Annual Review II: Containers 2008

I've been complaining so much about the weather lately, that I should tell you that we are on our way to a mini-heatwave here in central Illinois. The temperature today is supposed to get up to 23, and 40 degrees by Thursday. Whoohoo! I'd better get out those T-shirts and shorts I've packed away for the winter.



Today's post has nothing to do with the weather, however, and is one I meant to do long ago. For the last two months I have wanted to post about my container plantings this past summer, but one thing or another kept me from getting around to it. I finally sorted through all my photos to find a few of the containers and through all my plant tags to remember what was planted where. I admit this post is really for me: every spring I try to think back to the previous year to remember what plants I used in each container and how many of each I bought. No I didn't write them down, and the gardening journal I started last spring is incredibly spotty. Not that there is anything wrong with my memory, mind you, but it seemed that recording my plantings here with photos was a good replacement for the journal entry.


I am disappointed that the photos I found are not that good. I kept waiting for the optimal time to photograph each container and spent more time taking close-ups of individual flowers. As a result, some containers here were photographed early in the season before they filled out, and some near the end of the season--as an afterthought--after a few of the flowers had died. Underneath each photo I've listed the plants in each container as best as I can remember and depending on the tags I found. Those marked with an asterisk* were new this year, and those marked in bold were exceptional performers. Not that the others didn't do well--although a few didn't--some plants are ones I would highly recommend and will definitely use again next year.



Near the back door an old wicker fern stand I bought years ago at an estate sale is filled every year with 3 zonal geraniums and two or three asparagus ferns. Not too original a combination, but to me it fits the vintage look of the container. Every year I try to overwinter this stand, and every year I neglect to water it enough. Although the geraniums had to be tossed out last spring, I did manage to keep the ferns. I usually also plant trailing vinca vines in this planter, but because the ferns were already so big I skipped the vinca this year. This photo was taken in late spring; by September the ferns were a mass of feathery fronds, engulfing the geraniums.

Two pots flanking the garage doors were planted with identical combinations:

1 Bourbon Street Acalypha*

4 Profusion orange zinnias

2 yellow lantana "Tiddley Winks"

3-4 yellow celosia*

By the time I took the previous photo the celosia had died for some reason, but I really liked them in this arrangement, and they gave a more vertical element to the planter. The Acalypha was definitely a disappointment. They never grew to the 20-30" they were supposed to, and will be replaced next year with something else--maybe some purple fountain grass?

A random post is situated next to the driveway and patio. I'm not sure what its purpose originally was, but a few years ago I placed an old, small, decorative birdhouse atop it and have planted it with various small trailing plants from wave petunias to verbena. Every year the flowers die within a month, it seems, no doubt from lack of water. I was so happy that this year the calibrachoa "Million Bells Cherry Pink" survived well into fall. Perhaps I got lucky in picking a healthy plant, but I think the potting medium made a difference this year. The birdhouse is small and dries out quickly, so this year I added a piece of coco mat as a liner, used good potting soil, and added some moisture crystals to the mix. Watering it every day--twice a day quite often--certainly helped as well.

Two pots flank the old buggy seat in the main garden and are usually planted with the same combination, which varies only slightly each year:

2 Pink Zonal geraniums
4 Profusion Cherry Pink zinnias

1 Strobilanthes dyerianus "Persian Shield"
2 Helichrysum (smaller variety)

1-2 purple Heliotrope

This photo was obviously taken soon after planting; both pots were much fuller by mid-summer.

This urn was given to me as a birthday present a few years ago and is definitely my favorite. It sits in a prominent place near the front porch where everyone can see it.

1 Persian Shield

3 Supertunias "Raspberry Blast"

2 Helichrysum "White Licorice"

4 Dianthus "Super Parfait Strawberry" (in the center--not really necessary)

Note: only 1 helichrysum was needed--it overshadowed the petunias this year.

I've used the same combination for the past two years with a great deal of success and have no intention of changing it next year. The dianthus were added for instant color, but if you can be patient the petunias soon fill in. I can't say enough about "Raspberry Blast"--it's a great performer!

You may remember this pink planter I purchased last spring. I loved the container, but the planting was a disappointment. This was probably the best it looked all summer, and that was before the salvia even grew up in the back. The verbena didn't last long for some reason; in fact, none of the verbena I had in containers did well this year, which was a mystery because I usually have good luck with them. The container is fiberglass, and I had trouble deciding if I was overwatering it or underwatering it. I think I may move it to a different, sunnier location next year.

