Today we’re visiting Lisa Countryman’s garden in Hillsboro, Ohio.
Hanging baskets are an easy way to bring a garden into any space. In the foreground, the hanging basket combines a flower-covered begonia (Begonia hybrid, Zone 10–11 or as an annual) with variegated bigleaf vinca (Vinca major, Zones 7–10 or as an annual) trailing down.
In another beautiful hanging basket, a begonia is paired with a luxurious growth of ‘Silver Falls’ dichondra (Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’, Zones 8–11 or as an annual). Planted in ground, the dichondra will spread to make a ground cover, but in a container or hanging basket it will trail down dramatically.
Sometimes the best feature of the garden is the view! Leaving the view open can be a great way to “borrow” the landscape beyond what is actually in your garden to dramatic effect.
A sweet little container of succulents. Succulents can be the best choice for these sorts of nontraditional pots—as long as they have drainage holes—because they’ll tolerate the small amount of soil that can dry out easily.
Another wonderfully unusual planter—this one a little red car filled with annuals! The small white flowers are sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima, annual). This annual tends to prefer cooler weather, but some of the new varieties will bloom well for a long stretch of the summer.
Succulents are generally grown for their beautiful foliage, but this Echeveria (possibly the variety ‘Blue Waves’, Zones 9–11 or as an annual or houseplant) is showing that the flowers can be captivating as well. These are a wonderful soft orange color that goes perfectly with the foliage.
Return of the red-car planter, this time overflowing with white petunias (Petunia hybrid, annual).
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