower, and the Vermillionaire Cupea (both plants from Proven Winners) was still in bloom in all the pots. Other annuals were closing up shop, however. Time for refreshing!
I decided to leave one pot of the Portulaca and Cuphea in place. The hummingbirds are still coming to the Cuphea every day so I want one there for the birds until they migrate south. I took the plants out of the pot on the right and the two upper containers on the left.
Once this pot was empty I added a bit of fresh potting soil and arranged the cabbages and kale around the rim. Note how I tipped them so that they face out instead of up. This will make them more visible as they grow and get more colorful later in the season.
After the plants were in place I used potting soil to cover the root balls. I also stuck an upside down flower pot in each container to serve as a shelf to hold a pumpkin. This raises the pumpkins up so that they don’t squash the kales and cabbages. It also holds them up off the damp soil to help prevent rot.
After the plant’s roots are covered with potting soil put in the pot at the level you want.
Finished! We grew most of the pumpkins in this display so it’s a real harvest celebration. Once the kales and cabbages grow a bit more they will fill out the base of the pumpkin displays.
You give me some long overdue inspiration. Love you talk today. Hope to find my way to the tour on Wed.