A rainy Monday will not get me down

 

Million flowers in a hanging basket...

Shared with marigolds.

Coleus is going to town!

Moving this shallow planter to partial shade has saved these little marigolds. I love deadheading them and the scent on my fingers.

And the towering basil does need some picking, wouldn't you say? Since it was rained upon yesterday, and is cloudy this morning, I will try drying some. Usually don't have good results ...with the dry leaves almost tasteless. Hints appreciated. 

We had a good shower yesterday, and another one today (typed last Mon!) I loved having the windows open where eves shelter them, listing to the rain hit them...it's a fabulous noise. You can taste the moisture in the air, and when I touch my hard furniture, they're all covered by a fine mist and ready to mildew at the drop of a hat. So I'll have to turn the a.c. on again, and miss hearing the birds and the traffic!

Today's quote:

There are a few times in life when you leap up and the past that you'd been standing on falls away behind you, and the future you mean to land on is not yet in place, and for a moment you're suspended knowing nothing and no one, not even yourself. -Ann Patchett, writer (b. 2 Dec 1963)

My flowers in springtime.

 Garden in pots on a porch...

Sharing with Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. First a couple of views of my front porch.

These hanging pots block the view to the garbage bins, sort of.

Below are a couple of views from my tiny balcony. It just gives me room to put some pots on the railing where the downstairs neighbor doesn't walk. They kind of frown on having anything on the railing where something might get knocked over and fall on their head!

I've hung some pots so I don't have to look inside my neighbor's houses if they have their doors open whenever I also do. Springtime invites us to see all the wonderful greenery.

Along our walk are also some peonies about to bloom, but the first one, which I propped up, has been broken off and taken home by someone who loves them.  I hope the rest of the blooms will be left for all of us to enjoy.

And then there are the "Knock-off" roses. Nobody pruned them last winter, so they've become huge. I'll share them soon!

Today's quote:

We read books to find out who we are. 

-Ursula K. Le Guin, author (21 Oct 1929-2018)

The flowers were planted

 in their pots!

This is the geranium I planted last week, my first spring flower!

Verbena with marigolds.

Calibrocha (Million Flowers?)..with marigolds

Gardenias again

Just marigolds...but there are some succulents as dead stems that I think will also come back again. I've seen a couple that made it through the winter already.

And I find just buying one plant at a time is an easy way to keep working on my little porch gardens. Grocery store provided a fully grown cilantro. The supports of the hanging planter were needed after taking the plant out of its sleeve. I need to harvest some of this delicious herb soon!

At the Tailgate Market on Sat. morning, I bought a little potted coleus...which promises to grow much bigger. It has been transplanted into a big planter which also has been planted with seeds of Four O'Clocks...both the volunteers from last year, as well as a few seeds I harvested from last year's flowers.  I hope they come up. We had a gentle rain the night after I planted them, which should help!

Today's quote:

"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."

Pablo Picasso b. 10.25.1881