Monday, July 27, 2009

What Makes This Monday Cheery?

Flowers in our neighbor's garden - Brown-eyed Susan, to be exact. Well, to be really exact they're Rudbeckia Hirta, a member of the Sunflower family.

And also, one of our favorite never-fail plants - the Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea Batatas) - seen here behind the Polka Dot Vinca. I think this variety of SPV is called Marguerite. There's another great variety called 'Chillin' Limeade' that's even more of a glow-in-the-dark chartreuse. Three Great Things About the SPV: it can't be killed, it spreads like crazy, and it's really easy to root in water.

The only drawback for the lazy gardener is that the SPV can take over neighboring plants and one day you notice it's the only thing thriving in your container and several long tendrils of it are stretching across the porch floor (not unlike those creepy, sad Philodendrons in offices that are allowed - or even encouraged! - to wrap around the whole room or ceiling). So, don't be afraid to prune it often and stick the clippings in a vase for a week and then you'll have a pass-along!

Hope your gardening week is cheery as well . . .


No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails