Is it Lunch Yet?

I had a visitor today that hung around long enough for me to run to get the camera and take a picture through the glass door. Look closely, it's perched on the chair back. Try clicking to enlarge so you can get a better look. This finch visits often but usually only in the morning. And it always seems to know when I'm going for the camera because it flies off right when I've clicked the shutter so I end up with nothing but a frustrating yellow blur. This might be the best picture I ever get.

I had to do some sleuthing to see what it liked so much about my garden. Then I saw that it had clearly been going to town on my zinnias. It evidently really likes the seeds. This finch has a little friend that often tags along for a visit to the buffet but it didn't stay very long this afternoon.

Note to self: more zinnias next year.

Bookshelf: Container Gardening Books

A Million Bells

This is a great flower for containers. It's called Calibrachoa but is also known as Trailing Petunia or Million Bells. The blooms are petunia-like in shape, just a whole lot smaller. You know how petunias are sticky? I hate that. Well, these aren't. And you know how you have to pinch back the spent blooms on petunias? I hate that too. Well, you don't have to pinch back or deadhead these. They keep blooming and blooming and ask for nothing in return but plenty of sun and water. Calibrachoa is an annual and it loves good drainage which is why it's ideally suited for containers. Million Bells looks like a million bucks all summer long.

Bookshelf: Container Gardening Books

Partial to Purple

Themes have never been my thing when planting my container garden. I don't try very hard to coordinate colors because I figure, if it's found in nature, it must go together. Besides, why complicate something that's really supposed to be simple? But I do seem to naturally gravitate towards certain things. Like lime green foliage (Creeping Jenny). And things that climb (Mandevilla). And purple blooms. Shown here are two of my favorite annuals: Angelonia and Scaevola. Sure they come in different colors--pretty ones too. But I always end up with some variation of purple.

The scaevola tends to sprawl and spill over. The angelonia grows upright to about 9 inches or so. Both plants bloom like crazy all summer long and require no, I repeat, no maintenance. You can't ask for much more than that.

Bookshelf: Container Gardening Books