Garden Revelry
/Time for you to meet your new “go-to” gal for container gardening. Cindy Funes from Garden Revelry has been beautifying front porches, decks, terraces, back yards all across the land. We all need someone like her in our life,right?
For my interview with Cindy we decided to sit in our respective gardens and share a virtual cocktail while we chatted. She let me in on her favorite drink, (always a good way to start an interview)-a French 75. So we mixed one up and began a lovely evening talking about gardening and other things. She also shared a fun seasonal drink idea for all of you to try out - a Honey Sage Bourbon. That’s sounds like a gardeners drink! See how to make it here.
Cocktails refreshed and our interview continues:
What is the best purchase you’ve ever made? Our house. We have a view of Mt. Rainier. I love how every morning the sky is a bit different, yet it always looks so majestic.
What was the last gift you gave someone? A 1000 pieced botanical puzzle.
What is the worst thing about your work? The fact that I have no control over mother nature.
What was the last book you read? Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. She was looking forward to hearing her speak at SAL at the end of the month but unfortunately canceled.
What do you think about when you are alone in your car? My mind wanders...planting combinations, to do lists, people and then it always goes to “what should I make for dinner?”.
What is the weirdest thing you have seen in someone else’s home? A bong hidden among the leaves of a container planting.
What do you love most about your profession? The opportunity to connect clients with nature and beauty by transforming their outdoor living spaces with container plantings. Love the people, love the process, love the end result!
We move on to some Container Garden tips:
Choose a pot that is bigger than you think you’ll need. Preferably at least 12” in diameter. Larger pots hold larger volumes of soil and don’t dry out as quickly as smaller pots.
Use a high quality potting mix such as Sunshine LC1, Garden and Bloom, or EB Stone Edna’s Best Potting Mix. Utilize the Thriller, Filler, Spiller formula when choosing plants and have a mix of evergreen, seasonal color and foliage plants to create interest.
Fertilize your plantings throughout the growing season. We mix in Osmocote, a slow release granular fertilizer, at the time of planting and then supplement with liquid Miracle Grow once every 3-4 weeks to replenish the plants with nutrients they need to perform all season long.
Set a consistent watering schedule, create a system that helps in this regard whether it’s setting reminders on your phone or installing a drip irrigation system. Plantings won’t thrive without consistent watering unless you’ve planted succulents. And even then they need water too, just not as much!
