Planters

One beautiful warm day, and I lose all my resolve and go ahead and plant. Did all of the planters on and around the deck yesterday, even though the weather report says this weather won't last. Dad wanted to watch me plant things, so plant things I did.

The planters around the deck are planted thus this year:

In the big new one that Bill built to replace the old hot tub: Cannas - the nicer striped leaf orange flowered ones I bought three or four years ago form the back side which will become the visual screen for the summer. Then the plant I've been bringing in for at least ten years as a cutting, and growing over the winter that grows so strongly all summer outside once it gets hot - I'll try to remember the name - went into the center of the planter. A red and a green sweet potato vine on each front corner. A Victoria Regina Salvia between the sweet potatoes and the ? wild grower. I hope that they will get a good start before the other rampant growers get going.

In each of the two round white plastic pots, surrounded by Bill's cedar encasements I planted a clump of purple fountain grass Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum', with two licorice plants, Helichrysum petiolare, one white, one yellow. And a Lotus 'Amazon Sunset' . It has flowers that are bright orange red, which doesn't really go with my purple and pink and white yard. But they are so dramatic and lovely, and the leaves are so nice and subtle offering nice contrast to the grass and the licorice that I find them hard to resist.

The three rectangular planters at the corner of the deck have been variously successful over the years. Sometimes I overdo them at this time of the year, and they become overgrown early and not very pretty. I've had to try to hold back to some extent, but also to buy good specimens for them. I purchased the sun coleus plants awhile ago in Stevens Point on the way home from the WAPL conference. Now they have been planted out where they will live the summer. I wonder if I should try to overwinter them - But I've not been successful at growing them full and robust inside. Two varieties this year: 'Pink Ruffles' and an unnamed one in shades of green and maroon. Other plants in these planters are Laurentia 'Beth's Blue', Tricolor Rhoeo discolor, Callibrachoa 'Callie Painted Coral'.

In the big blue pot near the grill I planted another Calibrachoa hybrid 'Superbells Pink', Lobelia 'Laguna sky blue', and an African Daisy - Arctotis stoechadifolia 'Summertime Blueberry'

And the little fake pickle jar that fits to the right of the back door has another sun coleus 'Amora', along with an allysum and a Helichrysum.

Now, after all that work yesterday, it is predicted to freeze tonight. I can cover things, but a hard freeze will get them whatever I do. It just doesn't stop this year. Not only is it very cold very late, but also it is so dry that the soil is cracking in many places, the turf isn't expanding into the dead spots and is even showing signs of burning out in some places. This is not a good omen for May. Every year the drought comes earlier lately. I was hoping for a wet year. But it seems not likely.

We put covers over the cannas out in the yard. And sheets over all of the planters on the deck and the front porch. It was kinda fun to try to figure out how to cover things and not weigh them down - we found old plant stakes and circular supports that we haven't used in years. I hope they work. As I write at 8:30 it is still 51 degrees outside.

I took these photos to record the beginnings, and to be able to compare these beginnings with the results in a month or so. I will enjoy looking back at the potential, and remembering my hopes for the future.