Ideas for planters?

[val2525]

You need an excuse to buy plants?

OK, seriously, just consider yourself helping keep the air clean by growing more plants!

That's my story.

[Shirley U Geste]

Cool, I will hit both WalMart and Lowe's.

I am so glad spring is coming, I am sick to death of winter and the cold. 

[Shirley U Geste]

Hey Val, do you have a Ross up your way?

In ours today they had a lot of great pots at pretty cheap prices.

Nice heavy ceramic pots in all kinds of colors, I got 2 blue ones but they had green, orange, and yellow.

Some even had decorative carved sides or flowers painted on them.

Prices started at $3.99 for the small ones up to $11.99 for the really big ones, which is pretty cheap for ceramic.

[val2525]

Ross by my house is half empty. I don't even know why it's open. I'm waiting for the plants to come in before I do or buy anything. The only thing available today was pansy bedding plants, and they didn't look too hot. It's too early here.

I usually wait and shop for plants on Thursday evening and Friday. That's when Lowes and HD here will mark down the distressed plants, since new shipments come in on those days. I can usually get some really nice plants for next to nothing that just need a few days of TLC to look gorgeous again.

[Shirley U Geste]

The weather seems to have turned the corner here.

Days are in the 70's and nights aren't getting below 40 so my geraniums are going out into the yard this weekend. I put out the paperwhites a few days ago and they are growing and blooming like crazy.

Spring is in the air and I can't wait for the hummingbirds to start arriving.  

[Deleted]

I'm envious of your weather. Wish we had a longer growing season out here.

And...potato vines. Love them. Your excuse to buy - the stores get wiped out of them fast.

[Shirley U Geste]

Hmmm, potato vines.

I hadn't heard of them before and looked them up, they really are a great looking plant.  Thanks for the tip.

I like climbing things and have a lot of trellis (or is it trellises)? in the critter garden. The morning glories reseed themselves and a few little sprouts are just starting to show. But I can always use another climber so I will see if I can get some here.

Anything that grows fast and has lots of flowers is perfect to keep the hummers, butterflies and bees busy and happy. 

[Deleted]

Shirley - they look beautiful as accents for hanging baskets as well.

[kritter]

Mar 13, 2015 1:45:28 GMT val2525 said:

I usually wait and shop for plants on Thursday evening and Friday. That's when Lowes and HD here will mark down the distressed plants, since new shipments come in on those days. I can usually get some really nice plants for next to nothing that just need a few days of TLC to look gorgeous again.

We must be sisters by another mother. 

I do the exact same thing except usually never make it to HD because I load up at Lowes.

[kritter]

We have hit the 70s daytime and 50s night time temps and the sun is finally shining after several days of clouds.

Going to hit the Lowes sale today and get some pavers for new pathways through my backyard.

My backyard is landscaped as a cat haven so 85% of the yard is in beds,gravel pathways, pavers, and terraces. We are always in water rationing here so I don't have to worry about grass being watered.

[val2525]

No sales at my Lowes. Just mechanical stuff, riding lawnmowers, things like that. No plants whatsoever. I HATE March here, the retailers won't get plants in for several weeks yet because of the cold nights. Totally sucks.

[Deleted]

Shirley, I put potato vines in all of my pots.  They are sooooo hardy, grow like crazy.  Here they come in purple, green and variegated green/white.

On the downside - groundhogs LOVE them.

[kritter]

Mar 13, 2015 19:13:45 GMT val2525 said:

No sales at my Lowes. Just mechanical stuff, riding lawnmowers, things like that. No plants whatsoever. I HATE March here, the retailers won't get plants in for several weeks yet because of the cold nights. Totally sucks.

Bummer!

My Lowes has almost all their aisles filled with plants and small trees.  Still too high for me pricewise; I would rather pick over the broken and wilted but it is too early for them.  The only plants they had in the discount area were small bedding plants like pansies and the like and I don't do well with them because of the cats like to lay on top of them.

Lots of roses, hibiscus, hydrangeas, jasmine, and even bougainvillaea.

I bought some square pavers on sale and will probably need to go back for more.  Sale is until the 23rd, I think.

[Shirley U Geste]

Thanks Roy. With so many recommendations I will have to try them. We are just starting to get plants in the stores here so I will keep my eye out for some.

[val2525]

I don't bother with pansies. By the time they get full in the planter and look pretty, it's too warm for them and they wilt and die. Argghh. We have a great climate for bulb flowers but people here are too lazy to plant them. If I go a street or two out of my way in the morniings, I will pass by a few houses with iris at least.

I need to run for city counsel and have my platform, Beautifying Albuquerque one flower at a time!

[Deleted]

Val, here outside Philly it's too cold to do plants.  What I do just out front is pansies now and they will last until June.  Then in May I can get my back done and not have to worry about the front at the same time.  Plus I love their little faces!

[val2525]

We have perfect weather here for iris, tulips, daffodils and other cold spring bulb plants. Some of the older residents have iris planted, and they're gorgeous. I noticed some commerical properties put some pansies in last weekend, so that helps. And the ornamental blooming fruit trees started busting out in blooms this week. But still, it would be nice if more people would plant some color here. Ugh. It's all ugly brown. I try to remind myself that the people here more than make up for the ugly brown, but some days I just want some color!!!!!

That's why I like visting Phoenix….more color.

[kritter]

Love Phoenix but haven't been in years.

Perfect time to take a trip there in a few months as all the winter visitors will have gone and hotel and flight prices will be reasonable.

[val2525]

So…how tacky would it be to go to Dollar Tree and get some fake silk blooms and put them in a pot on my enclosed (hidden from the public view) patio until the stupid stores here get the hanging baskets and patio pots of real flowers in?

I looked it up, we have potential for freeze for about 2 more weeks, which explains why real blooms won't be in until pretty much Easter weekend (Lowes/HD don't want the refunds if plants freeze, can't say as I blame them).

Even fake flowers would be better than nothing right now.

[Shirley U Geste]

Fakes are fine Val.

My friend Nancy has all kinds of baskets of fakes in her yard and they look really nice. She just doesn't want to water plants anymore and switched over to the fake ones a few years back.

It does confuse the heck out of the hummingbirds though.