Planting Tutorial

Although I don't remember the year, I remember the "moment" when I first tasted the joy of casually strolling through a greenhouse and thinking, "This is actually quite relaxing, the kids are in school and I don't need to hurry." It was a relatively new greenhouse in town, they were well organized and, to add to the atmosphere, they had classical music playing. I had time to read the signage, there were beautifully made up baskets and planters everywhere to give you good ideas and the workers were friendly and helpful. What was there not to like about a stroll through a flower park and choosing which ones to take home with you?

Now, I'm far from being an expert when it comes to planting, but I can share a tidbit for anyone who has never done any kind of gardening. You, my friends who have done lots, will just have to smile at my attempts. So I learned that there are two kinds of flowering plants you can get. When looking for plants to use as borders, in beds around trees or elsewhere in your yard you probably want to get something that will come back every year. These are called perennials and they bloom for a certain amount of time, usually for a month in the Spring. The most common ones for baskets and planters are annuals, which only bloom for the season and then they are done. What is nice though, is that they bloom all summer long!

So, when I had a few hours, I pulled my old pots out of the shed. I removed the old roots and bad soil on the top of bigger planters and emptied the small, shallow ones. Often I will put some rocks in the bottom of the pot to allow water to drain, in case of too much watering. Then I filled them all to the top with fresh potting soil. Some of the pots needed a good scrub with soap and water and then I was ready.
Almost more for "old times sake" than anything else, I called my Mom and asked her if she would like to come over. Of course she did! She came carrying her little stool and rubber gloves.

I sorted the plants according to which pot and place they would end up. When shopping for plants, you want to consider whether your plants need lots of sunshine or whether they would do better in the shade, and then place them accordingly. Since my Mom used to bring me the pots for the front door, I put those in front of her as she sat down in the middle of the yard. Using the patio was out since it is still under construction, being tiled.

(In the background of this photo you can see a tiny preview of the new landscaping we've been working on.) I know Mom's planting habits well! She likes to put a geranium in the centre of the pot.

And then she adds little basket-stuffers, such as impatiens, fuchsia and lobellia. I didn't have any lobellia this time.

I did some window planters with pansies and some tiny white flowers which I don't remember the name for, but they look like lace.

I like Osteospermum, or any daisy-like flowers. If you remove the dead flowers through-out the summer, they bloom even better yet.

We also planted some ivy geraniums in hanging baskets and bright yellow dwarf dahlias in a large back yard planter.

It was quite enjoyable and felt good when it was done. Now we just need to baby them a bit, since the weather is still a little unpredictable. Most of them are being kept under cover for now.