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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Prince of "Petunia"

Isn't He Cute?
This precious little guy was sent to us girls through an email from one of the guys in our office last week.  The stock market had taken such a "big dive" and  he felt that maybe we could all use a smile.  He's our resident cheerleader-thanks Jeff! 
  I'm still smiling a week later at this little sweetheart!

And speaking of Petunias...

photo by Suzanne in the spring of 2000

I'm quite the Petunia fan.  My little English Garden features some 'fuschia' colored Petunias in front of the garden Peasant Girl.  I love Petunias flanked with white 'sweet alyssum'.  The alyssum brings out the bright colors of the Petunias and makes them "POP"!


photo by Suzanne, probably in 1994

This is an older photo, when I first got my house.  The pot on the left houses white, red and a fushia colored 'Petunia'.  See how healthy the plants are in this pot?  I like to buy 'Petunias' while they're young, before there are any full open blooms on them (just a peak-a-boo of bloom to know what color I'm getting).  You can control their growth, and they last longer.  And, by the way, those red lillies in the back are what I believe to be called "St. Joseph" lillies.  There were bunches of them in this back flower bed...I didn't know what the heck they were.  I dug them up and re-arranged them.  Of course, they multiplied!  Kudos to me!  They only bloom once a year, and the foliage stays nice until it gets really hot-then, I cut the foliage back.


photo by Suzanne * Spring 1996

I even have 'Petunias' on the patio!  The large terra cotta colored pot is bursting with red and white 'Petunias'.  Those are my favorite two colors to plant together.  Each color compliments the other.  And they're so fluffy!

The patio is homemade...I designed it myself and commissioned my, then, 15 year old son and one of his friends to construct it for me.  The pavers are concrete color and red.  And we edged it with red brick that I dug up all around the property.  The red pavers are small squares and we used large concrete colored pavers too.  And, hey!  I had a Dodge truck, so I was able to pick up the pavers and haul them home myself.  It did take two trips...the pavers were pretty heavy.  After prepping the area, it took the boys two evenings to get it together, according to my design.  I spent around $300.00 for materials and labor.  We still use the patio, but it does need some refurbishing now, as the pavers are shifting around.  It is getting on in years.


photo by Suzanne * Spring 2003

Well, I was messing around with black and white film in my old Pentax 34mm camera (which, by the way, takes great flicks) and shot this pot of 'Sugar Daddy Petunias'.  Now, I wish I had taken some pics of them in color.  They were a 'spicy' pink, with a darker pink center, and grew to be pretty large...and, of course, I adorned them with, what else, 'white sweet alyssum'!
***
One tip I have followed that really works, is to pluck the spent blooms from 'Petunia' plants to encourage more flowering.  I mean, this is VERRRY tedious, almost like peeling your sunburn-but it pays off!  You just have to go out there, faithfully, and do it!  Gently pull out the shriveled blooms, and, with a plastic grocery bag hanging from your wrist, you can deposit them into the bag as you go along.

photo by Suzanne * April 2007

I have a strawberry pot, and no luck with strawberries!  So, I planted red and white variegated 'Petunias' in the top of it and strategically placed 'airplane plant' and some 'golden sedum' in the other openings.  The 'Petunias' did pretty good in this pot, but I had to stay on top of it, as it's hard to keep the soil AND the plants IN THE POT when you water it!!!  The terra cotta Goat also has 'golden sedum' planted in it.  This is a ground cover that blooms little yellow stars in the warm of the spring.  And, it comes back every year-it also grows where it falls.  My next door neighbor Lee gave me sprigs of it and I have found it to be an enjoyable plant.  Behind the Goat are the 'Stella D'Oro' lillies with new buds-ready to bloom.  They are such a bright yellow and need plenty of sun to open up fully.  And, of course, a small pot of white 'Perriwinkle'.

Petunias are a beautiful addition to any arrangement of pots, and in the ground.  As they get leggy, I find a spot on the plant just above new leaves and cut them back.  And here they come again, but it does take water, sun, and a little patience. 
I hope you've enjoyed my 'Petunias' and my little Prince!

****
I've been out of commission (LITERALLY!) for almost a week.  Our phone lines cratered, and they had to be replaced.  How ANNOYING!  Thank goodness for cell phones during a time like this.  And, we had no internet.  So, I missed the wonderful posts from all of my favorite blogs, and I'm catching up on them now.  I still have a few to read, and I'm doing good getting to them.  I guess the phone lines on this old house just couldn't take the heat anymore.  But here, they stretch them from the top of the house all the way thru the back yard to a telephone pole!  And, they were sagging! 

