...filling in the gaps

[my herb pot, now replenished...]

summer is fleeing fast...
the waves of "heat" taking with it...
some of my front porch plants...

having picked up a few fill-ins at Loewe's...
this past week... a couple of herbs...
portulacas & the one "decent" alyssum I could find...

but I still needed the elusive lobelia...
[Crystal Palace...to be exact...
electric blue that sizzles...]

so this past Friday, I went to Port Mudville Nursery...

all the old-timer gardeners in Mudville...
love this place...
they used to even grow many of their own plants...
but, no more...

it is still a place I like to wander...
and imagine what I would do if I had even just 1 acre...
and a staff of helpers...
oh, the things I would grow...
and the koi pond I would have...

*sigh*

on this day, however...
I had the good fortune to arrive...
just as they were preparing to have...
a "buy one"/"get one free" sale on summer annual 6 packs...!

since I had gone in search of "Crystal Palace" lobelia...
to replace those the hot spell had shriveled...
and some more alyssum [I LOVE the smell...]
which had also been dessicated...
it was "serendipitous"...

I bought the last 6 6packs of lobelia...
[actually getting about 4.5 packs of usable plants...]
as well as 2 alyssums [white]...
and only "paid" for 4 6 packs...

I already had 4, 6 packs of mixed portulacas from Loewes...
as well as an alyssum & a couple of herbs...

so the only other thing I needed were a couple more herbs...
to replace the now, "dried on the plant" oregano & thyme...
currently in the herb pot on my porch...
fortunately, these were also on sale...

then, I saw these...



I love geraniums...especially the deep red ones...
or the salmon pinky/orange ones, like this...
but I'd NEVER seen this kind of blossom before...
on a geranium...

on a dahlia...
or a mum...
yes...
[Mom grew them the size of dinner plates...]

in this picture, they resemble Christmas Cactus...
in real life, they do not, at all...

so I HAD to have one...
and this one was calling my name...

this variety of blossom is called,
"graffiti"




so, after getting everything back home...
I "filled-in" portulacas...
and planted a whole new bowl [on the left]



before alternately filling-in lobelia...
and alyssum...



as well as portulacas...
in most of the containers...



here you see the back side of one container...
with it's new lobelia & alyssum spilling out...



for the most part...
the allyssum & lobelia went into containers...
with red dianthus...
much of which got burned right before I planted it...
and has just now come back in flower...



I love the combination of red, white & blue...



the deep red dianthus...
seen here dusted with water droplets...
looks a bit washed out in the gathering dusk...
but when the sun hits it just right...
it glows with an almost inner light...
as does the lobelia...

I'm enjoying these now...
because before the big demo days...
I'll have to re-locate most of them...
for their protection from big guys...
carrying heavy stuff...
and NOT looking where they're going...

*sigh*