Whiskey barrel flower suggestions...

[pines4equines]

Hay, I have two whiskey barrel halves in front of our barn doors. It is against a red barn and quite hot in the summer there. (Too hot for Impatiens.) The barn has white trim.

In the past, we've planted white Geraniums with those kinda light green and white-ish vines. I'm kinda of sick of this combo, any suggestions.

If I have to do the Geraniums due to hardiness, then some sort of purple would be wonderful... I guess we could add purple Petunias...but looking for something a little different that's hardy to withstand this hot area...

Suggestions.

[Fairview Horse Center]

New Guinea Impatiens are better in the sunny hot spots.

For my barrels in the shade, I love the Double Impatiens (like litle roses)

[2DogsFarm]

Unless you want to change color every year, consider a perennial.
Shasta daisies would look great against your red barn. And you can always underplant with something colorful & annual.

I have some horsemint I planted last year in an old fruit crate and, to my surprise, it is coming back this year.
The box is only about 6" deep and I did nothing to protect it against Winter since I figured it would just die off.

[webmistress32]

allow me to be different .. how about some really cool prairie grass? and maybe some long-blooming prairie annuals - like coreopsis? yummy!

[Foxtrot's]

My favorite for the hot spot with reflected heat off the driveway - Dragon's Wing begonias.
Profuse blooming until Fall frost. Not available here until May. Even outperforms geraniums.

[SmartAlex]

I use the Calibrocha (Million Bells Petunia) They are very hardy and come in a lot of colors. I like them so much better than regular petunias because you don't have to dead head them. There is nothing I hate more about gardening than dead heading petunias. Especially after rain. Yuck.

I usually use twelve 4 " pots in a whiskey barrel, but they get a little crowded and dry faster, so this year I'm using fewer.

[Katy9532]

I have a HUGE whiskey barrel. I put a small palm tree in it. It can handle the heat of a TX summer. I love it!!! I get tons of complements. In the winter I just have to wrap them with burlap and avoid freezing rain.

[Alagirl]

Vinca, AKA Madagasca Periwinkle. They take heat quiet well with decent watering. The there are cape daisies, or Gazanias, thrive in the heat with full sun. You could plant cactus...:)

Geraniums come in all sorts of color, white, pink, purple salmon, red....

marigolds do well in the sun, come in awesome yellows, oranges and rusts...

Generally speaking, darker leaves take more sun that lighter leaves (dark leaved begonias look nice, too, giving a little different look. On the other hand, if you get plants with variegated leaves they take more light than the plain green leaved cousins)

You can also plant sweet potato vines, they come in lime green or darkish red...

The majority of bedding plants do well in sun, just some need a lot more water than in partial shady conditions!

[Alpha Mare]

I have whiskey barrels in my yard and I am really enjoying them, including two in front of the traditional red barn. I have a japanese grass (yellow, kind of weeping) against the red barn with light pink roses (who love the sun), and shasta daisies. I have small yellow german iris that rebloom that love the barrels in the front of the property (very hot and dry, I do water but it has to be a heat tolerant plant).

I put lilies in (oriental) who also grew well. You can put a few daffodils or other bulbs around the perennials for a good start to the year.

The japanese grass was very nice for the whole year, it is coming in now and was yellow all summer, then dried in a nice form all winter. You can add some annuals, I like snapdragons, that will flower all summer if you keep them watered, and they will show up nicely against the mix.

[JSwan]

A plug for my favorite small shrub....

Blue Mist Shrub

You cannot kill it.

It requires no care.

Deer don't like it.

It's beautiful and perfect for a whiskey barrel. Or anywhere!

http://www.daytonnursery.com/Encyclopedia/Perennials/Caryopteris.htm

This shrub makes me look like a very talented gardener. :)

[suzyq]

Petunias are great for hot areas. Also the vincas. Both would probably overflow over the sides of the barrels if you keep them watered! It might be pretty to plant something a bit taller in the middle, like maybe a hibiscus or even something green.

Do you have knock out roses up there? They are great bush type roses and handle the heat very well, bloom almost all the time here in Texas.

[Creaghgal]

Whiskey barrels are perfect for a simple dwarf waterlilly! A mini water garden is very low maintenance & so easy to over winter. I’ve had an Indiana Waterlily for 3 years & all I have do in the winter is put it in a bucket and leave it in the garage. A few other dwarf varieties to try are Joann Pring, Helvola, and Nymphaea pygmaea

[FatDinah]

if you do petunias, choose the Wave varieties. They keep blooming even if you don't deadhead them. And they will froth over the edges, very pretty.

How about cannas for height?

or, if you want to attract butterflies, plant the Black and Blue salvia, it'll flourish and get huge.

[AiryFairy]

I would plant things that wouldn't kill the horses should they decide to take a swipe a them - that's me being paranoid. Nasturtiums do really well in heat, and they trail out over the edge of the barrel if you get the non-dwarf type, Alaska is a beautiful plant because it has variegated foliage in addition to the really hot color flowers. And it's carefree, goes like hell, has the occasional aphid but mostly they just grow....and grow. They're also dead easy to grow from seed.

http://www.thegrowers-exchange.com/Nasturtium_Alaska_Mix_p/her-nas01.htm

Alternatively you could plant it with herbs that do well in arid conditions, like lavender, rosemary and a trailing thyme.

[SMF11]

I second the nasturtiums! What about lavender? Think about what grows in hot dry areas like the mediterranean . . .

[Fairview Horse Center]

No hibiscus. Lillys I believe are also toxic.

[Frank B]

Marigolds -- they're indestructable. Numerous color combinations, and they're easy to start from seed if you're so inclined.

I don't think horses are fond of them, at least mine wasn't. He'd wrinkle his nose and turn away from them.

[pines4equines]

Oh my gosh guys, this is terrific! I'm writing a list and see what I can get at the nursery! Let's reconvene here in the summer with pictures to show all!

[JenRose]

My whiskey barrel: Pony tail grass (cute ornamental grass) and bubble gum pink wave petunias. They sit in the blazing sun in the Louisiana heat and have never let me down.

The horses don't seem to like the texture of the ornamental grass and if they take a swipe at the petunias, they just come back in a few weeks with more blooms. :winkgrin:

[Foxtrot's]

Methinks you are going to need more than one barrel.

All parts of a waterlilly are edible....to humans ... never fed them to horses.

[cloudyandcallie]

I'd plant tomatoes and dill and other vegetables or herbs.