The "New" Old Wheelbarrow

You may remember a post last summer on my wheel-
barrow. I stole it from hubby! Yeah, I really did. He kind of liked that wheelbarrow, but one day while he was golfing I planted flowers in it! Hubby bought something else to use and life went on. Every year I planted flowers in that wheelbarrow, but last fall when I planted the pansies I discovered the bottom of the wheelbarrow had completely rusted out. It literally fell apart when I tried to move it. So, I was on the hunt for another one. I didn't have to go far. I was over at Mother's one afternoon and hanging on the house at the very back was just what I needed. I asked her if she used the old wheelbarrow, and she said "no, and if you want it, please take it!"
So, that's how I got a "new" old wheelbarrow!"
I have planted several types of annuals over the years, but my favorite thing to plant for the last few years has been coleus and sweet potato vine. I tried mixing in a few other things last year, but they get lost when the coleus and vine start to grow, so this year I stuck with just those 2 things.

I try and find several different varieties of coleus to plant. I never pay attention to their names, I just decide what is pleasing to my eye and what would look good with the chartreuse green of the sweet potato vine.

I love the reds-and apparently so does this cute dragonfly!

The wheel-

barrow full of coleus seems pretty happy here in my little backyard. I hope it lasts for many more years. I found out something quite special about it when I called Mother to tell her what I planted. (You all know how sentimental I am!) Mother told me this had been Daddy's wheelbarrow. My father passed away over 35 years ago. Daddy loved working in the yard. He loved nature and flowers, and Mother said he would be so happy to know that I found the perfect spot for his old wheelbarrow!

Container Gardening

The other day my Mother told me to remind her "not to plant anything in pots next year!!" I knew why before I asked ...they are too much trouble for her. She said in this heat she is watering twice a day and they still look wilted. Grrr!


I started thinking about the container gardening I do and realized..I do alot! Other than the front porch, all my containers are in the back. I tuck them in here and there all over the yard. I may plant something in a container because it is so small I feel like I have to protect it until it grows up. With my drainage problem, it may be because the place I want a certain plant to be is too wet. It's alot easier to deal with dry places than boggy areas for me. But the most likely reason I do so much container gardening is because I like the containers I use.
This is a salvia greggi I bought at a neighborhhood plant sale . It was tiny, so I planted it in this red sap bucket.


Containers may be ceramic like these...

Or really rustic like these...

Or, they may just be regular clay pots like

these...

This is a sweet potato vine still in the original plastic hanging basket. It's so much easier to control like this. And you can see the purple fountain grass in the iron planter are happy in clay pot homes. (this is where Fred hangs out!)

This is one of my favorite places..the "nursery."

It's where I keep all my cuttings trying to help them survive. Right now I only have coleus and one little salvia. It's shady here and protected for these little ones.

And of course, there's the wheelbarrow. It has changed quite a bit over the summer. I had to move it out of the direct sun because the coleus was so droopy. As a matter of fact, the coleus has taken over! Note for next year: don't overdo on coleus!

I like my plants in containers. I believe I will keep them. They are a little more trouble, but when you need something to add to an empty corner, I think they are perfect!

Isn't this pretty....but WHAT is it??

In June, my neighbor that lives in the house behind me brought over a small little plant and said "this is for you..don't have a clue what it is, just some kind of a vine with little pink flowers." Well, not being one to pass up any kind of flower I gladly accepted it and planted it right away in a small pot. I thought if it was truly a vine, it might be happy climbing up the post of our new pergola. And it does seem pretty content to climb, and climb, and wind...but no blooms!



Isn't it pretty though. Lots of feathery foliage. I have it climbing with some morning glories that I planted in a pot after we returned from Colorado. They make very good companions!

The morning glories are not blooming yet of course--it's too soon, but hopefully I'll have some blooms in fall.

All the gardening around this new pergola/patio area is trial and error. I knew that going in...some things will live, some will not. But isn't that part of the fun of gardening? I hate, hate, HATE to lose plants, but oh the joy I have when something really works! I knew I would get sun, but I didn't know exactly when and for how long. I had to guess on most of the things I planted, and I am finding out some things, like the hostas, just will not work!

This cute little feathery delight is certainly one thing that is really working. Being in a pot, I do have to keep it watered quite a bit. I don't see any signs of little pink flowers, but maybe I need to feed it. Blooms would be nice, but with pretty foliage like this, I'm not overly concerned about flowers.


I know I am going to feel really dumb when I find out..but can somebody please tell me what I am enjoying so much!

What is this??

The Wheelbarrow

I love to plant flowers in things that are really not planters, but had a different purpose at one time. I am always looking for containers that are old and worn. For example; I have an old tin picnic basket that I know held some great sandwiches and homemade cookies and was taken to some wonderful picnics! (The stories that basket could tell!) It has a new life now holding pansies in the winter and coleus in the summer. I have several old tins. I'm not sure how they were used, but they seem happy now planted with ivy. I have 2 old buckets planted with mint, several old watering cans--not planted with anything, and 2 old chairs holding seasonal flowers. But my very favorite old container is the wheelbarrow. It is not an antique--it is just old. We bought that wheelbarrow right after we bought our first house. It has hauled sand, grass, wood, flowers, bricks, rocks and children! A few years ago I was working in the yard and noticed how rusty the wheelbarrow had become, but under all that rust was so much character. It looked so right sitting there in the yard. I decided then to retire the wheelbarrow from work and give it a place of honor in the garden. It now sits in a flowerbed in the backyard proudly holding a mixture of sun-loving plants. I don't see an old rusty wheelbarrow--I see wonderful memories of years gone by, and promises of wonderful years yet to come.