Photo by Jessica Walliser I potted a Turkey Brown fig tree with hopes of moving it to the garden later. |
When I got home last evening, I decided to fill my patio planters even though I can’t put them on the new patio until the final coat of sealant is applied. I went ahead and planted a few of them in the ground, too. This year, I’m trying to go with a more tropical feel than I have in the past, sticking with more foliage plants than with flowering.
Last fall, I bought four huge matching glazed terra-cotta pots on sale from a local nursery, figuring I would put them on either side of the back sliding glass door. I potted the larger two terra-cotta pots each with a gigantic elephant ear bulb. I plan to fill in around them with some succulents—primarily some yellowish-colored sedums and hens and chicks.
I planted the smaller pair of the matching terra-cotta pots, too. One has a red-leaved banana plant, and the other has a lemongrass plant and a hardy fuchsia I got from Mulberry Creek Herb Farm.
My biggest terra-cotta pot, in which I usually plant a small tree or shrub that I can transplant into the garden come fall, is now housing my very first fig tree! Several gardening friends told me that Turkey Brown is the hardiest fig-tree variety here and also the most productive. I’ll have to lug the pot indoors for the winter, of course, but that’s no big deal, especially if the pay off is fresh, ripe figs.
My other large terracotta pots were planted with variegated, gigantic-leaved hostas with some silver falls planted around the base to trail over the side. I have a few more smaller pots to plant up in the next week or two, as well. I’m crossing my fingers for a tropical paradise in just a few short weeks.
