One section of the Ball display gardens is all containers. Keep in mind that these displays are aimed at growers and are promoting Ball's products and showcasing what's new.
This photo is showing "mixes" that they are promoting that work well together. For example, the red/yellow pot in the center is called Surviving Summer and includes PortoGrande Orange Portulaca, Gisele Red Phlox, Tsavo Compact Yellow Sanvitalia. #GardensOfBall#bloomscrolling#garden#gardening#florespondence@gardening
Note: to see all the posts from this visit, see the hashtag #GardensOfBall . If you follow me & are getting tired of this, feel free to block that tag!
There is a large, flat area in the Ball display garden that is filled with large rectangular test beds. These are often filled with multiple varieties of a single type of annual. Others are multiple types, but one color or annuals they feel grow well together. In past years, some have been AAS test beds, but I didn't notice if any were used for that this year. (AAS=All Americans Selections)
The Ball display gardens are mostly about decorative annuals, but there is a small section featuring their burpee veggies and herbs. It mostly shows their latest tomato varieties and compact peppers for containers. #garden#gardening#GardensOfBall@gardening#tomato#peppers
One more massive container with far too many different plants at the Ball display garden! This one is centered on a papyrus with a ton of other plants around it. See the alt text for details. #GardensOfBall#bloomscrolling#garden#gardening@gardening
This is another large, interesting container from the Ball display garden. This one has a variegated rubber tree as the large central plant and even includes heuchera which I never think of for containers. #GardensOfBall#bloomscrolling#garden#gardening@gardening
We often have coleus in our containers on the patio, but have never really thought about using it as a bedding plant. It seems very happy here in the shade under a tree.
Although nothing is actually "blooming" here, the color is still fantastic. #GardensOfBall#bloomscrolling#garden#gardening@gardening
The scale of the Ball display gardens is really hard to capture. There seem to be spectacular beds of colorful annuals every direction you look. This bed was one of the first things we saw as we entered the garden. #GardensOfBall#bloomscrolling#garden#gardening@gardening
Just visited the amazing "Gardens of Ball". These are display & test gardens at Ball Horticulture's headquarters in the Chicago suburbs. They are not open to the public, but Ball allows local gardening groups to visit on weekdays in August by appt.
I'll be posting a lot of pictures over the next couple days. If you follow me & don't want to see them, I plan to tag them all with #GardensOfBall. If you don't follow me, you can follow that hashtag. #bloomscrolling#garden#gardening@gardening
One of the things I love about hydrangeas is how long the blooms add interest in the garden. All of our varieties initially bloom white and usually stay that way for at least a few weeks. Then they "fade" to their other colors. The Annabelle hydrangeas are currently green, while some of the oak leaf hydrangeas have become a creamy light green or pink. Many of them will be golden brown in the fall. #bloomscrolling#florspondence#flowers#hydrangea#garden@gardening
I often post close up photos of the garden. When I take a bunch of pictures, the close views usually look best. But when I am standing out in the middle of the yard, it is the overall wider view that wows me. I wish I were better at photographing that. #bloomscrolling#florespondence#flowers#garden@gardening
It has been a great year for berries. Now the aronia (Aronia melanocarpa, also known as Black chokeberry) berries are getting ripe and can be harvested. #garden#gardening#berry#aronia#harvest#harvest2023
Good morning! From my new babies (well, they’re not exactly baby plants). I bought the decorative vase ftom a thrift shop by #loyolauniversity in Chicago last spring for $2. And the echevarrias (2 varieties) and aloe vera from @homedepotfound in Chicago two days ago. The southwestern motif reminds me of #Arizona when I used to drive to Eloy for immigration interpretation gigs, many years ago. @plants@houseplants