Question
Hi. Wow! First question.  I am planting two 2-3' urns w/morning glories/moon flowers w/obelisks.  I would like to know what to plant at the base for a full and flowing look.  ivy etc. They get early morning shade and late afternoon shade and are located on N.side of 4' open slat fence. So I guess the base will get about three hours of not direct sun. I do live on L.I. glory seeds are started! Thanks!

Answer
Spring has sprung again, and here come the April showers. Yes, it's so easy to get carried away too much, too soon, with those Summer plans.  The early bird gets the worm, right?

Fact is, unless you run a greenhouse, it's just too easy to stumble outdoors with annuals planted too early in the season for their own good.  I've been there done that.  To quote from the pro's at the Virginia Cooperative Extension: 'A common mistake is to sow the seeds too early and then attempt to hold the seedlings back under poor light or improper temperature ranges. This usually results in tall, weak, spindly plants which do not perform well in the garden.'

Here's their report on Plant Propagation from Seed:

www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-001/426-001.html

What can I say.  Asking a gardener not to plant seeds in Spring is like asking a horse not to break out of the gate at the Kentucky Derby after the race begins.

Now however you have been warned.  Remember, Morning Glories and Moonflowers NEED full sun, and they NEED heat.  You can't compensate any way for this.  Do what you can and good luck -- and I mean that.

For future reference, and I know this is hard to believe, but numerous studies after studies document that annuals do actually catch up to early planted seeds when you WAIT.

I know, I didn't believe it either.  Then I read the details.  Seems that if you wait, they catch up AND they surpass the growth of the seeds planted when the weather was cool and the days shorter.

Add to that the hungry slugs slithering around in search of a tasty sprout, and cool-season caused by Pythium, Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium in search of their next strike of Damping Off or Seedling Blight.

Stock up on diatamaceous earth and copper tape (for the slugs) and F-Stop Fungicide or other biocontrol product, just in case.

Now let's get to your question.  You want to know what to grow at the base of the container that will perhaps thrive with less than 9 hours of full sun, correct?  Morning and afternoon shade.  This is a little odd, because the two climbers you have picked need a full day of Sun.

Then there's your reference to the 'North Side' location.  This is disconcerting -- are you going to be cultivating a container of Morning Glories on the North Side of a building?  Because that does not sound like full sun...

But we'll assume they'll all get what they need and you have that under control.  Pity, because white Petunias would be a nice touch at the base of a container exploding with blue and white plumes.

I am not a fan of the ubiquitous Begonia or Impatiens, which seem to demand semishade placement of virtually every house on Long Island.  Nor do I think herbs will work here, as most of them need more moisture than Ipomoea can take -- except for Mint, which grows VERY thickly and VERY lushly while imparting a delightful fragrance to the air every time it's brushed.

Perennials are way too problematic, requiring all kinds of overwintering and container treatment just because of the companion plants -- unnecessary.

That leaves a long list of foliage choices and a few flowering if incompatible annuals.

Coleus is a large genus.  Most of the colors are not complementary to the vivid blues and whites they will anchor.  Ageratum, in blue or white, is the wrong blue and the wrong white.  

Lantana is a tender perennial grown on L.I. as an annual.  It prefers bright, solid Sun and lots of heat -- just like the Ipomoeas.  But it will tolerate semi-sun and even semi-shade if days are bright and long enough.  The colors are dense and bold, true foils for the saturated colors above them.  Moreover, they dislike overly rich soil and excessive water, just like Ipomoeas.  They'll wilt when they get thirsty, then spring back in minutes once watered.  The more sun they get, the more flowers they'll produce, right up to fall's first frost.  Although they will reach 3 feet if left to grow, you can prune them easily as low as 12 to 18 inches and still enjoy plentiful flowers.

Annual Vinca -- Catharanthus roseus -- is a popular foliage plant that will offset the lush growth above it without looking overwhelmed.  It tolerates drought, which helps when you are trying not to overwater the Ipomoeas.  And it is quite happy in semishade.

Annual Salvia is ideal in many ways.  Its habit seems complementary to the vining growth above it, to me.  You might like it or not.  Fidn it in your garden center -- not difficult as this is a popular plant here.  It will thrive, in semi-shade, right through Summer, for the duration of your flowering vines.

But there are SCORES of other options here.  And the light factor is a key to how successful this selection will be.  So take your Mouse and head over to this website where you will be able to study the colors, heights and habits of ALL the flowers Burpee grows from seed:

www.burpee.com/home.do

Click on "Annuals" at the top of the page and then plug in your details -- and don't forget to check "Containers" as a parameter.

There's still plenty of time to do this.  Don't lose sleep over it.  Good things come to those who wait, especially when it comes to the garden.

Send pictures when they all bloom.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER