Getting my hands dirty

Last year I bought way too many plants for my planters and several disappeared under the more hardy ones never to be seen again. This year I really held back, so for now my container gardens are looking pretty sparse.

But there are a few petunias in each box, and I know from last year those are rigorous growers. While I was contemplating the plant below in the greenhouse, a woman was suddenly at my side saying how it's her favourite flowering plant. Nope, she wasn't staff. Just a real enthusiast for these particular blooms.

The firework-like blooms are lantana. I also got purple and pink petunias, and white verbena and geraniums.

This year I added two herb gardens. One container is dedicated to mint with three varieties. I've been cooking a number of dishes lately with fresh mint and thought it would be nice to have sprigs ready whenever needed. The other pot has lemon thyme, basil and curry, which has an amazing aroma that makes me want to rush out for a curry dinner.

Next I need to hang the bunting around my front porch to get into full fair-weather mode.