{"id":47859,"date":"2014-10-28T13:03:42","date_gmt":"2014-10-28T17:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.nybg.org\/plant-talk\/?p=47859"},"modified":"2014-10-28T13:03:42","modified_gmt":"2014-10-28T17:03:42","slug":"containing-the-situation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/2014\/10\/horticulture-2\/containing-the-situation\/","title":{"rendered":"Containing The Situation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sonia Uyterhoeven<\/a> is NYBG<\/a>‘s Gardener for Public Education.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"container<\/a>Two large containers adorn the entrance out by Bedford Gate. Traditionally, we have used the narrow leaf fig (Ficus binnendijkii<\/em> \u2018Alli\u2019) as the centerpiece for these containers. Our specimens are multi-stemmed with long, narrow, lance-shaped leaves. Ficus binnendijkii<\/em> \u2018Alli\u2019 is not as fussy as the ubiquitous weeping fig, Ficus benjamina<\/em>. It is more tolerant of low light levels and does not have a tendency to drop its leaves when moved.<\/p>\n

Our Ficus binnendijkii<\/em> \u2018Alli\u2019 specimens are terrific candidates to under-plant with annuals. In late spring we place the narrow leaf figs into larger pots that provide ample space for seasonal plantings.<\/p>\n

The combination for this year\u2019s summer display started with good intentions and then went awry. The errors that were made are common and instructive. We under-planted Ficus binnendijkii<\/em> \u2018Alli\u2019 with the following: angel wings (Caladium<\/em> \u2018Miss Muffet\u2019), English ivy (Hedera helix<\/em> \u2018Green Needle Point\u2019), begonia (Begonia<\/em> \u2018Pink Giraffe\u2019) and coleus (Solenostemon<\/em> \u2018Wasabi\u2019).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Begonia<\/a>
Begonia<\/em> ‘Pink Giraffe’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On paper everything looked good. The angel wings \u2018Miss Muffet\u2019 is a dwarf cultivar that grows 12 inches tall and has small to medium arrowhead-shaped leaves that are chartreuse with red spots that bleed through the foliage.<\/p>\n

Begonia<\/em> \u2018Pink Giraffe\u2019 is a mild-mannered version of the pink dragon wing begonia. It is a tall cane type begonia with apple-green leaves and pendulous pink flowers. The foliage is luxurious and it has a nice arching demeanor.<\/p>\n

If, as Fine Gardening<\/em> magazine tells us, a good starting point for container recipes is to include “thrillers, spillers, and fillers,” then the Ficus binnendijkii<\/em> \u2018Alli\u2019, the angel wings, and the begonias were the “thriller.” The English ivy (Hedera helix<\/em> \u2018Green Needle Point\u2019) provided a delicate perennial accent as the \u2018spiller,\u2019 and the coleus acted as a filler.<\/p>\n

\"angel<\/a>
Caladium<\/em> ‘Miss Muffet’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The coleus we selected, \u2018Wasabi\u2019, has lovely chartreuse foliage. The color was perfect for the shady container. Unfortunately, this specific coleus grows 18 to 30 inches tall, and it grew as if it were on steroids. Within no time, it had engulfed the other annuals. The begonia disappeared, the angel wings were smothered, and the ivy timidly peeked out from underneath the mass of coleus.<\/p>\n

With a coleus, you can adjust the size by pinching it back. It is good practice to pinch your coleus\u2014it will promote branching and it will prevent the plant from flowering. Flowering channels energy away from the foliage and into the flowers, so it is undesirable to grow for foliage in an annual.<\/p>\n

As part of general container maintenance, grooming is imperative. There is, however, an important truth in gardening\u2014if something wants to grow, it is better to let it grow. With all the choices we have on the market days, it is much easier to select a smaller cultivar rather than trying to force a plant to do something it doesn\u2019t want to do.<\/p>\n

Gardening, however, is about experimentation and learning. Now we know that\u00a0Solenostemon<\/em> \u2018Wasabi\u2019 is terrific for a shady border that requires height, volume, and color. For a container, it is probably better to plant Solenostemon<\/em> \u2018Dapple Apple\u2019 or another similar variety, which also has chartreuse foliage but only grows 10\u201314 inches tall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The thriller, the spiller, and the filler\u2014three components of a container planting, but which species together form the best recipe? NYBG’s gardener for Public Education shares her lessons from trial and error in the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":47868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[3824],"tags":[2633,2632,1799,756,2345,154],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Caladium-Miss-Muffet.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/ph0lU-crV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47859"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47859"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47873,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47859\/revisions\/47873"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}