dead simple garden plants

I was having trouble with FedEx deliveries. Their driver that covers my area decided my building is too much trouble. It is a somewhat difficult situation two ways, parking is premium and our callbox is kept poorly. Even so the youngsters around here breach this impenetrable fortress with breathtaking panache.

Sidestory. I got to tell you this.

This happened yesterday. I was gazing over my balcony when a group of young men and women evenly split suddenly appeared on the deck below that provides parking for the shops on first level and the group was split with half of them on the alley beyond, one layer below.

I was admiring the people on both levels. They were talking to each other. They had something planned and the group became split. Probably parking. The alley group was deciding what they should do. A thin young man in that group dressed casually with button down shirt and full length pants broke away and walked up to the side of the garage door, now out of sight for me, then his fingers of one hand appeared on the ledge, then the other, then the first hand grabbed an upright baluster, then the second hand grabbed another baluster higher, and so on until at the top of the railing flipped over and now walking on deck level, apparently unflustered, shirt still tucked in, hair still in place, breathing steadily. He walked around. Scoped out the Broadway street-level parking deck area, walked back around the garage door only now this time above it, and flipped over the railing and stepped down the wall and joined his group in the alley beyond on its level. Without breaking his stride. As if walking the walls using any handhold and foothold with complete natural ease. It was beautiful.

I observed the ease the man handled that bit of parkour wistfully.

I'm a bit jealous.

That was me.

That's what I can't do anymore. But I used to without even thinking, like this guy did, and without even feeling it, like this guy apparently didn't. The ease and the grace is truly impressive.

Let's try it!

But this second FedEx three-strikes-you're-out delivery fail was salvaged by the driver with a fourth attempt and I'm glad the guy came through. And all it took was an urgent phone call after noticing the same pattern repeating of delivery attempts appearing online but not in the real world. The guy was unhappy when he got here.

But I'm glad that he did. If these plants have been going back and forth for three days then that extra time in their boxes really does hurt them.

I do not have an overarching vision for my garden.

The containers on the balcony will be put together strangely. In pieces. I ordered plants from some five or so sources and this is the first batch to come in.

Last year I had some trouble finding the things that I know work around here. Part of that trouble was determining to make only two trips. Plus the bulbs purchased online. So this year I bought everything online. So far.

This is what I'm going for. [pamela crawford, easy container] But I cannot take a container and fill it up with plants and create an arrangement at once. Since the plants are delivered by discretion of the sender, they each have their own Spring release guidelines, the containers must be assembled in pieces.

Well, I got so excited I could just p

lant them in the dirt immediately.

The receipt here says there are twelve. Seven coleus of three types, and five ipomoea of two types, that's a type of sweet potato. Their foliage grows like mad. It piles up and cascades over the edge all the way to ground then crawls all over. They're outrageous. Ever have a plant that is so successful that you disrespect it? Ipomoea is like that. Pamela Crawford lets her disrespect for ipomoea success come through for this too reliable plant in her series of books on container gardens. My dad was that way with horseradish. My grandmother was that way with mint.

But I gave away a coleus, so eleven.

Couldn't help it. I could tell by the way the resident here asked questions on the way up that she'd like to have one. What the heck. 

coleus watermelon

coleus sun jade

coleus rustic orange.

These coleus are supposed to be giant but we'll see. They don't look giant to me. I really like the huge ones. I like them so much I might try to keep them over winter. Coleus is the first proper houseplant that I ever owned.

ipomoea margarita

 I thought margarita implied the colors green, white and red. 

The other types of Ipomoea like this tricolor seem less profuse than the lime green kind.

Imagine the orange stuff growing up and the bright green stuff growing down from the same pot. It's a start.