Plant Killer

I've never really had a green thumb.  I have killed boxwoods (yes, multiple), rose bushes, and even an aloe plant.  I eventually gave up trying to have house plants.  It was cruel to the plants.  I'm sure my paternal grandparents are looking down on me with disgust and shame.  They owned a plant nursery for many years.  They also owned a successful daylily business and had a yard that was full of daylilies and irises.  Both of my parents worked at the nursery and could grow most any plant.

 

I was determined to plant something and keep it alive for more than a few weeks.  I'm likely moving in a couple of months, so I didn't want to plant anything in the ground.  I've always enjoyed containers of plants and had many containers beckoning for plant life.  Memorial Day weekend turned out to be a good time to fill the planters.

 

I headed to Home Depot and purchased about $75 worth of plants and soil.  Once I unloaded the goodies from my car, I got to work in the courtyard.  I started by cleaning my planters and then finding some stones and things to use for drainage.  I had a broken flower pot that I broke into more pieces and used in the bottom of my containers.  This allows the soil to drain and keeps the roots from rotting.

 

I bought a few plants that enjoyed the shade because I wanted a planter near the backdoor and the area is fairly shady.  I wasn't really sure how to decide which plants would work together, so I just grabbed several that had the shade designation and hoped for the best.  I filled the planter with soil and added the plants and then finished with a heavy watering.

 

This photo was taken right after I finished.

I made sure to water the plants every few days.  I was shocked I kept them alive!  They even grew!

This photo was taken a week later.  Look at how much the plants filled in!

I need to get another photo.  The plants don't seem quite as full as the week after photo, but they've continued to get larger.  I'm pleased with myself.  I really don't enjoy watering the planters because I also feed the mosquitos while I'm outside.  Annabelle also feels it is her job to drink the water from the hose while I'm watering the plants.  She does whatever she can to get to the water.  I try to position the sprayer so both Anne and the plants get water.

I filled four other planters that day with sun-loving plants.  I'm not as proud of those.  I don't know why, though.  I think I may not like the flowers in them as much as the shade flowers.  They're still alive and doing well so I'm pleased.

I appreciate a nicely landscaped yard.  I plan to make my next yard a lovely plant filled oasis.  I cannot wait!