I must Thank:
Google
Yahoo Images
Jeff and Fred from my office
My Faithful Readers
And- the "Prince of Petunia"!

August 17, 2011 * National Joke Day
Here is a joke sent to us at the office from another jokster!

"I used to be indecisive...now I'm not sure". 
Well, my fellow bloggers and friends, 'tis all for now.  Stop by and say hello anytime. 
 Be well, and happy 
It is a muggy 94° in the fair city of Fort Worth, Texas, USA!


5 comments:

  1. Hey Susan, thanks so much for your sweet comments. I think we all have our strengths....
    as for me, I cant say much for my green thumb. This year was my first year ever attempting to garden even though I have owned a home for years. My garden was a sad one. I took on the challenge this year, I laid some pavers and planted some plants. I made a small resting area with a bench in my garden, but nothing that looks as beautiful as your garden pics. I will post some pics of my garden soon, maybe you can advise me in that area.... sometimes I feel so discouraged. ... Living things take time, a lot more time than my dolls to look beautiful...

    As for your patio I just love it and your lilies and your petunias. I just bought some petunias this summer for under 3 bucks, I hope they make it through next year as for the rest of my plants!

    Anyhow, talk to you soon....

    Xoxo
    Ziggy

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  2. Great water gauge - hope you can upgrade it soon!
    A cute little 'Prince'. The bright pink and white is a pretty, fresh, combination. They do look lovely on your patio too. It looks a very congenial spot - just the thing for relaxing out in the garden :D)
    I had a little chuckle about your strawberry pot being used for something else ... me too! It seems to dry the soil out too quickly for strawbs doesn't it. I resorted to planting some succulents in - they're tougher. I like the look of your choice of alternative plantings in yours.
    Good to see you've kept your sense of humour amidst all the internet and power problems... coupled with the heat and humidity Susan!! Many in your situation would have wilted ;-)
    Cheerio for now and enjoy the coming weekend.

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  3. * Mrs. Ziggy, I'm so glad you came by. You know it's been tough on all gardens this summer. I've seen so many burned up hedges that don't usually die! Most of the older Crepe Myrtles are surviving, but I've seen some younger ones that have perished. I've lost a lot of stuff...glad that petunias and other bedding plants are cheap. They don't always come back, but are easily replaced.

    I'd love to see your garden pics. Maybe I can help-believe me, I've made plenty of mistakes! And, don't get discouraged, you are so talented and some of that can be shared outside too! If it ever cools off! Thank you so much for your sweet compliments. I enjoy hearing from you. Have a great weekend.

    * Hi Susan! Didn't you just love the little Prince? I liked him so much, I just knew I could squeeze a story out of him. Yeah, the ole strawberry pot! I read about putting succulents in them, they hold up better. And I thought I might try that, saw a picture of one in a magazine. I like succulent plants-the little sedum plants are succulents and will just grow all over things. They're pretty easy. So, you like our new state rain gauge, eh? I thought it was cute. Maybe we can upgrade in a month or two. Thank you for your gracious compliments. It was so good to hear from you. I really missed those days without internet. We depend on it so much now. But, I like to keep up with my blogmates! It has been so fun and rewarding! Can't wait to hear how your Swan Mum gets along.

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  4. sorry it's taken me so long to get over here...but it WAS worth the wait! beautiful flowers...i can see how much love & care goes into them....they thrive! i don't spend so much time with mine...guess that's why they always look so scraggly...and weeds growing everywhere...ha! but i love them anyway...weeds and all! :)
    and your patio space...very nice...your son did a great job! what a nice spot to just sit & relax...
    OH, and i LOVE the little petunia prince!!! hahaha...so CUTE!!!! he looks good in that tiny pink hat!
    well...you take care...is the temp there still in triple digits? any of the wet stuff falling from the skies?? i'll try to blow some your way! i hope all your internet problems are in the past...that;s a pain in the...uh...butt...

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  5. * Laura, we're at about 99° now. Yeah, petunias are pretty easy, and cheap! I've had a lot of them, and the little prince really inspired the story. I wonder how they got that petunia on his head?
    We, too, have plenty of weeds...they have flourished in this drought. And we've lost a lot of stuff now. Will have to do clean up and plant some more stuff when it cools down.
    I'm glad you made it over...and, so far, no more problems. It looks like it was really in the phone lines. I'm sure the phone guys didn't appreciate re-wiring them in 107° temp! Thanks for your compliments-we've had some relaxing times and good margaritas on that patio!

    ReplyDelete

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