Angelonia
Angelonia angustifolia
Keep the view looking good.
A beautiful planter still needs water, light, drainage, and a little attention after installation.
This is our practical library for the things clients ask about most, especially in Greenville’s heat, humidity, changing seasons, and unpredictable cold snaps.
Care articles
Organized the way the work actually happens: getting the setup right, keeping it going, and changing with the seasons.
Read this first · October
When a planter needs care and when it needs a refresh
The honest line between maintenance and 'it's time for the next season', with a checklist for each side.
Read the article →
01
Before you plant
02
Week to week
How to water outdoor planters
The surface of the soil lies. How to judge moisture, water through, and keep up when July arrives.
Feeding and fertilizing container plants
Slow-release at planting, liquid as a top-up, and know when to stop. That's most of it.
Deadheading, trimming, and keeping planters full
The difference between a planter that looks good in May and one that still looks good in August is mostly scissors.
03
When seasons turn
What to do when summer heat hits
When the forecast shows a week in the upper 90s, your planters need a different routine. Here it is, in order.
How to protect planters during a freeze
A pot has no ground to hide in. The night-before checklist, and the honest list of what to let go.
When a planter needs care and when it needs a refresh
The honest line between maintenance and 'it's time for the next season', with a checklist for each side.
Please keep all plants out of reach of children and pets. Some plants can cause adverse effects if ingested. Every plant in our library carries a toxicity note.
The plant library
A care guide, plant by plant: the light each one wants, how much water, how big it gets, and whether it lives through an Upstate winter.
70 outdoor plants · 32 houseplants
Guides
Longer reads on the things that go wrong, and what works here.
Container gardening in Greenville: what actually works
The local pillar: everything Greenville does to a planter, in one place, with the deeper guide for each problem.
What to plant in a fall container in the Upstate
October is the best container month in the Upstate. Here is what goes in, when, and the one buying mistake that costs people half the season.
Full sun, part sun, or shade? How to read your porch
Spend one day watching the space, then match plants to what you saw. The reading method, and what to plant for each answer.
A word on toxicity
Where a plant is not listed by the ASPCA we say so rather than calling it safe. An absent listing is not evidence of safety, and a few of the plants here fall into that gap.
For most of the plants here, “toxic” means a mouthful causes burning, drooling, and vomiting. Some reactions are worse than that. It is worth knowing which is which before you put something where the cat sleeps. If a pet eats part of a plant, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
We are in Greenville, SC, USDA zone 8a. Outdoor guidance on this site assumes that climate.