Boxes and Baskets and Pots of Flowers!

Urn on the garage wing wall.

I was reminded this weekend of the reason that I always plant my annuals during the first week of May regardless of what the USDA says: It gets freaking HOT in Illinois at the end of May!  This weekend, (after inquiries by neighbors as to my health and a kind offer from my friend Sadie, (the florist) to plant my urn at the behest of my family), I finally made time to do a little planting.

Of course, this weekend the daytime temperatures also reached 98 degrees and there wasn't a hint of a breeze! I actually felt sorry for the plants! Our window boxes are on the second story of the house and they face West and North. The plants that live (or at least try to) in these boxes take the words "full sun" to a whole new level...it's something more along the lines of full sun living in a copper planter with the heat from the roof baking your roots off." Note to self: on the next house, window boxes made of wood, facing East.

West Large Window Box - View from the Driveway

North Large Window Box - View from the driveway.

West window box - View from my son's room.

North Window Box - View from the Master bath.

White Begonias (at least some day they will be) as borders for the front yard gardens.

Front Yard Plant List (Coral, White and Gray):
Hydrangea Endless Summer "Blushing Bride"
Euphorbia "Diamond Frost"
Begonia "Borias"
Cut Leaf Sweet Potato Vine
Dichondra "Silver Falls"
Bedding plants: White begonias

I also planted a few containers around the pergola. I'm still putting the finishing touches on a couple of projects before the "big reveal" but I thought that I'd share a few photos.

Patio Container

Patio basket

Thank you, Mom and Dad! I LOVE it!

Rear Yard Plants: Pink, Gray and White (with a little Blue from my parents)
Hydrangea Endless Summer - Blue
Euphorbia "Diamond Frost"
Soft Pink Geranium
Silver Pink Petunia
Pink Angel face (no idea what the real name is)
White Lobelia
Dichondra "Silver Falls"
 Mercifully, it's cooler here today and the forecast is for unseasonably cool weather for the next several days. I got to turn the air conditioning off and open the windows.  This is a good sign that maybe the plants will survive and that my electric bill won't be so huge that I'll be forced to get a second  third job to pay it!

xo,

S

Linking to:
Funky Junk