Bloom Boom

It's one of my favorite times of the year.  Not that I care for spring any more or less than any other season, I just love it when the weather changes!  In case you hadn't picked up on it, Mrs. Lowe loves her a good change.  Hence the 45 paint colors in this ever evolving place we call home.  So when it's late spring and the temperature is inching up, I'm always eager for summer pool time.  When that fall crisp gets into the air, all I can think of is Thanksgiving and football.  When winter comes a-knocking, I'm always up for a good excuse to hibernate.  And when the days get warmer and the flowers start blooming, I'm ready for spring.

It's only been warm here for a few weeks, but I am cautiously optimistic that it's here to stay.  In fact, this weekend, we Lowes did some planting, walking, patioing, and general outdoor merriment.  We officially have declared it spring.

My parents are coming up for a visit next weekend, and my mom always helps me plant my pots.  Your girl may have a decorating eye, but she has a black thumb and no sense of style when it comes to flowers.  Other than I like for them all to be pink.  So Momsy works with that one stipulation and always helps me plant the most gorgeous pots year after year.  People stop me and ask me about them and I stumble through the flower names and look like a fool.  But the house looks rocking.

I decided to get a jump on her this year by planting a few of the pots with flowers I know we like to use year after year.  Even plant moron can pick up on a few things after 3 years.

These pots are Alli's.  The first year we had the house, my mom got her Gerber daisy in this pot.  So every year we do a pretty pink Gerber daisy here in the full sun that is our back porch.  This year Miss Bree opted for a softer pink.  Subtlety.  Something her mother lacks.  Next to that is a new pot from her Granny, Ryan's mom.  She put some little succulents (sorry, Johnnie, I can't remember what they are called!) in this cute pale pink pot.  I topped it off with a bulldog - my mom bought this for herself and Alli talked her into giving it her instead.  As usual.  We have another pot on our bistro table and  I'm planning to add two more out there as well, but those will stay unplanted until my pro gets here next weekend.

These are New Guinea impatiens in a wicked hot pink outside the front door.  They see very little sun and generally do pretty well here (unless I overwater them like I did last year).  Hopefully I've learned my lesson.

My mom bought this pot for me when we lived in our first apartment.  I always have a geranium in it - it has a really tiny mouth, so the geraniums sits just perfectly in it.  This is the one plant I have that I've never struggled with.  I can keep those alive like nobody's business.  Yeah, I'm bragging about it.

Ryan and I put this bed in the second spring we lived here - obviously it's on the side of our house around the AC unit.  We started out with spirea there, but they had a hard summer last year and we ended up losing them.  We replaced them this weekend with loropetalum.  So you can see that these plants are still babies, but I am so excited for them to grow in.  I read somewhere that loropetalum can grow 3 feet in a growing season!!  I added these pots last summer, and those are snapdragons peeking out.  Of course in assorted colors.  Including pink.

Last summer we decided to plant along the other side of the house, but elected not to put a bed in.  I felt like we'd regret it, but Mr. Lowe did not enjoy the other bed installment.  So I used his lack of enthusiasm to leverage some hot pink knockout roses.  Easy care, pretty flowers, and look good without a bed.  I'm hoping these bad boys burst into bloom soon.

And now a sad shot.  These four ladies have been with me since Spring 1 in Chateau de Lowe.  Mom, Dad, and I spent the better half of a weekend putting this bed in and planting these gorgeous Encore Azaleas.  They have had a few tough winters and are looking pretty darn sad right now.  Alive, but sad.  They barely bloomed last year at all.  I'm looking at you, plant-loving readers.  Help me bring them back.  I love them.  I get physically ill thinking about them not blooming again.  Save them.

Okay, recover.  And check back soon - hopefully this time next weekend I'll have some more gorgeous flower pots to share with you!!