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It was a bright and cheery morning and my wife had just jumped out of bed with a similar demeanor when I popped the question. I knew I should have waited until evening when she was tired. I asked about new annuals for this year and a list sprayed out like machine- gunfire. Top on the list was Bonfire begonia. This one was the talk of the trial gardens in 2006.

Bonfire is a dragon wings type with long pendulous reddish orange flowers. The plant might grow just past a foot in the garden and was covered with bloom every time we were there. We have a bunch, but, as is often the case, the first year supply may not meet demand.

The new annual that has much of my attention is the Caliente geranium. This one is a cross between ivy and zonal geraniums. It looks to have the habit and health of the zonal and the look of ivy. Better yet, it does not get edema.

There is a new cuphea called Flamenco Samba with small stature and an open flower. Chrysocephalem has a small button orange flowers and gray foliage that would make a great addition to a mixed container.

Another new begonia is Baby Wings White. The leaves are a bit smaller than the angel wings and I'll bet you can guess the flower color. In Florida we saw a rather tall plant called Cat Whiskers. I need say no more. Finally, there is a fuschia with variegated leaves.I need to revisit a few of last year's new plants. Tops on that list are Euphorbia Diamond Frost. In the garden or in a container it becomes a sea of white. Better yet, the cutting supply seems to have caught up with the demand.

A winding vine call Lophospermum with large wine red trumpet flowers was a hit in containers last year. In the garden, it seemed a bit wimpy. Its flowers will keep this one around for a while.That's the tip of the iceberg. There are new colors or new something occurring with almost every new and familiar annual.

After you buy or make a patio container garden, the goal is to keep it looking nice all season. The container, its location, the soil used, watering, fertilization and the selection of plants are all factors to consider.

Much of this is easy. A plastic container will use a bit more water than the same pot made from a ceramic material or cement. Location on the east side of your house is the least demanding. In hotter and breezier sites the water needs of your container will increase.

Many people favor a rather heavy soil mix and often throw in extra wetting gel to reduce watering needs. Personally, I use, and like, a much lighter medium. Most of the container failures I hear about are from being too wet. My guess is that it is a lot easier to water a container than it is to un-water it.

Most potting soil you buy will include a wetting agent. As the container ages and the roots fill the given soil volume, it often seems that the soil has lost its ability to hold moisture.

After mid June I would suggest a two to four week schedule of adding a few drops of liquid dishwasher soap to your water. It makes water wetter in the dishwasher; it will have the same effect in your container. Of course you can save your change and buy a commercial wetting agent that does the same job.

Keep the pot moist, but not soggy. Containers, as I make them, will need supplemental water most days, but seldom get in trouble from excessive rain. If you use a heavier soil you can go to at least an every other day schedule.

Fertilizer is the tricky part. Some potting mixes contain fertilizer but most don't. Plants in containers will need more fertilizer than plants in the garden. My suggestion is to follow the directions on the fertilizer package, but stay conservative.

If you fertilize heavily and/or have acidic water, you can drive down the soil pH to the point where certain needed nutrients become unavailable. Adding lime is a possible but slow cure, but behaving with the fertilizer applications is better.

When it comes to fertilizer, not all plants are created equal. Most petunias, excluding the waves, and their miniature look alike million bells have trace nutrient requirements. The Amish are firm believers in Epson salts and I concur that it will keep older leaves greener. A light shot every two weeks is enough.

On the above petunias, iron deficiency can yellow the new leaves. An occasional shot of Mir acid will greatly reduce this problem. Calibrachoa (million bells) are a beautiful plant and can be grown very successfully by following the above suggestions.

Plant selection improves with experience. If you need help, the easiest approach is to look at pots already made up at the neighbors or your favorite greenhouse.

With a little thought and effort you can keep your patio container(s) happy.

When talking about growth habit, after height, selecting plants that trail over the side is usually the second concern when assembling a patio container. Vinca vine has long been a favorite but gets the rap of being over used, so I asked my wife for a list of plants that could be substituted.

Her expertise greatly exceeds mine when it comes to talking about annuals. Her list included over 20 different plants and I heard her tell my daughter that dad will just pick his favorites and write about them.

Several years ago, ornamental sweet potato vines hit the scene. They have so many good qualities that they may soon join vinca vine on some people's 'too common to use' list. There is at least three color opportunities with sweet potato vine: chartreuse, purple-black and one variegated pink, white and purple. The initial chartreuse variety, which is still widely available, was very vigorous but more recent introductions offer tamer versions.

A new one in the last several years is lophospermum. Several nights ago I spoke to a garden club and was able to keep the pronunciation of that one in my head until I was done with the presentation. It has an unusual pale green leaf and a huge burgundy trumpet shaped flower. It went over the side as well as weaving through the other plants in the container for me last year.

Of course there is a long list of trailing petunias and the miniature petunia look alike, calibrachoa (million bells). If I have a rap on them it is that they are quite heavy feeders and have a few other nutritional quirks that sometimes give them the worn out appearance late in the season.

For gray leaves you can use lotus vine or helicrysum. The lotus offers very fine cut leaves. The helicrysum is a much larger and bolder plant.

A new one from a couple of years ago is dichondra. It is strictly for foliage and can offer silver or green color. Leaves are very dainty but both will trail several feet.

