Show off your Pot...

Agree

As I mentioned. MOST of my planting have to be kept in pots. Partly to lessen critter damage, partly because the patios are really the only areas around our house to get any sun and partly because, since 90% or so of what I plant are unidentified things I find in my seed hunts I always want the option of being able to dump the whole thing in a garbage bag and get rid of it if it proves to be a "problem" plant. Here are a few from this year

Unknown#1

I actually had a great deal of seed for this, as whatever it is was quite a common find in the lentils I was hunting through
From a distance it looks something like bachelor's button but up close, the flowers are perfect (i.e. not disc and ray). I currently thinking it might be from somewhere in the Verbena family

Unknown #2

Paddle leaved, small purple flowers. Based on the flowers I originally though this was something out of the Lycium (wolf/goji berry) genus. However the fact that both have small purple flowers seems to be the ONLY similarity. Plus if it was a wolfberry it presumably would have wolfberry like berries for fruit, and it doesn't (the fruits are little green striped nutlet like things, that fall off when ripe.

Unknown #3

Same pot as #2 (which is why you can see 2's leaves in the background. Flower looks vaguely Solanace or Convuvulacae like. I actually do not know if I will get seed off of this. Whatever it is, it's petals are REALLY tasty to something (the above pic was the only time I actually saw the flower intact, and I only got that because it had [probably only opened an hour or two earlier.) The sepals on that have since re-closed but whether that is to protect a developing fruit or as part of abscission I have no clue

I don't have room to plant this maple in the ground so into a pot it went.

ninnymary said:

I don't have room to plant this maple in the ground so into a pot it went.View attachment 4168

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That is so pretty! So many interesting pieces and pots to see in your yard! You are a pro exterior decorator!

I've tried some maples as bonsai, not successful so far. I seem to fail at things in pots long term.

Lavender2, I have had 2 maples in pots for a number of years now. Also a lime tree. These trees do well in the big pots they are in. Everything else in pots is a struggle for me. Watering gives me trouble and I never remember to fertilize once a month.

Mary

Mary! What did you do? Win some sort of contest for a lifetime supply of amazing, beautiful BLUE pots?

Lavender2 said:

That is so pretty! So many interesting pieces and pots to see in your yard! You are a pro exterior decorator!

I've tried some maples as bonsai, not successful so far. I seem to fail at things in pots long term.

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I agree Lavender! I would LOVE to tour Mary's yard. I bet everything has a story.

Cane, there used to be a place of pots by the freeway somewhat close to our house. I would always go to the seconds area. I have bought 5 hugh pots from there and paid between $30 -$45 for them. The $30 one is the one with the elephant ears in it. A green one has where the glaze ran but I couldn't find the defects on the other ones. I also bought a small torquoise one for $4 because it had a chip on it. I thought it just added more character.

Yes, a lot of my pieces do have stories. That concrete bench was bought on craigslist in a lot of about 8 pieces. I really wanted the urn that came with it but my husband managed to create the bench with some of those pieces. The birdbath was also in that lot.

Mary

Pulsegleaner said:

As I mentioned. MOST of my planting have to be kept in pots. Partly to lessen critter damage, partly because the patios are really the only areas around our house to get any sun and partly because, since 90% or so of what I plant are unidentified things I find in my seed hunts I always want the option of being able to dump the whole thing in a garbage bag and get rid of it if it proves to be a "problem" plant. Here are a few from this year

Unknown#1

I actually had a great deal of seed for this, as whatever it is was quite a common find in the lentils I was hunting through
From a distance it looks something like bachelor's button but up close, the flowers are perfect (i.e. not disc and ray). I currently thinking it might be from somewhere in the Verbena family

Unknown #2

Paddle leaved, small purple flowers. Based on the flowers I originally though this was something out of the Lycium (wolf/goji berry) genus. However the fact that both have small purple flowers seems to be the ONLY similarity. Plus if it was a wolfberry it presumably would have wolfberry like berries for fruit, and it doesn't (the fruits are little green striped nutlet like things, that fall off when ripe.

Unknown #3

Same pot as #2 (which is why you can see 2's leaves in the background. Flower looks vaguely Solanace or Convuvulacae like. I actually do not know if I will get seed off of this. Whatever it is, it's petals are REALLY tasty to something (the above pic was the only time I actually saw the flower intact, and I only got that because it had [probably only opened an hour or two earlier.) The sepals on that have since re-closed but whether that is to protect a developing fruit or as part of abscission I have no clue

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Doesn't it drive you nuts not knowing what things are? If I had more time I would be hunting down your unknowns until the mystery was solved!

Well, I'd wish you luck, but bear in mind how much experience I have in this by now. Not to sound conceited but if I'm baffled, it's usually a REALLY tough one. I have the same pics posted on the other garden site I'm a member of, which incudes some pretty knowledgeable people and THEY'RE just as stumped. Working out a weed that's domestic is often a challenge and a half, when you literally have the WHOLE WORLD'S plant biomass as potential candidates, the job becomes almost impossible.

For the record the first of the pink flowers is now making seed, though that isn't clearing things up, since the seeds turn out to be the weird shiny on one side/pitted on the other ones I thought were some sort of sunflower.