My Obsession

Dipladenia

Here we are in the first week of the new year. The snow is gone from our yard, leaving just the remnants of huge piles of snow and the leaning forms of snowmen around the neighborhood. It seems that Frosty is doing his best to remain in his place till the next snow. The bird feeders always need filling. The birds can sure keep us hopping. They still don't like the suet that I bought a case of. The seed catalogs are arriving and showing beautiful pictures of flowers to plant in the spring. I have to learn to limit my gardening this year. It's so hard when I read what others are planting... then see pictures of their gardens and want to be like everyone else. I must remember my age this year. I have been gardening like I did when I was much younger and it's getting to be a chore instead of a pleasure. I always have big plans in the early Spring and by the end of summer, I am complaining about having to drag the hose to keep everything watered, or blaming those pesky Japanese beetles for ruining the roses. I need to remember this, when I plan my garden. I really have enough...even if I didn't plant anything, my garden would be full. Maybe this year, I will just take the best care that I can of what I already have. I know that I will replace things if they don't come back after winter. My roses for example. Last year my knockouts were beautiful right up to cold weather. I would replace those if they didn't survive. As for something new... I want to try some Dipladenia in pots, if I can find them. They were at Lowe's this past spring and I would like to get them locally...if not I can order them online. I think that when you buy things like this online...they sometimes get a slow start and buying them locally isn't such a shock to them. My neighbor had these last year and they were carefree and beautiful. I will put the pots by the hose, so I can just step out the door and water them.

I was sitting in the basement this afternoon, after hauling some of the Christmas decorations down, and was talking to a friend on the phone...I told her that I wasn't decorating as much next year...as I looked at the 14 bins of Christmas decorations. She reminded me that I told her the same thing last spring about gardening... I told her then that I wasn't planting as many plants that year. I would be downscaling my garden ;) So, the garden catalogs keep coming and some I toss away, but some are so beautiful that I have to take a peek. I need to join a support group I think. I'm an obsessive planter...

Balisha

Dipladenia is a Mandevilla with shorter tendrils...it doesn't vine as much and can be used in containers.