Oh, the Joy

Yesterday, I did something I've been waiting to do for two years. You see, last summer I had surgery to re-attach a torn hip muscle. I had to use a walker for six weeks and could only touch my left toes. Not fun at all. I spent most of the summer in a lift chair provided by my daughter. The summer before that, I had urgent surgery to repair hernias on my right side. Another six weeks spent mostly in bed or in the lift chair. Needless to say, I wasn't able to do anything in the yard except to occasionally water my patio plants and perennial garden with the hose. I vowed that this summer would be different. 

Off I went to purchase flowers at Lowes. I bought a couple of flats of flowers and a bag of potting soil but was still missing some other plants I had in mind.  I visited Home Depot where I found sweet potato vine, a plant that will spill prettily over the side of the planter as it grows. Finally, I went to my local nursery where I asked a staff member to suggest a "centerpiece" plant that would be taller than the others. He showed me something called Angelonia, which was new to me. It sports little purple blossoms that look like miniature snapdragons.  Sold.

So now I had yellow zinnias, pink vinca, and coleus in addition to the others I mentioned. In a couple of trips using my garden cart, I moved all my purchases from the car to the backyard. This morning, I smoothed sunscreen over my skin, donned my Phillies bucket hat and put on my new gardening gloves. I got out my little gardening bench which has handy pockets for my tools--this has been great for me, so I don't have to bend over so far. Then I put a set of flowers for the first planter into the cart along with a small bag of potting soil and set off for the pool deck.

After two years, some of the soil had compacted or washed away, so I broke it up, removing any weeds. Then I added enough new soil to come to the top. First came the Angelonia for the center, then two each of the zinnias and vinca and one each of the coleus and sweet potato vine. Another trip to the patio with enough flowers for the other two large planters came next. This time, I broke into the larger bag of potting soil which was just enough to top them off. I moved the finished planters into position next to the pool and moved onto the next job--two smaller pots that would flank the pool deck furniture. This time, I supplemented the soil with some found in another pot.

I watered everything (something I will need to do each and every day in the Texas heat), cleaned up all the plastic pots and returned my gardening bench to a spot near the back door. All that remains is to mulch each planter to help keep moisture in and give them a more finished look, which I might do after it cools off tonight.

Now we have some bright colors to enjoy when we're watching our grandchildren swim. And yes, this makes me as happy as can be. I have a couple of other backyard tasks to complete, but I'll need the help of my eldest grandson for those and be happy to pay him for his trouble. Come on, summer!

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