1-2 Helichrysum

1 (or 2?) Supertunia "Royal Velvet"*

2 Superbena (Verbena) "Large Lilac Blue"

2 Euphorbia "Diamond Frost"*

4 Salvia "Victoria Blue"

Definitely not a good photo! Two green planters are placed in front of the porch planter, facing the front yard. This photo must have been taken early in the summer before the plants filled it in and definitely before either the zinnias or lantana bloomed. All the planters in the front of the house are in the shade most of the day; while the sweet potato vine and coleus did very well, the zinnias and lantana could have used more sun. As much as I like this combination, I might have to look for more shade-loving flowers to use next year.

1 "Kong" Coleus (other pot had a "regular" coleus "Glennis")

4 Profusion "Cherry" zinnias

2 Lantanas "Patriot Petite Rainbow" (needed sun!)*

1 Ipomoea "Tricolor"*

Two old crocks I've had for years also are placed in front of the house. I usually fill at least one of them with the typical impatiens, but I got a little more adventurous this year and was so pleased with the results. (Of course, using much better potting soil this year also helped!)

1 Ipomoea "Marguerite"

1 Heuchera "Dolce Creme Brulee" * (later planted in the shade garden)
1 "Fusion Glow" Impatiens*

1 Calibrachoa "Superbells Yellow Chiffon"*

1 Kong Coleus

The second crock--ignore that hose wrapped around it; it must have been mowing day:) The begonia was my favorite annual this year--what a beauty! I'm sad to say it hasn't survived the winter in my garage; I do hope I can find this same plant next year.

1 Spike (I don't remember botanical name)

1 Ipomoea "Marguerite"? or ""SweetHeart Light Green"?

1 Begonia "Illumination Apricot *

This Adirondack chair sits in front of the old oak tree near the road and holds a planter of bright blooms all summer and then a big basket of mums in the fall. There are two problems with its placement: 1.) It is in constant shade, which doesn't help the sun-loving annuals. 2.) It's a long walk from the house, so too often I neglect to water it. I don't remember exactly what I planted here last spring, because several plants died and were later replaced with others . . . which eventually died. The geraniums, helichrysum, and of course the spike were the hardiest of the bunch and did last all summer.

2-3 Red seed geraniums

1 Helichrysum

1 Calibrachoa "Superbells Saffron"

1 Torenia "Summer Wave Blue"* (shade-lover)

1 Spike

I usually also include a coleus or asparagus fern, but somehow forgot this year; one or both of these might be a good addition for this shady planter next spring. My goal this year is to keep this watered. I need to remind myself that carrying two half-filled watering cans down my 1/8 mile lane ought to count as a good weight-bearing exercise!

Every spring I get a little carried away with buying annuals, especially when Beckie and I go on one of our plant-shopping sprees. I seem to wind up with leftover plants that I can't resist but have no place planned to put them. I usually have one or two pots reserved for the "leftovers"where they are planted with no regard to design. This year was no exception--several beauties just insisted they had to come home with me--but the end results included two welcome surprises.

One pot, which I neglected to photograph, was placed in the shade garden, containing 1 helichyrsum, 1 caladium,* 1 lavendar-white verbena,* and 1 ipomoea "Bewitched." *A strange combination, but it worked; the "Bewitched" was a gorgeous, glossy dark sweet potato vine--I definitely want to find one of these again next year.

But my most successful "leftovers" were in this pot below:

2 Petunias "Double Wave Pink" *

2-3 Lantanas "Tropical Temptation Mimosa"*
3-4 Salvia "Victoria Blue"

The tag for the pink petunias didn't give a more specific name, but I do hope I can find these again next year. Next to the "Raspberry Blast," these petunias outperformed all the others with constant blooms until frost. The salvia--my favorite "Victoria Blue"--eventually did pretty well here, although I've discovered it doesn't like overcrowding and prefers being planted directly in the ground.

There were a few other pots I didn't include here--a basket of double pink impatiens, a small pot with volunteer dianthus, and another urn that contained flowers that changed through the season from pansies to verbena and "Diamond Frost" Euphorbia.

