Potting Part 1

 “If you wish to make anything grow, you must understand it, and understand it in a very real sense. 'Green fingers' are a fact and  the extensions of a verdant heart.” 
― Russell Page, The Education of a Gardener

 Finally! I can plant. Oh happy day!

 When I was setting up I noticed the pair of doves that nest here....

 He was grooming her

 All lovey dovey

 The two of them feed off the seed pan I have set up year round. Their nest  high up in the pines.

 Spencer from the hill. Scientia Cattus. Took a moment from his supervision duties to snooze.

 I laid out all the flats on the sidewalk by the back of the house. That way I could keep tabs on whether they needed watering. The days are much hotter now.

 It's hard to keep the flats from drying out. Time to get them stuffed into dirt.Cordelia watched from her Moai today. 

 When I do pots, I make a mess. Dirt flies.  Hanging baskets are almost always first.

 That and the pots on the porch. The shade flowers. Fuschia, Begonias, Impatiens, Lobelia, and multicoloured Coleus. I put the Coleus in the trough under the porch eaves. It can be touchy sometimes, and doesn't like to be to watered or in a wind. They especially like growing together.

 I also noticed today the sweet peas are up. Little hands reaching through the dirt.

 And the Centaurea. I scattered more seeds last fall. I think they took this year.

 “Plants want to grow; they are on your side as long as you are reasonably sensible.”― Anne Wareham

 I find it easiest to pot things when I put two card tables together and tie a tarp over top to protect  them.Then I can work standing up moving pots back and forth as they get filled.

 But I make sure to save Spencer's flower pot. Just for him. I will never plant in it. That way he can sleep in it if he wishes when he visits. These days, he's here every day.....

 This year I decided to make it simple...

 Geraniums and Verbeena for hanging baskets...

 And in the next blog I'll post the second day of planting.  I think I have about 100 or so. Took two days to get it all done.  Spencer supervised. My daughters helped lug the table and dirt pails and planted with me when they got the chance......Nothing like having dirt under your nails and slugs crawling about to make you feel great.

 “One must also have faith to grow flowers...” 
― Stella Walthal Patterson, Dear Mad'm

WOO HOO to PLANTING!

 When it's time to plant, it's time to plant. Time to get down and dirty with the dirt.   There was a lot of feline supervision the past few days. They all came down from their houses. To see what could be seen. Pat at the dirt. Sit in the flowers. Supervise.Very helpful.

 The front bed is huge. I think I planted about 89 geraniums. I pick them up as seed geraniums ( about 99 cents each) here and there for about a month, and store in the greenhouse.  Till I'm ready. When ready to plant and take them out of their containers, plop them in sort of the spots I want them.  Works well.

 Except when Spencer decides it's play time, and he is  sent to lie down by the leopard's bane.

 Smokey  stayed under the bench most of the time. I had flats laying out on the cement, getting accustomed to the weather for about three days prior to planting. You don't want to have shocked flowers. Then you would have to send them to therapy........

 WHen it was time to tackle the wheelbarrow of dirt , I decided to mix petunias, geraniums and verbeenas.

 Works well as a planter, and makes use of a barrow that would otherwise just sit around gathering spiders.

 On the porch, in the shade, I planted begonias, impatiens,  fushcias.

 I ended up doing up about 90 pots, all different sizes. Some shade, with impatiens, begonias, wax begonias, and some sun ones  with verbeena, geraniums, etc. MIx and match. Don't worry too much about the flowers. They look after themselves. On, and a good dose of sweet peas mixed in. Everywhere and anywhere I could.

 Pots included portulaca Tangerine,Rhodochiton ( of course....my absolute FAV),Scaevola Pink Charm,which blooms all summer long.

 Also planted Setcreasea ( purple heart)...a wonderful succulent with deep purple foliage. Wave petunias, in the colour Coral Reef.Lobelia ( some like sun, some like shade), Variegated Potatoe Vine ( very different with white flowers  and green and golden yellow leaves.)

 THis year I decided to be not so one colour about the geraniums. Gets so boring with just red or white. THis year picked up Maverick Violet, Ivy Burgundy Blaze Geranium ( also my FAV), Lavender Ivy Geranium, Dancing Idols Candy ( isn't that a GREAT name!!) , Dancing Idols Lavender. If anything buy the flowers for their neat names....

 Maverick Orange, Appleblossom Orbit,Multibloom Pink,Bulls Eye Light Pink, Maverick Pink, Maverick White, Maverick Red, Fidelity Deep Lavender, Bulls Eye Salmon...( Woo Hoo! SO  many colours)

 Estrella Blueberry Verbeena, Estrella White, Estrella Voodoo Star ( COOL!), Estrella Merlot (kidn of a raspberry ), Estrella Pink Star, Donalena Pink Heart, Donalena Raspberry . All Verbeenas. So many choices. ( Double Woo Hoo!)

      And the fan club . Of course. Ever present. Watching to see that you aren't slacking.

 And also for company: the bees. Humming away on the  first of the  Cranesbill just starting to bloom.

         It's hard work being a supervisor................

         So many flowers. So much dirt.

                                 So many rewards. At the end of the day, Spencer flopped his approval.
                                                                               (Woo Hoo!)