Container Garden Progress & Kitty Photos

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Today I have photos I took of the container garden progress, as well as a few kitty photos.

Some of the perennials I recently purchased aren’t looking so good. Maybe it’s the colder weather we’ve had of late. It’s gotten down in the forties in recent nights. I took photos today and decided to give them more of the worm castings I had left over.

Dahlias:

Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae family of dicotyledonous plants. Their relatives include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia.

Dahlias will not tolerate cold soil. Plant when the soil reaches 60ºF (15°C) and any danger of frost has passed. They prefer morning sunlight.

They’re supposed to have full sun, which I don’t have on the north side of my house, but hopefully they’ll fare okay.

The dahlias look like girls in frilly pink skirts. I believe this is my first time planting these flowers, that I can recall. They sure are pretty.

Dahlias are tender perennials that return every year only in warm climates (USDA Zones 8-11), where they don’t freeze. They will freeze here in Tulsa. Dahlias are generally considered to be high maintenance plants.

Dahlias need fertile, moist but well-drained soil, and full sun to partial shade. I have mine in partial shade next to the little Japanese Maple tree in the pot.

Yarrow (or Achillea millefolium):

The yellow and pink yarrow, on opposite sides of the steps, look fairly good. The pink plant looks a bit better than the yellow one.

The Lamb’s Ear looks fine, but it already has established roots.

Balloon Flower:

The balloon flower has opened up. I just love purple flowers. They seem more robust than other colors.

Balloon flowers are clump-forming perennials that are from the bellflower genus, though they don’t look at all like bells.

These plants are in pots up on the porch. The actual name of this plant is Platycodon grandiflorus. Who can pronounce these strange names of plants? Not me.

I read that balloon flowers will thrive in just about any condition, except in especially hot environments.

This plant likes rich soil, full sun, and temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees. Well, it’s going to get far hotter than that, so it’s probably good that they’re on the north side.

Petunias:

As with many annuals, petunias get leggy by midsummer, so you’ll want to prune the shoots back by half. I just planted them a week ago, but mid-week I was already having to trim the petunias.

Petunias are colorful flowers that add quite a pop to any garden. I can’t think of a summer when I didn’t grow petunias.

They’re supposed to have full sun, but mine get by with partial sun. In this region, a plant will droop in the sun by noon, so I prefer to have it in part sun.

Perennial Coral Bells, Hosta, & Chocolate Mint:

Below is a mixture of coral bells (Heuchera), hosta, and chocolate mint, which is really spreading. I’ll probably have to dig the mint up and divide it soon. Even in a pot, it spreads quickly.

I have a feeling that the runners might go through the drainage hole and become part of the ground around the pots. But that’s okay. Less space for me to weed.

Mint, from the Mentha family, has the most aromatic scent. Last year I had pineapple mint, but I didn’t look for it this year.

In the past, I’ve had even more mint varieties. There are over 7,500 varieties of mint.

Spearmint is said to be best for cooking, though I haven’t tried it. I have put it in iced tea. Peppermint is listed best for intense, cooling flavor in teas, desserts, and baking.

Monarda Bee Balm & Hosta:

The bee balm plants are looking fine. I’m hoping these plants will make it through the next winter here in the containers.

I purchased and planted all the hostas last year, and have a number of them in the pots on either side of the porch. Hosta will get tired of the heat by mid-summer. Most hostas prefer cool-to-moderate climates.

We have that in common, because I don’t like the heat and humidity either. When it gets into the high nineties and then into the hundreds, I begin to droop like the plants.

Geranium (or Cranesbill):

Like last year, I purchased pink geraniums. The light pink kind instead of the intense pink. I’m really not into the color pink except in the garden. I’ve planted more pink flowers in the last couple of years. I think they go well with the bright blue color of my house.

The first photo below is this year’s geranium, and the second is from last year. I planted them up on the porch.

Geranium is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants. I also have a scented geranium this year.

Sweet-scented geraniums (Pelargonium) are popular, fragrant plants grown for their aromatic foliage. It comes in scents like rose, lemon, and mint, rather than just their flowers.

Many people get the Citronella plant that deters mosquitoes. The plant commonly sold as “citronella” is also a type of scented geranium that produces a lemon-citrus scent.

Seeds I Planted:

I was a bit lackadaisical in planting seeds weeks ago. I’m not sure which seeds I planted where, but I’ll figure it out once they get farther along.

I have a packet of zinnias and sweet alyssum that I’ll plant soon. Sweet alyssum grows quickly, typically taking 6 to 10 weeks to go from seed to full bloom. Seeds usually germinate in 5 to 14 days. I absolutely love the scent of this flower. It’s better than perfume.

You’re supposed to sow alyssum from early spring to early summer, and in autumn where winters are mild. Alyssum grows fast and often stops blooming in hot weather.

The sweet alyssum I planted last year did not come back, but maybe this one will. It’s harder to get them to come back when planted in containers.

Here are a few photos of the kitties I photographed yesterday. They’re all in the guest room in these photos.

Ivy

Ivy looks half asleep in this photo. She’s the princess who gets the bed.

Simon

Simon

My sweet, mischevious Simon is perched up on the cat tree by the north window. His black coat is so soft and silky.

Daisy

Daisy is on the stack of quilts next to the bed.

Recent News:

I still have a lot of tooth pain, and I go back to the endodontist in the middle of the month. My teeth are costing me a small fortune.

Kendra’s having a tooth pulled. She had a root canal, but it failed. She will have it pulled and will probably get an implant.

I wish I’d never gotten a dental bridge. The trouble seemed to start about then. The dentist Kendra goes to asked if she wanted to get a dental bridge, and after all the trouble I’ve had, she quickly declined.

More Current Affairs:

I’ve never wanted to go on a cruise, and look what’s happened to the Atlantic Odyssey Cruise with that virus.

It doesn’t seem like anything is being done in government. Everyone seems to be sitting on their hands. I don’t what we’re paying them for if they aren’t doing anything.

Data centers are going to ruin our quality of life because they consume an enormous amount of water and energy. We’ll pay the price for this.

Meanwhile, the tech giants (Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta) are aggressively building data centers. These tech giants need to be taken down a notch or two.

Gas & Grocery Prices:

Meanwhile, gas prices are soaring with no end in sight. Groceries are going up and up. Healthcare costs are astronomical, and we’re the only country in the world with a staggering number of healthcare bankruptcies. What a sad state of affairs.

It seems to me that our taxes should pay for healthcare. Instead, the billionaires get big tax breaks while they corrupt our land with data centers.