Red, White, and… Green?

Call this an “after the 4th” post, an update on the front porch post, or whatever you please… here’s what’s been living on our door “step” for the last month or two:

Figured it was time to give it some attention. 🙂 PS. If you’re hankering for some true red, white, and blue action, check out the real deal here. Anywho, our last porch- focused efforts consisted of making a spring wreath, but since then this space hasn’t changed much. I decided it was high time to fill the planter (that had previously housed Christmasy things) with some lush greenery and flowers.Knowing nothing about how to make flower pot arrangements or which plants to include/exclude, etc. I did some research (aka. asked my mom and some of my co-workers at church). A few plant names that kept coming up were:

Dracaena Spike (good for the center of the pot to create an “anchor”)

Verbena (a good filler and source of color, comes in reds, pinks, whites, and blues)

Impatients (floral, easy to care for, comes in reds, whites, pinks, purples)

Persian Shield (a good “standout” option because of its bright iridescent purple color)

Coleus (a good leafy filler, comes in different shades and combinations of greens and reds)

Sweet Potato Vine (a good leafy filler, bright green in color)

Wave Petunia (floral, comes in reds, pinks, purples, whites, blues)

Whew, what a list! Needless to say, I didn’t use all of them, but it was still helpful to get an idea of some of the basics that most people use when creating an arrangement. To help narrow down the choices, I went with plants that do okay in shade (our front porch is covered and does not get any sun) and stuck with ones that I could easily find at most stores (no extravagant plant hunting for me). Here is what I ended up using:

1. Dracaena Spike (Lowes)- I chose a small one, figuring that it would grow, but aiming for something that would not take over the small porch space.

2. Coleus (Lowes)- I decided right off the bat that I wanted to go with a pink/red and green theme, so a few variations of this plant helped with that. I don’t have a picture of when I first planted these, but they have definitely grown and filled in to probably twice their original size.

3. Impatients (Produce Junction)- Again, I chose red and white flowers to compliment the color scheme and have found that they too have spread out as they grow.

Every so often, I drag the pot to the backyard for the day to get some sunlight, but for the most part, things are doing quite well on our shady porch! I’m just excited that I learned something new and was able to figure out a way to create something I’ve never made before. My tip to other beginners: start small. There’s no reason to stress out about making the largest and most extravagant planter arrangement in all the land. I found that choosing just three plant types and learning the basics as I went was a great first time experience. Sure, there are things I’d tweak next time (like possibly putting the coleus on the inside and the impatients on the outside because the coleus got taller than I expected it to), but that’s how you learn, right?Oh, and for some extra bonus front porch material, here’s the other beauty that’s been hangin’ out with us. Literally.I know, it’s hard to see… let me show you up close:

I picked up this Vinca (I’m pretty sure that’s what it is…) at Produce Junction for just five buckaroos and we have been loving how it blooms with pink bursts all through summer. After being away for a week one time we came back to it looking pretty dead, but after a few large cups of water, she was back in business! Hooray! I love coming home from work to these cute pink flowers, but an unexpected joy is getting to see them from inside, through the family room window.

Ok, now that I’ve rattled on for long enough, I’m outta here to enjoy me some summer sun as I tackle a weed issue that has crept up in our backyard. More on that as I attempt to wrangle the beast.

-Leslie