PhillyTablet Inquirer Daily News
Mobile
Home Delivery
philly.com
email
font size
comments
0
options
 
Monday, July 7, 2008

Time to enjoy
Blog Image

Dare I say it? My work in the garden is done. Well, not all of it. But the hard part is over. The mulching and planting is finished. You think that's a little deal? Noooo. After lugging 110 bags of mulch from one corner of my garden to the other, I say it's time to enjoy. There'll be some deadheading and a little weeding - I hope no more watering - but for the most part, I'm ready to stroll the path and drink in the beauty and serenity. The strawberries, grapes and figs are coming along. The herbs are bushy. The tomatoes and peppers are on schedule - picked the first jalapeno yesterday. The roses have returned after a heat-filled hiatus. The new succulent walk is filling in nicely and all else is simply a treat.

This photo is of a container planted with 'Chocolate mint' coleus and a pale lime green licorice plant, which - in addition to its luscious color - has a chunky constitution and a nice trailing habit. There's one more plant in this mix - name escapes me - but it's got small apricot-colored blossoms that are a surprising and interesting contrast to the other two plants. I'm getting braver in my containers, which is just another way of saying I'm realizing that designing containers is really fun - once you relax.

Speaking of which ... I'm ready!

 
Posted by virginia smith @ 4:41 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
Comments   


0 comments
About Virginia A. Smith
Ginny Smith, a Philadelphia native, worked as a reporter at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Ohio – with six short months at the end of the Bulletin tossed in – before returning to Philadelphia in 1985 to join the Inquirer. Her favorite beats here have included Center City, roving around Pennsylvania (and getting paid for it!) and alternative medicine. She’s also been City Editor and Pennsylvania Editor. Ginny has been happily writing – and learning - about gardening fulltime since 2006. She’s won two silver medals of achievement from the national Garden Writers Association and in 2011, Bartram’s Garden honored her with its Green Exemplar award for her stories about “the region’s deeply rooted horticultural history, cultural attractions and bountiful gardens.”
Advertise Here