Met Monday and Digging in the Dirt

I am moving slowly into Susan's Metamorphosis Monday...just getting my feet wet a little bit. Or in this case, my hands dirty. Okay, so I'm not digging in dirt. I'm digging in potting soil, but oh it makes me so happy! It's still a little early for bedding plants at my house. My dad always told me never to plant before Good Friday. Good girl that I am, I listen and rarely plant before. It turns out, according to Dave the weatherman, we are having one (hopefully!) last cold snap tonight. But I just couldn't wait. Those bedding plants are like sirens calling me. So, I compromised. I decided to redo my window boxes. They were a ragged, empty, pitiful sight While I was at Big Lots, I spotted these heavy metal window boxes with a liner for only $10!--a steal! So off to my local hardware. It's a small local one and usually the first to have great plants--not so practical and budget-friendly for buying in bulk, but just right for the "digging-in-the-dirt" fix I needed. I've experimented over the years with different plants and slowly have come up with good combinations that work well together and in this spot. Today I planted red geraniums, white and purple verbena, and pink impatiens. I love the mixture of colors, textures and heighths. I added some ivy in one corner and will probably add trailing miniature petunias on the other side when I find them.

One more little thing I wanted to show you. This is a hellebores, commonly called a Lenten rose because of the time of year it blooms. Although mine is green, others bloom pink, mauve, and yellow. Another variety, the Christmas rose, blooms in December. Our hostess Susan is using power tools! Join her now at http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ and see what she and every one else is up to for Met Monday!