Yes you can create late summer color with hardy plants in cool yard sale junk even though summer is almost over. Most annuals are either too leggy or burned, especially considering the heat wave this summer. But two plants in the South are still thriving during the hottest part of our Summer heat in August and September.
I know everyone has Fall on the brain, and you’re probably thinking…it’s a bit late to be talking about plants and the growing season. But I wanted to show you how to create late summer color with hardy plants and cool yard sale junk. These will grow anywhere and enhance your yard.
Sedum Acre and Portaluca are two favorites that consistently produce even during periods of drought, heat, rain, or late season.
Sedum Acre is a hardy trailing succulent I planted 20 years ago and never dies. Little yellow flowers emerge in Spring.
The other is Portaluca which I love because it’s pretty and an easy dependable bloomer.
Portaluca Pluses:
Drought-tolerant
Heat-tolerant
Rain-tolerant
Short plant at about 5-6″
Looks great in containers
Blooms yellow, pink, or red
Aren’t perennials, but do return if cold isn’t severe
Plant it and forget it
Sedum Acre Pluses:
Looks good in containers
Easy to grow
Drought-tolerant
Rain-tolerant
Heat-tolerant
Easy to thin out
Easy to transplant
Grows in the South all year round
Trails beautifully, but when it starts browning, just grab handfuls and toss. You don’t even have to use clippers.
I often just throw it on top of the ground and it takes root.
Plant it and forget it
Below are the vignettes I created out of yard sale and thrift store finds. You will see a liberal planting of Portaluca and Sedum Acre.
The cherub in top photo was a tired splotchy green and given new life with white paint.
All the pieces in the above photo are yard sale finds:
Even the silver pot and the other large pot to the right were curbside finds.
I absolutely love the 2 pottery vases with faces! Yard sale finds!
Chippy table…yard sale find
Enamel teapot holding Portaluca…my attic.
The dark green picture is tin. I found it in a yard sale recently. It makes a great backdrop!
Wooden cabinet door backdrop was a yard sale find where I experimented with crackle finish.
Do you see the small white tiered cups below? You are looking at a repurposed Wilton cupcake holder. I don’t use cupcake holders, and I rarely make cupcakes. In fact, I hate to cook so I don’t know why I bought it in the first place, but it was cheap. I was about to put it in my next yard sale, when I hit upon the idea of turning it into a planter. Yes, unfortunately, it looks a little scraggly!
I hate to admit it, but this was sort of a fail, even though we tenderly nursed it along. Check out this wonderful repurpose of a Wilton cupcake holder with succulents by Cassidy Tuttle, where I got the idea. Hers looks sooo much better! http://www.succulentsandsunshine.com/succulents-in-a-cupcake-stand/
Check out her blog too for more tips on growing succulents. http://www.succulentsandsunshine.com/
Next time I will try this!
Portaluca in an old galvanized watering can and a vintage enamel chamber pot~both yard sale finds~
See how Sedum Acre trails? Planted in an open metal basket (curbside find) that doesn’t hold water well, yet the sedum is very healthy.
A mix of Sedum Acre, Red Petunias and Yellow Portaluca
Do these grow in your area? Do they go by other names?
Let me know in the comments!
PLEASE PIN!
Florence
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I am not ready for fall at all, so I was thrilled to read this! I was just thinking today that I needed to find a way to keep my garden looking fresh for the rest of the summer. Fun ideas!!
Great Kim…glad you found it helpful!
You started out my Monday just right. Great ideas. I especially like the cupcake stand idea!
Thanks Sharon! Glad you stopped by! And like the cupcake stand!
I’m not quite ready for fall but even in Florida I can tell it’s coming. Fortunately for me I can use all of these ideas year round. The summer heat is so hard on some annuals so when I do errands today I will look for your suggestions or something similar.
Great Debra, hope you can find the Portaluca! It’s common in nurseries up here. Glad this post was of some help. Thanks for stopping by!
Love how the cherub looks now! And all the plantings look so nice. Up until a couple of weeks ago, Ricky, the gardener in the family, was still saying he was going to plant some seeds. (His favorites that grow through anything are zinnias, marigolds and purslane.) As you well know, we’re lucky here in Alabama that our growing season is so long. But I think he finally abandoned the idea. It *is* getting a bit late, after all. Maybe he’ll plant some fall flowers instead.
Thanks Wanda! Fall flowers might be the way to go now. I’ve heard of Purslane, but I can’t remember what it looks like.
Florence, these flowers are so beautiful and of course you couldn’t find a better place to gather containers than yard sales! 🙂
Thank you Keri! Thanks for dropping by to comment!
Florence your garden is so much more than just a garden. All these amazing finds have been incorporated with the plants beautifully. You are truly the garden master.
Aww, thanks Mary.
Love the ideas for adding color by planting in junk finds. I have some kind of sedum that has been growing here since we moved in, and I never do anything to it and it’s thriving. I have been thinking of digging some up and planting in a jar to see how it does.
Go for it girl! I have sedum here too. It rocks along with no care whatsoever!