These happy faces are the greeters of June. This year everything seems to be a bit behind, as we haven’t even started the peony parade just yet. The roses will be later, though with everything else that has gone on this year, we aren’t planting any new roses in the garden. We have two that barely made it through the winter, and I’d be surprised if we coax any blooms from them. Some summers are like that. There are other concerns in the landscape.
With a new pool liner in the works, part of the garden will have to be dug up anyway, so it’s not the time to make anything too pretty just yet. 2020 is most definitely a year in limbo, if not closer to hell. These pretty faces, snapped at the local nursery, cheered me on a weekend visit, and while I didn’t bring any home (my mission was a pair of papyrus plants) their colorful presentation was enough.
Petunias were a mainstay of the front gardens of my childhood home, their non-stop blooming power a key component for earning my mother’s love. In the little side garden I was allowed, I chose something more exotic – portulaca one year, dahlias the next – while the petunias and snapdragons populated the larger spaces, winning over my heart despite my yearning for something slightly more exciting.
In years like this, I return to those traditional, stalwart performers, and have potted up three petunias for their color and comfort. They’re already spilling their blooms over the edges of their pots, one by the front door and two on the back patio. June does its best to cheer us up.
