The BBQ Recycled Twice

Years ago I recycled our old BBQ and filled it with annuals and a Sedum on each side to hang down. I loved the way it looked stuffed as full as could be but decided to change it year before last because of an upcoming back surgery not knowing how much I would be able to get outside and do. I put some Sedums in it and in a lot of my planters for easier maintenance. Now I wouldn't have to plant as many annuals on the deck. Here is a picture of the BBQ when it had annuals and then one after the change. The gray green one top picture to the left and to the right are Cape Blanco. And the one blooming in front I think is Dragon's Blood but I'm not sure. Behind that I added a bucket for some height and dimension and filled it with Sedum Tri-Color. Oh and the fern? That's a 'happy accident' that just popped out of the bottom in front.

Sedum Tri Color

Sedum Tri Color is sprouting out in spite of the snow and freezing weather we have been having this year. Below is how it will look in the coming months.

A Few More Flowers Showing

It was fairly clear a couple of days ago and I was able to walk around and see if anything new was peeking through. I didn't hold my breath as I had already posted quite a few. So I got a little surprise to find my Columbine Clementine Rose was doing well and some Creeping Charlie peeking out behind it. I always thought it was a little tiny Columbine but maybe it just didn't get very big at first because the tag says 14-16" tall. I guess that isn't real tall when I think of some I have that are over 3 feet but I think it was only about 10 or 12 inches if that. If it gets too tall maybe I'll take it out of the old wheelbarrow.
A small group of Crocuses - I believe the spring and fall blooming type. You know the ones that bloom in the spring and then lay all over the ground looking like crap all summer? Looks like something has really been chewing them.
A larger group of smaller Crocuses. Can't remember what they look like.
I stuffed this bucket with Tulips and Daffodils. At least the critters didn't bother them. 19 years ago when we first moved here I bought over 100 Tulip bulbs of all kinds and colors and planted them. Come spring I think I had about 3 show up. I never planted them after that. So this year a friend gave me some and I decided to put them in a container and cross my fingers. I did have 1 other one a friend in Missouri sent me when we exchanged some flowers and it bloomed 1 year. I still have a small bulb from it I stuck in here so I'm anxious to see if it shows.
Some Heather Mediterranean
And my Pulmonaria Smokey Blue I'm glad to see has made it through our winter. I love the way it blooms pink and purple. Perfect for my flower colors.

A Vase For Every Bouquet

I thought I'd do a post on the variety of vases I have. Not because they are so beautiful but because I just keeping getting more. I'll start with the ones I have for giving a bouquet to a friend and not needing to ask for my vase back - and save the best for last.

These are pretty plain but I can pick them up inexpensively and when giving a bouquet to someone I don't need to have it back. Some are plastic, some are bottles and there are some glass ones too. A couple didn't make it into the picture like the neat clear plastic cut glass vase. It looks just like cut glass until you touch it. The blues and cobalts that I like to use for our bouquets here at the house.
A variety of colors, shapes and sizes.
Some crackled vases either from being vintage or just made to look that way. The pitcher is yellow crackle glass and I'm really not sure if it's old or not.
A couple of vintage decorator pieces. The smaller one from West Germany has built in holes to place flowers in and arrange.
Now for my personal favorites that will never be used to hold flowers but they are vases. I have a small collection of vintage head vases that I just adore.
My daughter thought I needed a 'body' vase to go with all of my head vases. How cute is that?
And last a bouquet that Bob picked to take to Mom on Father's Day. With the whole family over to see Dad he thought she needed a bit of extra attention with all she is going through right now with my Father being sick. She just loved it and especially knowing that Bob picked and arranged it just for her.

Rosa 'Veilchenblau' and Surprise In Greenhouse

'Veilchenblau' is a hybrid floribunda Rose cultivar that was bred in Germany in 1909. Other names include 'Blue Rambler', 'Blue Rosalie' and 'Violet Blue'. It is one of the bluest of the old rambling roses. The cultivar is a near-thornless climber, growing approximately 12 feet tall by 12 feet wide and is hardy in zones 5-9. The flowers are small, semi-double mauve or a mauve blend and have a fragrance reminiscent of Lily-Of-The-Valley.


My Veilchenblau is growing - hopefully it will continue to grow and bloom well this year and the deer will leave it alone. Looks like we're going to have to lasso it to bring it back down to the lattice – at least the deer can’t reach it there. Last year just starting to bloom.
A friend of mine owned a nursery down the road for years until she retired. She had this rose climbing up over one of her greenhouses. It isn't the prettiest but it goes crazy with blooms and the color was right for me so I had to have one. When she finally did a few starts to sell I jumped at the chance to buy one. Here's a picture of her Veilchenblau. Click on this picture to really see those gorgeous blooms.
I was out puttering around in the greenhouse and watering some plants. I pulled out a tray to water the back ones and look what I found.
The day before I had seen one of the rose colored finches fly in there and then fly in again but completely forgot about it by the next day. I hated to take the nest out but I know they wouldn’t like it with me in there all the time so I put it in one of my Lilac trees for a decoration.
Speaking of which, the lilac tree is getting ready to bloom.

Sedum Vera Jamison

Sedum Vera Jamison with her dark wine colored leaves and pink blooms. I went out and looked in the planter the other day and there are lots of little veras sprouting out. Once in a while we get a day without rain around here and the sun actually shows up and I'm outside looking for signs that spring is really on the way.

Fun with Sedums

This is Sedum Cauticolum on each side of what I think is a Sweet Potato Vine 'Blackie' and some Ice Plant in front that hadn't filled in at the time of the photo. Cauticolum looks so much like October Plant I can hardly tell them apart when doing starts because of the beautiful blue green foliage trimmed in pink that they both have. In the background you can see my 'bloomin' stairs' that I planted in Thyme. I have one on each side of the bank for easier access farther up in the back of the yard.

My only 2 tall Sedums so far. Autumn Joy on top and Linda Windsor, my newest. I thought the dark wine colored foliage would be a great contrast with all of the greens around here. The bloom is almost the same color as the foliage.

The 3 planters above have similar plantings in them of Hens and Chicks, Cape Blanco, Tri Color, Vera Jamison, I think some Purple Form, Cauticolum, October Plant Sedums, an Armeria, Viola and Johnny Jump Ups. Another nice green one you can see on the top right I'm not sure about the name. I haven't decided if I will stick them here and there in the flower beds or sell them if I decide to do some markets this summer.

3 old canisters my husband riveted together to put Sedums in. The large one has Purple Form, on the left is Babys Tears and I don't know what the third one is. The picture below shows them in bloom. The yellow bloom sure matched the flower on the canister