Despite a chilly morning and a frost warning last night, the sun is shining and it will warm up this afternoon. All my potted flower plants are close to the house where it is warmer and we have many trees. So, if there was a frost, it didn’t hurt the flowers.
I’ve been enjoying the sunshine and comfortable temperatures outside as much as possible this past week. Last week I went to my favorite greenhouse and this year, I got there in time to buy my favorite color of geranium-a bright orange red that looks great up against the brick of our house. Geraniums grow well at this house and can tolerate a few days of drought if I forget to water them. I make sure to plant them in pots that are situated in places that get 4 to 5 hours of sun each day, but they do tolerate full sun, too.
It takes me longer now to get my flowers planted. Arthritis has slowed me down and I’ve had to find ways to make planting flowers easier. Plant caddies with wheels makes it much easier to move heavier pots around on the patio. In place of stones at the bottom of the pot, I break up pieces of styrofoam and place the pieces in the bottom of the pot. The pot is much lighter and the styrofoam protects the roots from too much water. The kink – free, stainless steel garden hose was worth the investment. It rolls smoothly off its reel and is lighter in weight than a conventional hose which means less tugging as I go around watering the flowers.
The pots of flowers will add a touch of happy, bright color to our patio this summer and well worth the extra effort. Stay tuned for more pics as my garden blooms! Now to go drink coffee on the patio and watch my flowers grow.