I enjoy planting containers and creating and coming up with new combinations of plants. The annuals provide instant gratification while waiting for the perennials to bloom and provide a constant supply of color throughout the season. And, of course, it gives me an excuse to visit all the garden centers in the spring and indulge in my favorite type of shopping. This summer there will probably be a few familiar displays in my garden; after all, if something works and I like it, I'm not going to change it. But I'm open to new ideas, and if a gorgeous annual calls out to me from the nursery displays, I'll find a place for it and some new companions in one of my containers.

Another Gardening Affliction

My husband thinks I'm a hypochondriac. He claims that when I read an article about a newly identified disease or condition, I think I have it. That's not true, although I have to admit after watching a TV commercial recently that showed a carload of gentlemen stopping every 15 minutes so that one of them could use the restroom, I exclaimed, "That's me! That's what I have!" The only problem was that it was an ad for a new drug to treat prostate problems. Well, maybe I don't have that, after all.


What I do have, though, is every disease identified by some very knowledgeable gardeners lately. Carol at May Dreams has written about GADS (for which she won a much deserved Mousie award, by the way); Jodi at Bloomingwriter has described UPSM; Gail at Clay and Limestone has MGP; and Beckie at Dragonflycorner has added DIPT. I have all of these conditions plus at least one more that no one has mentioned: EWS, otherwise known as Empty Wallet Syndrome. Before anyone accuses me of plagiarism (the evil deed I preached against for so many years) or taking advantage of the creativity of others, I need to explain that EWS is actually just the effect of a prolonged case of one or more of the other well-documented conditions, and so you will never find it in the Physicians Reference. The diagnosis is easily made, and its cure seems simple enough, but in order to alleviate the symptoms, one has to first determine the causes.


The causes may vary from one victim to another, but in my case I can easily identify four causes, the first being, of all things, blogging. Yes, you garden bloggers have contributed to my problem. Since I first became addicted to reading blogs a few months ago, my desire for this plant and that plant has increased at least tenfold. After two months of looking at countless photos of hellebores, I don't think I can live without having some next spring. Gail's perfectly pink phlox are next on my list, followed by more spring bulbs and poppies. I hate to think what my want list is going to look like by the end of the summer! But I don't want anyone to feel guilty for enabling me, because some good has certainly resulted from the enticing photos and helpful comments you've posted. For example, I've been looking for something to plant in my pet memorial, and thanks to Kylee's recommendation, I bought this lovely Rozanne geranium.


One reason I've spent so much this year is a logical one: I expanded two small flowerbeds last fall, so, of course, I had to buy more plants for these areas. I purchased another Walker's Low nepeta and some Oranges and Lemons gallardia for the roadside bed, and still need a few more plants to fill it in . But I have tried to be conservative here and in the shade garden expansion by sowing some seeds, ordering smaller plants from a mail order company, and dividing a few hostas. This means being more patient: the plants below are labelled "waterfall petunias." The label says they will grow to 5-7 feet, and in the catalog they were pictured as lush flowers cascading down a rock wall. Hmmm, we'll see in September if they are flowing over my porch planter.

I also ordered some coral bells and monarda from the same company. I had visions of a full border of coral bells around my shade garden this summer, but it may take a few years before these 3 inch plants develop into a "border." And the petite monarda were, well....petite.

My finances have also been stretched by a problem that most of us share, I would guess, and that is impulse buying. This is the first spring of my retirement, so I have had so much more time to dream and plan and go on plant shopping excursions with my friend Beckie (and even a few by myself). As Carol says, though, you have to leave a little room for impulse or spontaneity when buying plants. Otherwise, where's the fun? And I have been pretty good about this, though I couldn't pass up this heuchera, "Dolce Creme Brulee." I mean, with a name like that, how could you? I don't feel too bad about buying it, because it's going to do double-duty for me: filling in a container during the summer, then going into the shade garden for good this fall.

On the other hand, I'm not sure how this scabiosa got into my shopping cart. I don't know what I was thinking. Don't get me wrong; I love these pincushion flowers, but I've planted them before and they never come back the next year. So this one may be just an expensive annual.

Then there's what you might call the impulse caused by serendipity. I used to have cleome in my garden before we moved, and I tried to save some seed to plant here, but it never grew. After a couple years of looking for another plant, I found not one, but two different varieties last week, so, of course, I bought them both! I'm hoping they self-seed as my old ones did so that I can have a group of these eventually (away from the house--as bewitching as they are, they don't have a very pleasant fragrance).

And I just have to sneak in this photo--it's an impulse buy from two years ago. Last year this clematis (the tag is lost so I have no idea what its name is) surprised me with a few blooms on a single runner. This year, its third summer, it is covered with buds, one of which opened fully just this week. This is an impulse buy I will not regret.

