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Are there any experienced gardeners out there that have thoughts on a flower basket of zinnia, moss rose, and maybe verbena?
I had a disaster basket last year trying to grow bacopa and geraniums together. I didn't realize until it was too late that they had very different watering preferences. As a result, if the geraniums were doing well, the bacopa would start dropping flowers, and visa versa.
To avoid this mistake, I would like my basket choices vetted. I have a 14" basket to go in a south facing balcony in zone 8, where it will get full sun (8 hrs or more) a day and dry out quickly.
Would zinnia and moss rose together be a good choice? Verbena and moss rose? I am a dumb beginner so any advice is appreciated!
Lantana is the best flowering plant I know that loves to bake in the hot sun. It comes in several colors. Your main issue is keeping a planter wet in the summer heat. If you don't water it enough, nothing will be successful. I used to have nice window boxes in the north, but now in GA I have only one because it is such a struggle to keep it wet enough.
On paper, your choices sound good. All you can do is try things that should be suitable and see how they work out. That is kind of the fun of it.
I think of myself as a "sink or swim" gardener. I try plants that SHOULD work, but if they don't, they don't, so I try something else.
OP where are you? I'm in zone 6/7. I've never grown verbena, but moss phlox and zinnias did well in containers for me. Like GA said, the big pain is keeping the container watered. I did not grow them in the same container, but I liked both plants.
Here is what i learned:
Moss phlox are easy - They grow fast from seed right in the pot. They don't need as much water as other container plants and they are gorgeous.
Zinnia - make sure you plant a DWARF zinnia. They need more water than I would have thought.
What I'd suggest are petunias with zinnia. If you want to try a shrub, boxwood and firepower nandina did well for me in pots. The pots were big, but they didn't seem to dry out as much as the zinnia for instance.
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