Sometimes Less is More.....

       I'm going to rethink my Spring planting this year and not do so many pots that just sit willy-nilly around the place. The patio area needs some up-dating, so the front deck is the only thing that will be flowery this summer. Keep it simple and easy.

  

         Instead of flower pots on this fence, it will be a great place to grow the cucumbers I had such good luck with last summer. They can hang down and be out of the way of any pond work that gets done. Maybe try some green peas or beans.  I have a great tomato spot but might try a plant here as well.


        
        Over the years I've found favorites plants I especially like for the planters and baskets but always like to try something new that growers come up with. I did dahlias last year and was disappointed but think it's because of where they were planted. I didn't dig them last Fall and when I do this Spring I think I'll just divide them and replant them in the same spot just to see if that was the problem.
 

 Favorites, Australian Star flower and California poppies

 and Pirate's Beak and always a ton of Lobelia   

       
         Also thinking about replacing the magnolia bush with something smaller. It's in front of one of the living room windows and if left untrimmed will grow to 10' tall and wide, which I don't want. It's a great haven for birds in the summer but maybe a small evergreen instead. I'd really like more things that didn't lose leaves and leave the yard looking so stark and barren for 6 months of the year.  That and the fact that yard work isn't as appealing to me as it used to be, I need it in smaller doses...and thanx to my "yard boy" that's how I do it now.   (I love my yard boy....who just happens to be my son Randy.)