Quick Tip – Tips on Thursday/Perfect Plant Perches

On May 3, 2018May 2, 2018 By TimelessladyIn Quick Tip14 Comments

I enjoy finding new ways to display pots of plants. This year I used a log from the woodpile as a plant stand and three tall stumps, leftovers from our crabapple tree. They look great, but the pots are precarious and easily fall off their perches on a windy day.

I planted the larger terracotta pot first. To keep it stable I hammered a large nail into the stump and lowered the pot onto it through the drainage hole in the bottom.

The plastic planters were not as easy to support. They didn’t have drainage holes; I had to push through the bottom with a pair of scissors. To keep these lighter pots in place I nailed right through the pot into the stumps.

This worked great but meant I needed the ladder to plant the flowers.

I planted varieties that hummingbirds will find nectar in. Pentas, petunias, and verbena will draw both hummers and butterflies. Several other flowers were added for their colors.

“For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
“For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.”

― Benjamin Franklin

For the want of a nail my pots would have been lost. Thankfully, it’s unlikely now since I had a few on hand. I’ve also used pencils or dowels to stabilize pots on the ground: Stabilizing Pots on the Ground.

Plants – Petunia 4-pack

On April 11, 2013February 24, 2014 By TimelessladyIn Plants2 Comments

I’ve grown so many of my plants from seed this year, I really have no inclination or need to purchase anything at all. That was my mindset until I saw these brilliant pink petunias at a local farm market I visit weekly. Oh my! How could I resist. To justify my purchase I decided they must be a table arrangement for at least a week or two. The four pack they are planted in fits perfectly into a ceramic pot I love.

I think the petunias look very happy filling in as a flower arrangement on the table. When the danger of frost is past I’ve decided they will be perfect inside a hanging basket.

Plants – Flower Garden Update/August 2012

On August 23, 2012August 19, 2012 By TimelessladyIn Plants1 Comment

My late-summer flower garden is thriving. The Rudbeckia is full of blossoms. I don’t deadhead these flowers. They do not produce more blooms if I do so, and then I would deprive the finches of their treat. These flowers produce hundreds of seeds and are a favorite of the goldfinches. I often see the small birds hanging upside down on the seed heads, feasting on the bounty.

The Coral Nymph Salvia is a beautiful plant. It almost becomes shrub-like as the season progresses. I do deadhead the spent flower stalks of this plant, and it keeps producing until cold weather. It is a favorite of hummingbirds.

This Salvia self-seeded last summer, grew in a crack between the sidewalk and front porch steps, and is thriving. I will save seeds from this plant this fall. It has a resilience and determination I admire.

The Popsock Cosmos I grew this year is a bit taller than I had thought it would be, but is still a welcome addition to the front garden.

These cheerful petunias I bought on a whim this spring have been fantastic. I love the bright color and the abundance of blooms they have given me.

The coleus plants in the front garden are outstanding. I will soon let them begin to flower for next year’s seed harvest.

The asters I grew by winter-sowing are beautiful. They come in a variety of purple, lavender and pink shades. I am really pleased with this plant.

The Bonariensis Verbena is often perennial. This patch grew tall and broad this year and is constantly attracting butterflies. Last year it also self-seeded, and I have several new patches of this great plant.

Dahlias grown from seed and sun-loving impatiens (a Mother’s Day gift) are all doing well.

Here is one of my mistakes, although I love the lilypad-like foliage. I planted nasturtium in fertilized soil, and the foliage is abundant, but the flowers non-existent. They prefer to grow in poor soil.

Both varieties of Fuschia are doing well, as are both varieties of the Dragon-wing Begonias.

Last but not least is my Lady In Red Salvia, a great hummingbird flower. I love the little hover-fly sipping nectar that I captured in the photograph below.