As is the case most summers, what is planted in early spring does not necessarily make it all the way through the summer. The heat can be unbearable in Washington during the summer months. And sometimes all the watering in the world can't save the delicate plants. Early in the season, I planted warm weather pansies in this pot.
This was incredibly beautiful and they thrived for quite some time. But by last week, unfortunately, they were done. So, to finish off the season, I removed them and planted a wonderful perennial grass.
While I liked the color of the pansies, I really like this beautiful grass in this urn. And, unlike the pansies, this grass is perennial, so we will have many years of enjoyment.
In another nearby pot, I found this sad and bedraggled plant which was most unhappy. At first glance I could not figure out what it was.
But upon closer inspection I discovered it was lavendar. Beautiful fragrant lavender. Clearly it was not happy in this rather shady spot, under a tree in the front yard. So I set about digging it out of the pot. It was severely root-bound. It needed to be extricated from this pot. Whether it was unhappy in a shady spot or not. It needed to be replanted. Either in a larger pot or in the ground.
Once the lavendar was removed, I amended the soil in the pot and put in a plant which will be quite happy in this shady setting.
A Boston Fern. They like the shade. They also light the humidity. You could mist these ferns everyday and they would love it. Have you ever brought a Boston Fern inside during the winter months and tried to care for it in hopes of putting it back out in the spring. I have. It doesn't work here. They require constant attention and the dynamic of what goes on inside the house during the winter months makes it impossible. Our winters are freezing cold, so the furnace is running constantly. The air is dry. Even with a humidifier attached to the furnace to add moisture to the air during the winter, the air is still extremely dry. These ferns wither and turn brown. Plus it is messy to constantly be spraying it with water. I just let them die back in the winter and put new ones out in the spring.
So there you have it. A couple quick plant upgrades in and around the house.
This was incredibly beautiful and they thrived for quite some time. But by last week, unfortunately, they were done. So, to finish off the season, I removed them and planted a wonderful perennial grass.
While I liked the color of the pansies, I really like this beautiful grass in this urn. And, unlike the pansies, this grass is perennial, so we will have many years of enjoyment.
In another nearby pot, I found this sad and bedraggled plant which was most unhappy. At first glance I could not figure out what it was.
But upon closer inspection I discovered it was lavendar. Beautiful fragrant lavender. Clearly it was not happy in this rather shady spot, under a tree in the front yard. So I set about digging it out of the pot. It was severely root-bound. It needed to be extricated from this pot. Whether it was unhappy in a shady spot or not. It needed to be replanted. Either in a larger pot or in the ground.
Once the lavendar was removed, I amended the soil in the pot and put in a plant which will be quite happy in this shady setting.
A Boston Fern. They like the shade. They also light the humidity. You could mist these ferns everyday and they would love it. Have you ever brought a Boston Fern inside during the winter months and tried to care for it in hopes of putting it back out in the spring. I have. It doesn't work here. They require constant attention and the dynamic of what goes on inside the house during the winter months makes it impossible. Our winters are freezing cold, so the furnace is running constantly. The air is dry. Even with a humidifier attached to the furnace to add moisture to the air during the winter, the air is still extremely dry. These ferns wither and turn brown. Plus it is messy to constantly be spraying it with water. I just let them die back in the winter and put new ones out in the spring.
So there you have it. A couple quick plant upgrades in and around the house.
