JUL 30, 24 .. PART 2 / 3 .. PATTI'S FLOWERS .. SUMMER 2024..

Not everyone has the time to read our Posts each and every day. When we have a "multi-part" series of Posts (this being Part 2) we like to provide a link to Part 1. 

If you missed Part 1, you can "catch up" by clicking the below link.

https://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2024/07/jul-28-24-pattis-flowers-summer-2024.html

PART 2.. PATTI'S FLOWERS .. SUMMER 2024..

When we completed Part 1, our planter boxes were in place on our porch and ready to receive their flowers.

"Hi Dad. We've been waiting two years to be used!"

The three wooden planter boxes we will be using.

Below the three are set in place and they are very happily awaiting their flowers.

On the right edge of the below photo, you can see the first set of six flower baskets, eagerly ready to move into their new home.

In the above photo, our three planter boxes are ready to be planted. BUT, first there was a lot of work required to get each set of flowers ready to be planted.

I myself have never, ever, in my lifetime, "done" flowers.

So I picked up one of the six new flower baskets, grasped the plant firmly with my fingers, and commenced to "pull" (tug tug pull pull) the plant out of its basket. It would not budge. So I pulled more forcefully..

Suddenly Patti "squealed" at me: "Stop Cap! You are going to kill that poor little flower!"

Patti rescued it from me explaining that the poor little plant was tightly "root bound" so it had to be removed very carefully by gently squeezing and massaging the flowers thin plastic container. 

The below photo shows what I mean about the flower plant being "root bound". Its roots had grown out of openings in its container and was "tightly root bound". 

One has to gently, firmly and with patience "massage and manipulate" the thin plastic container to get the plant free.

Eventually "out it comes".

It's hard to explain, and to clearly show, but it is necessary to remove the roots along the flowers four edges and especially its bottom.

Voila! In Patti's right hand are the roots that have been pulled away from the plant and in her left hand is the plant now ready to be "dead headed" and carefully trimmed to remove parts of the plant that are dead and of no use to the plant.

"Deadheading" is a major job! But it is very important to the plant.

You must know what you are doing! Below are some photos of Patti "Deadheading" the plants.

Oh.. My.. Goodness.. The time has come to plant the flowers!

Here we go. First I got the soil in the planter boxes thoroughly stirred up. We did not take photos of first adding water to the soil.

At this point all of the preparations are complete and we do not have "Rocket Science". 

The prepared plants are placed into their new homes.

Duck Soup.

Moving right along.

Oh Yes! Patti joined in the fun.

We are going to close with several photos showing our finished flower boxes. 

Do any of you remember our weed? He is very happy.

We already are really enjoying our SUMMER 2024 FLOWERS!

Patti and Cap

JUL 29, 24 .. PART 1 / 3 .. PATTI'S FLOWERS .. SUMMER 2024..

Traditionally, going back farther than I can accurately remember, each and every summer, Patti has planted outdoor flower boxes.

Then "life or old age" caught up with us. Back in the Summer of 2021, in our June the 21st, Post we ended with the below words.. 

"It gives us a tug of our hearts to realize, that at our ages, neither of us know for sure what the Summer of 2022 will bring us."

Then came the Summer of 2022. 

In early June of 2022. After returning from our trip back to Detroit, Michigan, during which we were in the E.R. with our third Covid-19 infection, Patti declared that she was NOT going to do flowers! 

In mid-July of 2022 I had an amazing dream. If you would care to refresh your memories of this dream, please click onto the below link. 

https://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2022/07/jul-28-22-pattis-flowers-summer-2022.html

After I awoke from the dream, I said to myself, "THAT does it. I am going to plant, if nothing more, one small plant and I myself will plant it into one of Patti's planter boxes. Patti WILL HAVE some flowers this summer!"

And we most certainly did just that!

And Patti "Got the plant flowers fever." and Patti went with me, picked out her flowers, and Patti "Did the flowers!" while I watched and snapped photos and published the above Post.

Last Summer of 2023, we did not have any outdoor flower boxes. I don't recall our even discussing it. 

Two weeks ago, while Patti and I were "out and about", I casually asked Patti, as we were passing our local Home Depot, "Would you like to stop and get a few flowers."

Patti said, with a  bit of a sigh, "No."

Then I repeated my question, "Would you like to get some flowers while we are here at Walmart?"

"No." Patti would reply, again with a poignant sigh.

Last Saturday, I said to Patti: "I AM going to Home Depot and get some flowers!" 

Unlike back in July of 2022, Patti did not go with me.

Thanks to God and Our Good Lord who gave me first, Arlene last Saturday, and then Kellie yesterday at our local Home Depot. 

They picked flowers for me. They each gave me an enormous sale discount of $5 off each flower package (all of whom were crying and pleading "Pick me Dad. The season is over and we all will be thrown away Dad!").

Home I came with our treasures. Yesterday I came home with six (6) and today two (2) more flower assortments because we wanted three plants in two of the flower Planter Boxes.

And with Patti's encouragement "Away we began."

Let's begin at our local Home Depot and see how far we get here in what will be Part 1.

These are what Arlene and Kellie picked for us.

"On Sale" I got eight of them for $2 each out the door!

And home to our Condo I came with our "Flower treasures".

Our back Porch was just waiting for its "Flower treasures"!

(By the way, notice the "weed" hanging over the front edge of the one box on the right in the below photo.  Patti opted to let this weed continue to grow since it did give us one dose of something green and growing in one box.)

"Oh My Goodness Dad! It's been two years since I have had flowers Dad!"

See our "weed flower" sprouting out the front of its box?

Here Porch are your "Flower treasures."

And this will be "it" for Part 1 of our Summer 2024 Flowers.

Cap and Patti