Disappearing Blogger

It's not hard to fathom why I haven't written for nearly a month. It's May--following close up the heels of April and finally the weather allowed the planting and rearranging to begin. In went the peas and strawberries. Ten hanging baskets of petunias, lobelia and vebena were potted up to hang along the back fence. Eight more metal tubs filled with red and white petunias were hung under eaves of the front porch. I still have ten baskets to put on the archways of the two front gates that will eventually form an arch of flowers over each gate.

Petunias. I've long scoffed at their cliche and commonness. But they grow so faithfully, attracting hummingbirds and sphinx moths. I've given up the exotic for the tried and true--at least in my hanging baskets. I use a specially designed hanging basket with octagonal openings all along the sides, called Bloom Masters. I've found that in a few weeks time, the 2" seedlings I plant form a ball of flowers, completely hiding the container. Halfway through the summer they trail lush ropes of flowers 3 feet long or more. I'm going to post a picture each week so you can track the progress with me. Look for it on Saturdays.