Plants

Another gorgeous day. I have been preparing for some container workshops and some plant arrangements, so I have been to garden centers and nurseries at all times of the day the past week or so.  I see Master Gardeners with loaded carts everywhere!   Let me tell you, gardening is in FULL swing.  I do believe it is an addiction!  You would think from the lines and the crowded parking lots that they were giving plants away.  So many plants to choose from, and only so much space in the garden! It is a challenge.  Don’t forget, there are also MG plant sales going on all across the state this weekend and for the next few weekends.  Check our website for locations near you. 

Although I adore flowers, there are so many fun foliage plants to choose from.  Three great coleus plants I have recently purchased include Sedona in orange, wasabi in lime green/yellow and Redhead in red.  The paddle plant kalanchoe also called Flapjack, is a fun, interesting succulent, and the Jewels of Opar in lime green will fill up the garden with bright color. Give it room to spread, because it can get a little too happy.  Several varieties of helichrysum–commonly called licorice plant come in shades of yellow, gray or green. There are also some great crotons that are inexpensive.  They take full sun and little water and will give you loads of color all season. They could move indoors in the fall, but I just buy new ones each season.  I also got some great Arabian jasmine–Jasminum sambac.  It brings back memories of Italy, where it was in full fragrant bloom when we were there.  The tropicals are arriving daily with some stunning large pink mandevillas, but also some red ones to white and pale pink.  The ixora plant will bloom all summer, but I couldn’t find any bright orange with flowers–they were all foliage, so I opted for a yellow one.  I found small hibiscus plants on sale, loaded with buds.  I use them as summer bedding plants and in containers, since they thrive in the heat and humidity of our summers and bloom all season long.    I love the flowering tobacco plant and I found one with lime green flowers called Starmaker deep lime.  I think it will go nicely with yellow and orange.  I am seeing a theme here!  When you group plants together, whether in pots or beds, group plants with like needs together in addition to good color combos.

I just finished a combo pot that isn’t planted but still in individual pots. I am doing it for a trade show booth.  This is also a great way to add some wow as a table centerpiece for a party.  Put down plastic trays to catch water, but then stagger the pot heights in whatever container you have at hand, then top it with moss or fill to finish the look.  Whoever wins the pot, can then take it apart and plant them in their yard.  It is a gift that can keep giving.  You wouldn’t want to keep it in this pot for months, but a week or two would be fine.

Today is my birthday, and I have been inundated with well wishes, especially via facebook.  My cousin informed me that I share my birthday with the oldest living human–who is 115 today.  Let’s hope there is something lucky about this date!  I just have 61 more years to go.  I spent most of the day at the diagnostic center waiting on my daughter while she had a colonoscopy!  I did get to answer other patients and staffs gardening questions, so it wasn’t a total waste. I forgot my reading glasses, so luckily I could enlarge my iPad or I would have been lost–my arms aren’t near long enough anymore without glasses.  Email enlarged is awesome!  I may leave it this way.  One lady asked me how long I had worked for extension and upon hearing almost 32 years, she was shocked and told me I couldn’t be that old. I assured her I started when I was 12.