Roll out the barrels

My garden's whiskey barrel planters, designed impromptu and on a shoestring, have filled in nicely. Here's Whiskey Barrel One:

This planter started out with Icicle pansies from last fall and self-sown borage and dill, all of which have stayed in flower throughout the summer. A few petunias, left over from seed starting, have been tucked in here and there, along with a marigold and zinnia brought home from first grade and preschool by my son and younger daughter. Store-bought plants were kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate (which nine out ten Japanese beetles prefer to roses, apparently), white heliotrope, pink pelargonium, and lemon thyme (which I'm hoping will overwinter). A couple of coleus, leftovers from my garden club's plant sale, complete the picture.

And here's Whiskey Barrel Two:

This was inspired by the image of blue cabbage and parsley I read about earlier this year. This container was planted with a dirt-cheap nine-pack of cabbage from Wal-mart and curly parsley started from seed, along with Icicle pansies from last fall, which are popping up here and there, and a couple of leftover petunias whose lack of enthusiasm at being crowded by the cabbage doesn't mar the effect too much.

Comments

[Kathy]

I like Barrel #2 better. It seems to have a more cohesive design. It's funny; I interpreted the photo of the cabbage as flowering kale and I had to read your entry twice and follow the link to your previous post before it really sunk in: she said cabbage, not kale. Of course,they are in the same family, but you get 2 points for trying something different and cheaper (and impromptu) that is worthy of being entered in a contest.

[Chan S.]

Thank you! Barrel #2 is much more my style (I like simplicity in containers), but Barrel #1 (which--you'll have to take my word for this--looks *much* better up close and in person than in this photo) turned out to be like the hodgepodge stirfry you make out of leftovers which ends up pretty tasty (which is a lot for me to say, 'cause I *hate* leftovers).

[avril]

That blue could only be nature's work~gorgeous plantings!

[Chan S.]

Thank you, Avril!