Looking for a gorgeous, colorful flower pot for our extensive Coachella Valley summer?
Here is a combination that will stand up to a full summer of heat. The 28-inch pot pictured above is filled with overflowing vinca in red and white; white summer snaps (Angelonia); and a Silver Queen euonymus shrub, planted for permanent stature in the center of the pot.
If you have a cool side, you can add the Million Bells (Calibrachoa), shown on the bottom right of the picture. However, it may be best-suited to fall seasons or higher elevations.
To keep these plants happy, be sure to water twice a day for the first two weeks. As the plants grow large enough to shade the soil, you should be able to reduce your watering to once a day. Feed them every two weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer, and jet-spray them off at least weekly in the early morning hours.
This combination is simple to care for because it does not need much deadheading. The vinca blooms will fall off on their own. A little pruning of the summer snaps encourages them to grow to their full maturation.
Below is another picture of the same planting from the opposite side, giving you a good view of the summer snaps and Silver Queen.
Enjoy!
Marylee Pangman is the founder and former owner of The Contained Gardener in Tucson, Ariz. She has become known as the desert’s potted garden expert. She is available for digital consultations, and you can email her with comments and questions at potteddesert@gmail.com. Follow the Potted Desert at facebook.com/potteddesert. Get a free copy of Ten Top Tips to Desert Potted Garden Success by visiting www.potteddesert.com/m.
