Tuesday, June 22, 2010

HOW OUR 'GARDEN' GROWS

JANET CHESTER BLY

We just returned from a trip to Wyoming and took photos of bursts of blooming color in fields and city streets all along the way. 

We love bushes and flowers, but don't have the time or resources for fussing with them much. With a very short growing season where we live in north-central Idaho, we've discovered that petunias are one of the few hardy flowers we count on lasting through summer. 

Until the temps hit below freezing some  night. . .which can be anytime. Or the first snows hit. . .most any fall day. 

The rest of the year we're surrounded by about 60 ponderosa pines. After the beautiful snow scenes melt, we enjoy the splays of summer light and the silhouettes at dusk through the tall trees. 

But we miss the blush of pinks & reds or flush of purples.

As has become our habit, we just hung some of those pre-potted petunia Wal-Mart specials on hooks around our house. Love their sturdy staying power and the ease of instant gardening!




So, what are you doing this summer to provide a bit of landscape for your yard?


2 comments:

Rose Silver said...

I love your petunia photos. You can try the cute little dahlia flowers. It thrives in hot weather and bloom prolifically in summer.

Janet Bly said...

Rose: Thanks for the suggestion. Actually, several of our neighbors have dahlias in their yard this summer--beautiful!