Myrtles Gone Wild

The patio garden was professionally planted when we first moved to DC. It began as nothing more than dirt and was in need of a complete design. Since Myrtles are a big scene stealer here, two small trees were a part of the master plan. One was straight stemmed and placed on the east side; the other had several branches and was more wide than tall. The more wide than tall Myrtles was beginning to look more like an eye sore than a sight to see. With summer taking it's toll on the annuals and the perennial blooms long since gone, we decided to freshen the place up a bit. A few pink dianthus and purple petunias were added. The more wide than tall Myrtle got a whacking along with a lot of other out if control greens. It lost two major branches. I just pressed down and they both snapped, along with a lot of pink purple flowers on the branches that covered the window. Now even without those branches it is plenty big for its place next to the fence. Between that, the huge tomato plant, and the clematis vine, it was looking more weedy than a cozy garden retreat. Now, all I need is a saw to trim it down properly. Unfortunately our family members don't live down the street from us anymore. Where are they when we need them?!

The American Plant Air Plant Replaces the Water Plant

Air plants seem to be all the rage. You see them everywhere.  It reminds me of the time when terrariums were a necessity. We have a hanging planter from Gingko's with two glass vases in our TV room that can be used for a variety of plants, fish, cut flowers, or holiday decorations. Every once in awhile, my cosmos flowers break and I bring them in as cut flowers. They seem to root very quickly, so I'm going to try and replant one and see what happens. We used to have a Betta fish, and always supplied him with water plants. We recently went to PetSmart to find an aquatic plant to put in the glass vase. We found a variegated one and a fake one to fill in if and when needed. Today we went to American Plant to find a couple of annuals to fill in and refresh the patio garden. One petunia and a dianthus would do. While there, we checked out the very large selection of air plants. We already have two small ones, and they do require more care than you might think...a weekly bath and moving to a place with more daylight. My husband takes care of all the indoor plants, and is very particular about the containers and what goes I them. When he saw the tall and unusual looking air plant, I had a feeling he would prefer that to the fake plastic water plant. Now it sits proudly in the glass vase that is hanging on the wall next to a window. I will, however, keep the fake plastic plant just in case. You never know if there might be another Betta fish in our future.