Gardening takes no prisoners at this time of year, especially when it comes to patio containers. Yes, the weather is mellow and balmy and it’s so pleasant just to sit back the comfy chair, the one that rocks, feet up, drink on table, unread book in lap. But no. “Feed me!” Water me!” Deadhead me!” cry the still-lush pots of annuals, their roots taking up every inch of soil and plenty of promising buds in evidence.
The deadheading never stops with these.
Sure, I could ignore them, but it’s only September 1. This garden has plenty of life in it, and I’m normally not willing to give up until close to Halloween. It’s made worse because I tend to favor specialty annuals or heirloom varieties that aren’t as self-cleaning as the modern hybrids. The old-fashioned nicotianas I love require deadheading at both macro and micro levels. Those deadheads are sticky too. Zinnias are the queens of the cut-and-come-agains. Petunias do like to be regularly fed. And fuschias are great at letting you know when they’re thirsty. The annual agastaches and salvias alone seem not to care what I do, but everything else in a pot demands and gets daily attention at a time when I am least interested in providing it.
One nice thing: when I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show in June, I saw a lily vendor selling the same bulbs she sells in late winter at the indoor shows. “You’ll have these in September,” she promised. And she was right.
Those lilies are stupendous!
That’s why I gave up annuals, Including the sticky thing (petunias) I asked an expert if there were any annuals which don’t need deadheading and he told me ‘no’ and went on to say that deadheading was a relaxing, pleasant occupation.
Bonkers.
Actually none of my petunias require deadheading; they do like to be fed, tho. I was referring to the Nicotianas (tobacco plant).
What is they gorgeous lily?
These are double lilies; they’re Oriental hybrids. They are sold under various names. I think Washington’s (the state) The Lily Garden was the first to hybridize them, but these are from Maplecrest, in Maine.
The amazing variety of coleus colors available has resulted in robust, easy care (just snap off those ugly flowers once) pots in my yard.
The coleus in my pots are enormous, and I love them, water hogging aside. I leave some of the flowers on because the bumblebees love them, and I enjoy watching them bumble around. I sometimes find one sleeping tucked up under a leaf late in the morning. But — the weather has changed, it got cold today, and tomorrow the coleus are leaving me for the year but not before I have taken a pot full of cuttings for next year.