But by far my biggest expense this spring has been annuals. I believe in the virtue of delayed gratification, but when I walk into a nursery filled with overflowing hanging baskets and blooming supertunias, super verbenas, million bells and all the other colorful annuals, I lose all self-control. I'm getting woozy just thinking about it now. Couple that desire for immediate color with all the containers I have, and you have a recipe for financial disaster. Container plantings are great for adding pizzazz to patios and spots where you can't plant, but I think I have gotten a little carried away. Every year I seem to add another pot or two to my collection, including a pink fiberglass one I showed in an earlier post that I just had to have. I spent a lot of time envisioning just the right combination of plants to fill this pot, but then I couldn't decide where to place it. Every day I would set it in another corner, trying to select the perfect spot. Toby was not so indecisive; he knew exactly what I should do with this planter.

Filling the containers can be an expensive proposition since I usually rely on annuals. I started out very organized, making a list of all the plants needed for each pot and carrying my notebook with me every time I went plant shopping. The problem, though, is that I couldn't always find every plant I wanted at the garden centers I visited, so I would come home with 3 plants for this pot and 3 for another, but never everything needed for each container, necessitating yet another shopping excursion (and then another and another...). And when the impulse shopping kicked in, I would buy something that didn't go with anything else. For example, these yellow fusion impatiens were so unusual I just had to buy a small pot. They were rather expensive so I only bought one. Now I need to buy more to fill in the container.

Like any addict, I have resorted to deception to hide my addiction from my family. Before setting off on another shopping spree, I try to plant as many of the flowers that I already have before bringing home another few flats, and I unload the minivan only when my husband isn't around. Amazingly, he doesn't seem to notice the proliferation of trays and pots on the front porch, but my daughter does. She caught me unloading the car one day last week and scolded me. "Oh, MY gosh! How MANY plants are you going to BUY? Can you AFFORD all of these?!" I just smiled and replied sweetly, "It's ok, honey. I'm just spending your inheritance." She was not amused.

I've even had to resort to some creative financing to support my addiction. I found some gift cards from Lowe's and Meijer's I'd never used, so I bought some basic annuals there (interestingly, that's where I found the two cleomes). But to show you how desperate I have become, last week I even agreed to substitute one afternoon for an English teacher, knowing full well that the job included teaching " the class from hell." During the hour I spent in this class filled with every troublemaker in the sophomore class, I kept my calm by inwardly repeating this mantra: "more flowers, more flowers..."

I'm afraid it's too late to try to cure me this year. I'll make it through the season somehow, even if I have to resort to serving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner three nights a week. But next year things are going to have to change. As I said earlier, the cure is easy enough: stop buying plants. But the patient has to be ready for such a drastic cure, and I'm not. Before I seek debt counseling or my family checks me into plant rehab, I'm going to try some other less drastic measures.

First, I'm going to try to plant more seeds in early spring. My experiment with seedlings was less than successful this year, but I think I've learned from my mistakes. Secondly, I'm going to try saving some cuttings from this year's annuals. Several of you have already given me some tips on how to propagate plants I didn't know you could keep, and I am going to read every single tip on propagation in your posts this fall. And finally, I am going to welcome any and all passalong plants. I already have the hollyhocks my mother gave me, and Thursday Beckie and I swapped some extra plants we each had. A year ago last fall my aunt divided her irises and lilies and asked if I'd like some. This stand of irises is the result of that windfall. Maybe she'll do some more cleaning and thinning in her garden this fall.

Yes, I'll find a way to beat this affliction/addiction. But first Beckie and I are planning one final (?) plant shopping trip this week. But this time I am STICKING TO MY LIST!

Serendipity in the Garden

Serendipity. One of my favorite words--it somersaults off your tongue and leaps out into the air with a little tune. It's impossible to say the word with a frown or in an angry tone. We all love these little accidents of good luck, but I think gardeners in particular understand the meaning of this word.

A perfect example of serendipity occurred a few months ago when my friend Beckie and I were returning from an afternoon out and just happened to see a falconer off the road giving his bird some exercise. Beckie, being a new blogger at the time, saw the perfect opportunity for an interesting post and quickly pulled off the road and whipped out the camera she always carries with her, resulting in some great pictures.

