What flowers would you suggest for a porch planter? - Wildlife Gardeners

trout lily · 03-01-2009, 04:55 PM

I have a flower box attached to the front porch railing; in the summer, I hang a hummingbird feeder above it. What would be the best annual plants to use? The porch gets sunlight for 6 hours.

DesertSage · 03-01-2009, 06:11 PM

Salvia splendens

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/243

TheLorax · 03-01-2009, 06:16 PM

That's a real pretty plant and it is native. Do you think she could bring it in her garage box and all so she wouldn't have to start from scratch again next year since it is a perennial? I've heard of people who bring their flower boxes in over winter. They keep the soil moist and the plants can be stuck back out again the next season.

Sage · 03-01-2009, 08:33 PM

My favorites for balcony planters are verbenas and cosmos. Last summer I had white, purple and bright pink verbenas.

biigblueyes · 03-01-2009, 08:35 PM

Cosmos in a porch planter? How tall do they get there? They get around 5' here

Equilibrium · 03-01-2009, 09:09 PM

Spigelia marilandica http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SPMA3 it is a perennial. This one is a hummingbird magnet.

doccat5 · 03-01-2009, 10:22 PM

How about some Sweet William. They make a lovely "edge".

Sage · 03-02-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biigblueyes

Cosmos in a porch planter? How tall do they get there? They get around 5' here

Around here they only get about 2-3' but in the planters, less than that. I put them in the long terra cotta planters on the floor of the balcony in front of the railing. I love the bright colors, the delicateness and the way they move with the breezes.

trout lily · 03-02-2009, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

Spigelia marilandica http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SPMA3 it is a perennial. This one is a hummingbird magnet.

That woodland plant is lovely, but I don't think it would live through the brutal winters we've been having in NH. Spring is less than 3 weeks away, but tomorrow's high is supposed to be 10 degrees with a wind advisory. Today, we had a snowstorm that gave us 18' of snow.

Are there similar native plants that you'd suggest for hummingbirds that could take northern New England winters?

biigblueyes · 03-02-2009, 07:03 PM

I love cosmos. They're so airy with big lollipop flowers floating above it all. I have 3 kinds planted in flats.

I'll be brave and plant some of everything this week in the garden. Our "average last frost date" is Mar 16, but the 14 day forecast is looking great. We have a freeze predicted tonight, then the lows should be in the 50's after that.

03-01-2009, 04:55 PM	#1
trout lily Grub Join Date: Dec 2008	What flowers would you suggest for a porch planter? I have a flower box attached to the front porch railing; in the summer, I hang a hummingbird feeder above it. What would be the best annual plants to use? The porch gets sunlight for 6 hours.

03-01-2009, 06:16 PM	#3
TheLorax Unicellular Fungi Join Date: Nov 2008	That's a real pretty plant and it is native. Do you think she could bring it in her garage box and all so she wouldn't have to start from scratch again next year since it is a perennial? I've heard of people who bring their flower boxes in over winter. They keep the soil moist and the plants can be stuck back out again the next season. __________________ "In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; we will understand only what we have been taught." -Baba Dioum, Senegalese ecologist

03-01-2009, 08:33 PM	#4
Sage POM Judge & Official Non Gardener Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY, USA	My favorites for balcony planters are verbenas and cosmos. Last summer I had white, purple and bright pink verbenas. __________________ *~Facebook~ ~Peregrine Place~ ~Flickr~ ~Instagram Pix~*

03-01-2009, 08:35 PM	#5
biigblueyes WG Facilitator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cajun Country, Louisiana, USA	Cosmos in a porch planter? How tall do they get there? They get around 5' here __________________ My yarden and I lean a little to the wild side.

03-01-2009, 09:09 PM	#6
Equilibrium Official Plant Nerd Join Date: Dec 2008	Spigelia marilandica http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SPMA3 it is a perennial. This one is a hummingbird magnet. __________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

03-01-2009, 06:11 PM	#2
DesertSage Unicellular Fungi Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Portal, Arizona	Salvia splendens http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/243

03-01-2009, 10:22 PM	#7
doccat5 Big Fat juicy WORM Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Virginia, USA	How about some Sweet William. They make a lovely "edge". __________________ Earthworms are the intestines of the soil. –Aristotle

03-02-2009, 07:03 PM	#10
biigblueyes WG Facilitator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cajun Country, Louisiana, USA	I love cosmos. They're so airy with big lollipop flowers floating above it all. I have 3 kinds planted in flats. I'll be brave and plant some of everything this week in the garden. Our "average last frost date" is Mar 16, but the 14 day forecast is looking great. We have a freeze predicted tonight, then the lows should be in the 50's after that. __________________ My yarden and I lean a little to the wild side.

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