Bacopa is a great trailer. White is a favorite but a pink and pale purple blue is also available. There was a time when this one was light of flower during the hottest times of summer but the breeders have largely solved this problem with new introductions.

For the shade there are trailing begonias, lysimachia, and torenia. Lysimachia offers a yellow flower and either green or foliage variegated with gold. Torenia has a pea like flower in the blue purple range.

That's certainly not 20 but is a good sample to consider. We'll talk a bit about maintaining the patio container next week but will close today by coming back to the often-maligned vinca vine.

Recent introductions of vinca vine may fool a lot of people into asking what is that new plant?

*Images courtesy of Proven Winners. and D.S. Cole

Rumor has it that the PPP are patrolling a neighborhood near you. If you are not into acronyms, PPP stands for the Patio Planter Police.

According to one of their high level spokesmen, it is no longer permissible to use geraniums, spikes and vinca vine in the same pot. You may use any two of these together but must find a substitute for the third one.

To help with this problem I will offer some suggestions. Most often I am asked for suggestions to get height in the center of the pot, so I'll offer a list of plants that offer height.

Gaura. Also called 'Whirling Butterflies' approaches two feet in height and offers airy blooms all season. My favorite has green leaves and a white flower with a hint of pink. There are other cultivars with darker leaves and flowers.

Agastache. Again maybe two feet in height with several flower colors available. Rub the leaves and the odor is appealing. Either the annual or the perennial cultivars will work. In the pot the perennials will not be perennial.

Coleus. They come in a multitude of colors and range in height from one to three feet. The new named vegetative cultivars are very tolerant of the sun, unlike the older seed varieties.

Black and Blue Salvia. This is a favorite. Deep green leaves, dark blue flowers and purple-black stems on a plant again in the two to three foot range.

Salvia leucanthus. Often called Mexican sage this is an excellent choice for those who are patient. It has silver gray foliage, reaches three feet and has a bicolor blue (purple) and white flower. The wait generally is until fall for the bloom.

Elephant ears. Very large leaves give a foliage effect. If fed enough they can get to four feet, but generally will be just over two. Leaf colors can be green, black or green with a light stripe.

Turnera ulimifolia. Highly recommended but new. Haven't seen it but it should approach three or four feet and offer a fairly large flat yellow flower.

Cannas. Think of a slightly taller skinny version of elephant ears. Frequently grown for the foliage but I would never cut off the flowers as some people suggest.

Grasses. I like the red annual pennisetums but they are intolerant of cold temperatures, so don't rush this one. Perennial grasses work, but generally are too slow growing to be effective unless you start with a large size. Again, you don't have a prayer of over wintering them in a pot without a heated greenhouse.

Cardoon. You will only hug this plant once. Tall, to about 5 feet, with deeply serrated gray foliage. The flower is a mauvc thistle type in mid summer.

There is a list of ten suggestions for height in a patio garden. If you like spikes and I do, you have a multitude of possibilities that trail over the side or to circle your center height.

If you insist on the geraniums, spike and vinca vine don't worry. I won't turn you in.

During the off-season I took a series of landscaping classes at Longwood Gardens. The instructor was a landscape architect.

Most, if not all of us in the class, were amazed at the magnitude of the projects he did. To clarify the last sentence, magnitude and money start with the same letter.

At one point a brazen classmate asked what was the smallest project he had ever done. His answer was $500. The project consisted of planting one tree. My imagination isn't stretched too far by that number because today we have the ability to successfully move rather large trees. Large trees require large machinery, which easily equate to large bucks.

Whether your budget demands one tree or nearly a forest for $500 I'll offer a few thoughts.

If you are transplanting a large tree, it is most likely a job for a professional with the necessary equipment. What I can suggest is that a large tree takes a rather long time to recover from transplant shock and you need to be vigilant with attention, especially during dry periods.

The rule of thumb is that it takes one year for each inch of trunk size for the transplant to get acclimated. In other words, if the trunk diameter is three inches the tree will take at least three years to totally recover from transplanting.

If your budget aims at smaller trees, the question is how to successfully guide them to become the large tree that you want. Of course don't plant too deep, look out for circling roots and keep the mulch away from the trunk. We'll revisit this general topic again in the near future.

The real challenge is developing a strong stem and establishing the lowest limbs at the height you want. A sturdy stem should have a tapered trunk. If you can't see the taper your tree will be weak. To develop the desired taper you must keep the branches that form along the trunk.

That leads to the contradiction of having branches well below the height of the lowest desired permanent branches. The strategy is to let the lower branches grow but to head (remove) them maybe two feet from the trunk.

Even headed, these first branches will provide enough leaf surface to permit normal tree growth. Continue this process until you reach the height to let the first permanent branches grow. As the leaf surface advances up the trunk into the permanent branches, the headed lower branches can be removed. >

Photo courtesy of North Carolina State University

Before you cut, notice that every branch will have a noticeable collar near where it joins the trunk. Cut close to but just outside the collar and the cut will heal quickly. The literature suggests cuts up to two inches in diameter heal quickly but I think you can get the job finished long before temporary limbs develop to that size.

Enough about trees for today. Let's talk about Longwood. If you are serious about gardening they offer lots of classes to enhance your knowledge and skills. I've done single sessions, multiple sessions and their college level certificate courses. I have yet to be disappointed.