{a little taste of summer at my house}

I'm a flower fanatic. Annuals especially. I suppose my Mom is to blame in part. She does have that fabulous greenhouse, afterall. And then, there's my husband...who, after we've planted flats and flats and flats {and flats} of impatiens wonders... What can we plant next?! Let's buy a new container or make a new bed because THIS IS FUN! Sigh.* I truly don't stand a chance. It's a good thing I love it.
I don't just love any old flowers. I'm especially partial to Proven Winners. It's a "breed" of flowers- superior to any other- in my opinion. You might pay more for a Proven Winner plant at the local nursery, but you are going to a.) get what you pay for b.) pay for the name {royalties!} c.) get something that will endure all scorching summer. There IS a difference between those Wal-Mart petunia 6-packs and a 4-inch Proven Winner petunia.
I always insist on doing a theme. It certainly helps to rope in Matt when we go to pick out our flowers. Otherwise, we'd have all colors of the rainbow. Which is fine, too, right? I think that's what we're going to do next year. For a change. {The only stipulaton I put on next years plan is- no purple.} This year, it's purple. Now, that doesn't mean it's limited to PURPLE. That means you use lavender, light purple, medium purple, bright purple, dark purple, some whites, and black leafed plants. Here's a little glimpse into my fanatical "container gardening"... Trust me... you don't want to see pictures of those impatiens I mentioned earlier... THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. O, a couple things... a.) make sure and notice the humidity hanging in the background of some of these pictures... b.) I have a very cheap camera... c.) worse than the cheap camera, I have no photography skills whatsoever.





{this Eugenia anchors my unattractive kitchen entryway. in my opinion, this entryway is the first outside thing that needs fixed when we get to the outside fixing-up. matt says painting the barn is more important. really?! phooey. but- this beauty certainly helps things look a little, uh, better.}



{this is the front entry. it needs some help, too, but for now it's content with keeping company with these lovely companions!}

{these girls... ah, my favorite. they anchor the corners of our home. they do a great job, but they do tend to show off.}

{larger combination planter, of course starring purple, flanked by 2 "monoculture" pots. classic.}

{she is the star of my patio. truly. she's full of life, balance, and grace. o, and purple.}

{who says "blinds" are for hunting? this "blind" quite nicely hides the collection of apparatus that finds itself situated in the midst of our front lawn.}

{this is a type of euphorbia. for some of you reading in a little warmer climate zones, this can be used as a shrub. i love this plant! notice the humidity looming in the background. it was taken at about 6 AM... you see how steamy it already was. i actually think it looks really neat. in the picture, that is.}

And now... Just for fun! A little DIY! Mine doesn't look so well due to our recent humidity, but... this is a great outdoor centerpiece idea! My Mom came up with this a few years back and I have planted one every summer "just in case". Grab a pot, any old terra cotta pot will do, as long as it's not too tall. Fill it with dirt up to within 4 inches of the top. Center an old cup or candle jar in the center of the pot. Plant moss {scotch or irish} around the cup. Leave the cup in the pot and allow the moss to grow around it. When you are having last minute company and need to appear glam , whip the cup out, insert a pillar candle, and light it! Easy centerpiece! All you have to do is keep it watered for its big moment. Use your imagination- I'm sure baby tears, ajuga, or other creeping, mounding plants would work too!

{just 2 days before i took this picture, there was not a speck of brown to be seen in this moss. shows you what a little humidity will do to one.}

And lastly, I leave you with a few light-hearted moments in my life of late...

{i found these fat little cutie-patooties running through our yard the other morning! i love them! they'd be my adopted third and fourth child by now if i had any say in it. i got the sinking feeling that by the look of the lower ones eyes and ears, they didn't care to even be acquaintances. and i haven't seen them since. the feelings were definitely not mutual.}

{o, the concentration that it takes! golfer in training! and his dad couldn't be more thrilled!}