Bargains and Blooms

Well, it's time to think about containers. And that's what I've been doing. Thinking.

But I went to Home Depot on Thursday and it was the beginning of a four-day sale, 20% off hanging baskets. I always find that hanging baskets, stuffed full of plants (either all the same variety, or a pleasing mixture) are a better deal than trying to buy the individual plants in 4" pots, or whatever. So I went to town.

Here are two of the baskets I bought:

12" Mixed Basket


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10" Mixed Basket


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The other baskets I got were just purplish-pink Pelargonium geraniums. I can't decide whether to transfer them to the urns at the front of my house, or leave them hanging above the steps to the porch. If I plant them in the urns, they will look exactly like these ones from four years ago.

Garage Urns, 2006


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I bought other Pelargonium geraniums while I was at Home Depot. I couldn't resist the deep, rich burgundy colour of these ones (although the camera has rendered them more reddish than they actually are).

Burgundy Pelargonium Geraniums


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I also picked up some pansies while I was there. I just love pansies, although they need plenty of deadheading and require lots of shade during the hottest part of the summer in order to continue blooming nicely.

Pansies


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Oh, and while we are talking about garden-related bargains, I stopped in at the glove factory near my house on the way home from Home Depot. They have a little outlet shop attached to the factory and you can get all kinds of bargains there. Look at this great collection of gardening gloves, three pairs for me, one for my husband.

Factory Outlet Gloves


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I've paid over $20 dollars a pair for gardening gloves, but these four pairs altogether cost me less than that. Including tax.

As for what's blooming in the garden, 'Grape Orbit' iris is about to flower (actually, it probably has -- today is Saturday and my photos are from Friday), and the poppy plants are already pushing out buds.

'Grape Orbit' Iris Bud


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Poppy Bud


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