Begonia Container

 

My husband was disposing of  our old mailbox when I decided to rescue it.

I had torn a stem from the pot of begonias when I was moving it from the basement.  It had plenty of roots, but the stem had been pushed out by overcrowding.  It needed a new home. 

It fit fine in the mailbox and will hold firm with the help of a few rocks in the bottom.  

It looks a little rough now, but it will settle in the flower bed just fine later this summer. I'll try to surround the lower part with pine needles or rocks.

Below is how the  mother  begonia looked last summer.

Money Plant

The money plant certainly travels a lot.  Its seeds move everywhere, even down into our woods.  The rain water washes them away down the hill.  This purplish flower can be seen at a distance.

I have looked for a picture of what it looks like in the fall--evidently lost somewhere in Picassa.  The silvery seedpods look just like coins, a bit translucent, and they remain most of the winter before breaking apart and spreading seeds everywhere. Mine came from my mother's house, but if your neighbors have these flowers, one might just wander into your yard.

Yellow Lamium

Last year I got tired of replacing the annuals, usually salvia, that I put in the cement planters on my front steps.

 I decided to use yellow lamium, which is a very sturdy perennial vine and a passalong plant. It did great through most of the summer,even after it quit blooming.  The foliage looks great.

This spring it is really flourishing and looks better than the salvia ever did.

 The best thing about it is the absence of work and expense. Pink lamium is also pretty, but a bit more fragile than the yellow.

Lamb's Ear

My lamb's ear looks much better in the spring than later in the summer.

The  fuzzy texture is especially appealing.

It spreads well and I potted several little lamb's ears that wandered into the grass.

 The primroses are equally pretty, but they don't last as long.

Alpine Lady's Mantle

This is one of my favorite passalong plants for several reasons.  It blooms early and is not bothered by frost.  It has pretty shiny green foliage all year long.

It tends to spread a bit, but it is not offensively invasive.  If you don't like its traveling, it is easy to pull out.  Its most noticeable quality is the long-lasting green blossoms.

It can easily be shared with friends and neighbors.  I got mine perhaps twenty years ago from my mother's neighbor.  I am sure some nurseries must carry it, but it doesn't seem readily available. It was the only thing at my plant sale that a real plant expert found that she didn't already have.

Poinsettia

This poinsettia left over from last year did not turn red for Christmas.



 It probably likes the long hours of darkness in the green house during the winter months.

Green House Tomatoes

We have these large tomato plants in our small greenhouse.

This is our first try at growing vegetables.They are blooming, and we hope they are pollinated.  We will soon know.

If no tomatoes form, we may have to try pollinating methods like shaking them or using a feather.  The door is open during the day, and a few honeybees have been nearby.

I will try to find a seed packet to see if they might be self-pollinating.