Ahhhhh…spring/summer weather has locked in and I finally got to plant my patio containers - well in my case, deck containers.
My Polywood furniture weathered the winter on my deck perfectly - now all I have to do is hose it down to wash the pollen away…the arms are covered in yellow-green dust at the moment - such is the right of passage for spring here in New England.
My outdoor carpet has not fared as well - it started sporting moss around the birdbath and plant pots last year and is sporting even more moss after a wet spring. I’ll consider it nature’s carpet for the moment, but I may try to tackle the problem over the summer.
sadly defunct recirculating fountain
We are on season 5 of the fountain wars and I am losing. My recirculating fountain has had some tragic flaw every year. This year is was a plumbing issue that I repaired only to discover I also have a leak somewhere in the top fountain tier and that is not so easily dealt with.
But my birdbath, bird feeders and potted perennial plants (evergreens and a hydrangea) are all doing perfectly fine. I added another evergreen this year, a holly bush. I like having a few somethings that are not dead to look at whilst enduring the winter months, and they provide a nice foil to the flowers in the summer.
I planted mini petunias, which a chipmunk (I think) destroyed in the space of 24 hrs, so that pot has been replanted with zinnias, which seem to be holding…fingers crossed! I haven’t seen the groundhog that waddled up a full flight of stairs to munch on my plants the past couple of springs, so hopefully he has found more accessible dining!
I found these gorgeous double ruffly petunias and planted them with sweet potato vine to spill out the sides of the pot and provide a contrasting shade of green.
A pretty purple clematis was planted that I’m hoping will weather the winter to come back each year - we’ll see! And I’ve bought a couple of mandevilla climbers including an unusual pale salmon one, and a bunch of bright pink dipladenia. Those bright trumpet flowers seem to attract hummingbirds and they have already found the hummingbird feeder.
This lavender plant was a Trader Joe’s find. Some of my herbs came from there as well. The rest came from a local nursery.
I have all my beloved herbs planted. I love having these right outside my kitchen door for cooking! The thyme, sage, rosemary and mint are all in a large pot, and the parsley, dill, and basil are in my vertical garden, so they are out of range IF the groundhog makes an appearance. Last year he wiped out the parsley in the middle of the pot and left the more scented herbs around it alone.
All my containers including the ones with herbs and my hanging basket ones have some sort of ivy or vine planted to spill over the edges.
I buy perennials of some sort every year for my front door urns, usually hydrangeas, and then transfer them to the garden beds at the end of the season. Most of them have survived and thrived to add to the beds and it makes for a good way to both decorate the entry and expand the garden plants.
And finally, I filled the cast iron bucket salvaged from my childhood home and now at the entrance to my front walk, with petunias and ivy.
This morning I enjoyed my tea on the deck lounging in my rocker surrounded by flowers, dozens of visiting birds, and scurrying chipmunks….Alas, I’m just missing the sound of the fountain, but it is glorious nonetheless!
