Now that I am on the flower side of things I am a dangerous being. I just can't be trusted at the hardware store now that plants are being displayed and I took the plunge and purchased a few to brighten up the compound. Plus, the colors makes it feel like spring. I have desperately tried to start cosmos two years in a row, never a success. So it was a given that when seen, I got. I didn't have a planter that could be placed in full sun and a tad bummed about the possibility of not being able to plant these beauties today. One walk through the area where I keep the hopefully usable wood scraps and low and behold a couple of drawer fronts and a couple of other spare pieces were sitting there waiting to be used. Cut a bit and shoot a few brads in for good measure and, viola! An appropriate box for cosmos.
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| Chillin next to the salvia |
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| Up close and personal |
It seems as though when picking out flowers my eager beaver attitude did not look at the tags of the plants and many need direct sun. I see a few more boxes being made in the future. I think if I look hard enough I might have enough materials for 2 or 3 more boxes.
A little thing I made last year that was super easy to make and quite a handy object in keeping track of gardening costs is my chalk board. One of my favorite things about the tiny little town where I live is the availability of found items. Treasures can be found on the side of the road all the time by folks who don't need the anymore. There's that re-use lesson of the day... Last year I picked up a window frame that had tin instead of glass. One quick layer or two of chalkboard spray paint, a few knick knacks (knobs and wire) to make it personal and hangable, and a you have a board waiting to be chalked. Usually it keeps either a to-do or grocery list, but I want to keep track of how many bags of soil are used during a planting season, so it has been forced into keeping stats this year.
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| Strawberry knobs are just a delight |
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| One Mississippi, Two Mississippi... |
Flowers are not the only thing I have been tootaling around with today, I am also readying the grounds of the compound. The plants are just doing so well in the nursery, it wont be too long before they make it outside. If my calculations are correct the weather should be past the chance of frost when the plants are big enough to be transplanted. All the plants that have been outside are doing great also and I might be eating garlic from the garden soon. YEAH!!! It is hard to tell in the picture, but 20 of 24 plants have sprouted. Not too bad of a ratio so far.
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| Plants a plenty |
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| Give me the sun! |
