Now is the time we start looking at what we are going to plant for the season. My wife and myself start discussing what worked well in prior years, how the backyard was laid out and what supplies we will need for the coming year. We also start stocking up on some of the supplies we need as the stores are now starting to put out gardening materials.
Last year was a hard one on the plants. It was so hot that most plants struggled even with watering multiple times of the day. The planters where we had peat moss mixed in did better as the soil could hold a bit more water than the black earth mixes.
The plantings I had hung on the wall need a mix that is much higher than peat moss and varieties that are heat and drought resistant.
The pots I stacked vertically worked well and that will be repeated. The clay pots did the best vs the plastic pots. My wife like them as she got a waterfall of green and colour that she could see from the living room. She has mobility issues and it is a struggle for her to get out into the back yard so I have been going more vertical with the plantings and picking varieties that grow tall so that the living room window is a window to a wall of colour.
I found that the dollar store trellises worked very well. I hung it sideways below the top of one fence with hooks and then hung small pots from that. Part of the plantings died as I didn't use enough peat moss and the plants I chose were for colour only and they were not drought tolerant as the pots dried out quickly. This year it will be a peat moss mix with plants that can handle the heat and being drier.
