Flower Power

I love spring time and planting new flowers! It's always fun to go to the nursery and find beautiful new goodies of different sizes and colors.

This past weekend, my sons, mama, and my sons' friend, went to get all new flowers for around our pool! We went to our favorite nursery to pick out the best of the best.

If you are like me then you need to get hardy, strong plants that can withstand the severe heat of the Georgia summer, especially with little shade by the pool.

Before we could pick our flowers out, though, we had to go visit the coy pond. The boys love the "big goldfish" and watching them swim under the lily pads.

Once we looked at the coy it was time to find the perfect flowers for the poolside. One thing to note is to make sure you read the cards stuck in the plant. They will show you exactly what type of conditions the plant can stand. If you have questions, ask the person working there so they can help you make the best decision versus spending money on flowers that won't work in that area. Sometimes shopping "local" is your best option to deal with people with experience and for a variety. For us, we love going to The Flower Garden for our picks!

For this plant, it shows the full sun up top. That means it can take the sun all day and would be great by the pool! I had a dark blue plant last summer, thanks to Rhonda's suggestion that it would do well by my pool and she was right! It bloomed all summer long and I was excited to see that it was coming back from last year's plant so I purchased a second one to go in the matching pot on the other side of the pool! The back side of the marker will give you more information as well.

In addition to the Dark Blue, I also got Venca, Purslane, Ivy, Petunias, and Million bells! If you want flowers that trail and are bright and vibrant, I highly recommend the petunias and million bells. The purslane has that cool waxy look, aka succulent, and looks very tropical to me. I got those in both a coral and bright yellow.

One thing my Mama has always told me is to be sure to put fresh dirt in your pots. The old dirt will lose it's nutrients so the fresh dirt will help the plants grow. I still use some of the old dirt, but it's important to break up and get rid of all the roots from the previous plants to avoid it not allowing the roots of the new flowers to grow.

Another thing to note is when you get ready to plant your flowers, be sure to break up the roots a little bit before you plant it into the dirt. This helps encourage root growth in the surrounding soil. Also, don't "bury" the entire plant into the dirt. Let the dirt that came with it sit a little on top to expand ( I learned this from the Ground crew at Georgia College) and grow!

Here is a list of flowers that like the sun, annuals (meaning they don't come back, usually, but some will if they are protected). I have a geranium that was my Nana's and has lived, outside, since 2016 but it's protected by the side of my house during the winter!:

1. Zinnias

2. Marigolds

3. Petunias

4. Peonies

5. Black-Eyed Susans

6. Hibiscus

7. Coneflower

8. Sunflowers

9. Geranium

10. Salvia

Here is a list of flowers that like the shade, Perennials, aka they should return from year to year.

1. Astilbe

2. Bee balm

3. Bellflowers

4. Bleeding-Heart

5. Forget-me-not

6. Foxglove

7. Hellebore

8. Hydrangea

9. Begonia

10. Hostas

There are also annuals that can take the sun like Elephant Ears, day lilies, begonias (check the tag to make sure you get the one that likes sun - the bright green leaves like shade, the dark brown like sun!)

So as you get ready for summer, I hope you will consider testing out your green thumb and planting some pretties in your yard. Just be sure to water them because this heat will take them out quickly if rain is not frequent. Enjoy your flowers and have a wonderful summer!

Happy Thursday!

Allison