Trudy Loy, with the help of her brother, John Joyce, has always bedecked the pool at her Piedmont home with potted plants. But in honor of their father's 90th birthday in May, the family went all out, surrounding the pool with some 90 containers of blooms and greenery.

Greens in all shades are provided by coleus, ferns, elephant ears, palms and philodendrons.

Blooms are provided by hibiscus, oleander, begonias, dahlias, impatiens.

Green and purple potato vines and Wandering Jew cascade from wall sconces and hanging baskets.

A red cascading mandevilla has done particularly well this year.

A yellow mandevilla climbing up the fence is a family fave.

A ginger lily came from Hawaii, a gift to their father from a fellow Pearl Harbor survivor.

At ground level are small plants like sedum, hens-and-chicks and Dusty Miller.

A couple of succulents hang in the shade of the porch, including a night-bloomimg cereus that produces spectacular white blooms.

Creative containers include an old birdbath planted with a spike plant and moss.

Elsewhere, dwarf Alberta spruce mixes with ivy — the only things to stay green over the winter.

It takes Loy about an hour to water every night. "People say that must be such a chore," said Joyce. "But no, it's her chance to unwind after work, see what's blooming today that wasn't blooming yesterday."

The family is busy building a greenhouse to shelter the tropical plants for the winter.

Good thing about container gardening: It's easy to move plants if you get them in the wrong spot.

Bad thing about container gardening: "Morning glories don't do well in pots," said Joyce.

Show us your garden

If you have a garden worth sharing, we'd like to know about it. Send photos and a brief description of what makes your garden special to:

"Show Us Your Garden"
Features Department
The Anniston Star
P.O Box 189
Anniston AL 36202

Or email: ldavis@annistonstar.com