Hot Air Balloon Gifts

FortGreeneGardener says:

Sounds nice! With sun and a patio, might be nice to grow edible container plants for leaves, flowers and even fruits and vegetables.

Of course, the sky's the limit in terms of what one might spend on containers. On the cheaper side is the good old terracotta pot, half cask, wooden wine crate…or even milk crates lined in cut-to-fit contrator bags or any heavy-duty poly. Even some potting soil bags can be used as is sliced open on the sides for drainage with cuts at the top for plants…decidedly ugly but cheap. You can always surround such a plant bag with camouflage (other smaller pots or even a piling up of mulch or leaves (and even sheets of moss gathered in “the country”?).

Anyway, good plants on the eye and tummy:

-Short and climbing nasturtiums
-Calendula
-Red oakleaf lettuce
-Fennel (for drama) and the smaller dill
-The violas: pansies, viola, Johnny jump ups…
-Of course, arugula…and cilantro which flowers nicely
-There are all the herbs of course (oregano, thyme, lavender, rosemary, etc….and if you have a little money to spend and a decent amount of winter sun, try a bay tree which can add some height and substance to the patio)…then there are the softer herbs like basil, lemon verbena…
–If you want chives, buy a good sized plant b/c a tiny one may take a year or two to reach a decent size to flower.
–For some drama: a big-leafed collard green and some of the kales
–Then all the fruiting nightshade vegetables which will do well if there's really good sun. There are a number of very decorative hot peppers if your palate runs that way.
–Fruits: easiest/fastest one would be strawberries
–If you plan on being there for a number of years, you might try some blueberries (they come in very tall to very short, ground-hugging), raspberries and possibly a drawf fruit tree (apple prefb'ly since the squirrels can decimate the crop of any of the stone fruits like apricots)…even a drawf banana tree can grow well in a pot if you want one. The ultimate really, would be a Meyer lemon, again for a sunny window in the winter (when it tends to flowers–wonderful perfume!)
–Another fruit one does not think about is the American highbush cranberry which is actually a viburnum…great if you need height or a screen from neighbors.
–there are a number of other less common things you can grow in pots. Have a look at which

If I had to give a list of non-edible flowers, I would suggest the nicotiana sylvestris (forest tabacco) and possibly some of the daturas (esp. meteloides which is kind of big but super-fragrant)…

Good luck this spring once you've settled in a little…You'll be happy if the patio is inviting for the warm weather.

FortGreeneGardener says:

Sounds nice! With sun and a patio, might be nice to grow edible container plants for leaves, flowers and even fruits and vegetables.

Of course, the sky's the limit in terms of what one might spend on containers. On the cheaper side is the good old terracotta pot, half cask, wooden wine crate…or even milk crates lined in cut-to-fit contrator bags or any heavy-duty poly. Even some potting soil bags can be used as is sliced open on the sides for drainage with cuts at the top for plants…decidedly ugly but cheap. You can always surround such a plant bag with camouflage (other smaller pots or even a piling up of mulch or leaves (and even sheets of moss gathered in “the country”?).

Anyway, good plants on the eye and tummy:

-Short and climbing nasturtiums
-Calendula
-Red oakleaf lettuce
-Fennel (for drama) and the smaller dill
-The violas: pansies, viola, Johnny jump ups…
-Of course, arugula…and cilantro which flowers nicely
-There are all the herbs of course (oregano, thyme, lavender, rosemary, etc….and if you have a little money to spend and a decent amount of winter sun, try a bay tree which can add some height and substance to the patio)…then there are the softer herbs like basil, lemon verbena…
–If you want chives, buy a good sized plant b/c a tiny one may take a year or two to reach a decent size to flower.
–For some drama: a big-leafed collard green and some of the kales
–Then all the fruiting nightshade vegetables which will do well if there's really good sun. There are a number of very decorative hot peppers if your palate runs that way.
–Fruits: easiest/fastest one would be strawberries
–If you plan on being there for a number of years, you might try some blueberries (they come in very tall to very short, ground-hugging), raspberries and possibly a drawf fruit tree (apple prefb'ly since the squirrels can decimate the crop of any of the stone fruits like apricots)…even a drawf banana tree can grow well in a pot if you want one. The ultimate really, would be a Meyer lemon, again for a sunny window in the winter (when it tends to flowers–wonderful perfume!)
–Another fruit one does not think about is the American highbush cranberry which is actually a viburnum…great if you need height or a screen from neighbors.
–there are a number of other less common things you can grow in pots. Have a look at which

If I had to give a list of non-edible flowers, I would suggest the nicotiana sylvestris (forest tabacco) and possibly some of the daturas (esp. meteloides which is kind of big but super-fragrant)…

Good luck this spring once you've settled in a little…You'll be happy if the patio is inviting for the warm weather.