You have all experienced serendipity, too, in the garden-- that plant you bought by mistake or the one you substituted for the plant you really wanted and then find that the new plant is a perfect addition so you buy it again and again. Over the last few years I have found a few plants I can't do without each year, and I wanted to share three of my serendipitous finds with you.


My first attempt at creating a new perennial bed was just six or seven years ago. (I told you I was a "late bloomer.") I had been admiring mass plantings of echinacea, the common purple coneflowers, for some time and decided that was going to be the main planting. It was a small flowerbed, so I just wanted something to plant in front of it. I looked at various catalogues and websites and decided on the perennial purple salvia, probably "Maynight." But it was a rainy spring and I was busy, so by the time I got to the garden center to buy some salvia, they were all sold out. The salesperson recommended the annual salvia which they had in stock. I decided for my first season I would try it. I purchased several packs of "Victoria Blue" salvia that year, and I've never looked back! I have since planted "May Night" as well as "East Friesland" salvia in my newer garden, but there are several places where only Victoria will do.


Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of my garden from previous years to show how these flowers look when mature, so I can only describe them to you. You can see from the tag that the flowers grow upright to a height of 20-24" and turn a bright blue-violet. Other gardeners have mentioned that they prefer the annual to the perennial, and I have to agree. While my perennial salvias are a nice purple addition to the garden, the annual Victoria Blue is a bright, bright color that really stands out in the garden. It provides a nice complement to the purple (actually pink, of course) coneflowers in my roadside flowerbed as well as to the yellow Stella D'Oro daylilies in front of a large boulder in my front yard. The wonderful part about these salvias, though, is that they begin to bloom in early to mid-summer and continue to keep their blooms until frost. They survive heat, drought, and neglect in general. As if that weren't enough, they often self-sow, and I find little seedlings in odd places each spring. What more could you ask from an annual?

Over the years I have become better at container gardening, rather than just plunk a few geraniums in a pot. I have been following the "thriller, spiller, filler" formula for some time, though I didn't know those terms until recently, I must admit. I have tried various trailing plants, or "spillers," but two years ago I happened upon a small pot of helichrysum and have been smitten with it ever since.

Helichrysum goes by different common names, such as licorice vine or mouse ears, and comes in several varieties. My favorite is the licorice vine pictured above, although I've used the smaller leaf variety as well. It doesn't flower, but it certainly grows and spreads, "spilling" out of a container nicely. I use Ipomoea in several containers, but no matter how much I pinch it, I find by the end of the summer the sweet potato vine has twined itself around my pots. The helichrysum, on the other hand, grows out rather than down, so that it seems to "float" around the container. Its foliage is a silvery green, and even in winter the dead silvery leaves are rather attractive. You can see I just leave them in their pots over the winter; I think they have a sort of ethereal effect.

The same summer I found the helichrysum I also found the perfect "thriller": Strobilanthes dyerianus, "Persian Shield." Originally I was looking for some heliotrope, which I had previously used for a purple accent, but couldn't find any, so when I stumbled on the persian shield, I thought I'd give it a try. This one doesn't flower, either, but its velvety variegated purple foliage is the beauty of this plant. The tag says it grows up to 48" tall, and I can believe it--I keep pinching mine so that they don't get too tall for the container and so that they spread more horizontally. I always plant this at the center back of the container (including the urn above) to provide a striking backdrop for whatever filler I've used. It can be used in sun to part shade, though all mine so far have been planted in full sun. In fact, here's another great thing about the persian shield: unlike heliotrope, which can dry up quickly if not watered frequently, this plant doesn't mind neglect. I've gone out in the morning to find this drooping as if it were about to die. A good watering, and in an hour or two--poof! it's standing up straight and tall once again!

Do you see a common thread here among all these plants? That's right--low maintenance! As much as I have come to love gardening, I know me. A couple hours of weeding and other gardening chores, and my knees remind me how old I really am. And while I enjoy those beautiful sun-kissed days of spring and early summer in the garden, the hot, muggy days of July and August in Illinois make me want to view my garden from the window in my air-conditioned living room. I need plants that are forgiving, and these three have been very understanding.

Another common thread, of course, is that these are all annuals. I tend to mull over gardening catalogs and try to envision a plant in my mind before buying a perennial. Rarely do I buy a perennial on a whim, probably because they are more expensive and my frugal nature keeps me from taking too many financial risks. I need to loosen up here, I think. But when it comes to buying annuals for my many containers, I go in with a carefully prepared list but get so overwhelmed by all the luscious colors and textures that I often forget what I came to buy! I'll see something I just have to have, with no idea where I will plant it. That was the case with a purchase I made on a recent plant shopping trip with Beckie.

