Advice needed on container planting...

[lesa]

I have a wonderful, 3 tiered water fountain. I have enjoyed using it as a water feature for many years. Now, I am sick of keeping it full, and sick of dealing with the pump....so, I would like to use it as a planter. It has 3 bowls, but they are pretty shallow, and I want to use it in my shade garden. I was thinking coleus might be nice- but do they need a lot of room for their roots? What other shade lovers could stand shallow planting? The garden area is full of the color green- so something a little brighter would be best.

 

[Just-Moxie]

Moss and a tiny garden? Tiny herbs.....like thyme? Something cascading off the top, kind of shading the lower levels?..since they will dry out quicker?
That would be a neat feature to experiment with...gardening in a water fountain.

 

[lesa]

I am a big fan of moss..maybe I will try and use it, as filler between the plants. I love that photo! I am afraid my fountain isn't as grand as that one. Maybe a "tiny" garden in the top one? That is so small, I couldn't plant much in it. Well, it will be an experiment- like all my projects!

 

[Nyboy]

I know what you mean, wanted a fountain badly. Was given a 3 tiered fountain for my birthday. After 1 summer I turned it into a planter. Was just to much keeping up with pump and cloggs. I filled mine in with dirt and planted impatiens and vinca. I had to rip half the roots off from cell pack plants, they still did fine.

 

[Smart Red]

Impatiens would have been one of my first suggestions. I believe they also have hanging varieties. Begonias, too, come in upright and hanging types. Check for the smaller varieties for your fountain. Both have shallow root systems and will need watering more often if the 'beds' are porous.

I suggest adding soil moisture crystals and varnishing the inside of fountain planters to keep moisture in.

 

[Smart Red]

Ferns and coral bells would make a lovely combination as well.

 

[Carol Dee]

If it is very small. Maybe some succulents. The trailing ones would look fabulous hanging from the upper bowls. They come in a wide range of color nowadays. I had a Lobelia that did o.k. in a small pot in a fairly shady area. A Nice splash of bright blue, purple or white with those.

 

[thistlebloom]

That's a pretty one in Moxies picture. looks like succulents.
You could get that effect with creeping jenny spilling out and hanging down.
Oh! Look up Firecracker begonia Lesa! They are so awesome looking.
Very trailing. I really wanted to use that at one of my clients, but she has an aversion to orange.
Woulda looked fantastic....

 

[Nyboy]

For years I had an aversion to orange flowers, they reminded me of wild day lilies that are weeds here

 

[Carol Dee]

For years I had an aversion to orange flowers, they reminded me of wild day lilies that are weeds here

They grow with wild abandon here! I LOVE them. I love any wild flower.