I've never seen this plant before. It's a "Bourbon Street Acalypha," and according to the tag it is a "winner from Louisiana." It is supposed to grow 20-30" tall and perform well in extreme heat and humidity, which we certainly have here in the summer. The photo doesn't capture its color as well as I had hoped, but my eye was drawn immediately to its interesting bronze and green foliage. We'll see if it holds up well this summer and turns out to be another example of serendipity. If so, I'll be back to buy it every year!

And so, I wish you all some serendipity in the garden this summer. And I'd love to hear of your examples of serendipitous finds--after all, learning from the experiences of other gardeners is much better than depending on a stroke of good luck!

Spring Fever Cure II

For the second straight weekend, my friend Beckie and I headed to a local garden center, Prairie Gardens, for a series of seminars on gardening. It was a glorious day here in central Illinois: bright sunshine, and the temperature actually hit 60 degrees! While we might have felt just a twinge of guilt about not working outside today, the ground is still too muddy; besides, we were on our way to get lots of new ideas to improve our gardens this year. It's hard to pass all the trays of annuals and hundreds of new perennials without wanting to buy a cartload of new plants and get them out into the garden right now. But we knew better and took advantage of a little free time to check out all the plants available and make notes for a later shopping trip when planting season is really here. (The last frost date here is May 15--more than a month away!)

These hanging baskets of petunias (below) are already full and lush; I can only imagine what they will look like by May. I was pleased to discover that the center carried a few perennials that I have been wanting to plant this summer. Not only are they cheaper than those from the mail order catalogue I've been looking at, but I also prefer to see the real plant before I buy it.

Our first session was "Hot Perennial Picks for 2008." I took over two pages of notes on this session alone--too many choices! The 2008 perennial of the year is the geranium "Roxanne," but I think I'll pass on planting this one until I've actually seen it in someone's garden. Instead I was really taken with two plants for my shade garden: Brunnera "Jack Frost" and a trollius, or globe flower. I'm sure many of you have the brunnera, but I had only seen them in gardening catalogues which didn't do them justice. And the trollius was completely new to me--a bright yellow flower that should add some punch among the hostas and ferns.

Our second session was "Trendy Outdoor Containers." Our speaker started by naming eight simple rules for container gardening, the first of which was"It's your garden." I took that to mean "plant what you like," so I am, and I am not going to use any of her ideas for plant combinations. No, seriously, she gave us some good basic information about planting and maintaining containers. I just didn't care for the sample mixtures she showed us.

Combining tropicals like this banana plant (too tall for my camera) with perennials and a few annuals seems to be popular this year. Her other container mixed houseplants with a perennial and a few annuals.

I don't know; I just prefer colorful annuals in containers, and my containers must have at least one trailing plant, or "spiller." Besides some helpful ideas on watering and fertilizing, I did see something I liked and want to try--the "living wreath" below. The speaker gave only a brief overview of how to create them, but it looked fairly easy to make--I hope.

Our last session was entitled "For the Birds," and just between you and me, I stayed for it only because Beckie wanted to stay. But was I glad I did! I can tell the difference between a cardinal and a blue jay, but that's about the extent of my knowledge of bird species. I do have a hummingbird feeder close to my porch, and I've been enjoying watching them the last few summers, but was always secretly disappointed that my hummingbirds were rather drab in color. Now, after this seminar, I know why: those "drab" hummingbirds are the only species of hummers that migrate to our area. I still don't know how to identify many other birds, but now I'm ready to go out and buy a bird identification book and more bird feeders.

Before we left for the day, we checked out some other garden accessories and found these cute topiaries that can be covered with various plants. Some of you might actually like one of these rabbits in your garden...

...or maybe even two of them.

They are available in several different shapes--I thought Beckie might like a squirrel--but at $50--$80 apiece, they are a bit pricey.

I did pass on the topiaries, but couldn't resist buying a few of the primroses I mentioned last week (though last week they were listed as primulas; not sure why) as well as some pansies. And after a week of thinking about it, I just had to buy this planter.

I have no idea where I'll put it yet, but it just reminded me of Italian Renaissance art, which doesn't exactly fit my country setting.

But, hey, it's my garden, right?