A promise yet to be fulfilled [06/24]

I’m Nathan Langley and this is A promise yet to be fulfilled, a seasonal weekly newsletter on my garden developments at home in Sudbury, Ontario!

The past week has been routine — lots of mowing dandelions, bugs, and moving rocks out of the existing pond. And it was May-long weekend! As such, the most exciting thing I got up to was sitting by the river and documenting all the different things that I found interesting around me. I needed a break!

I did, however, manage to visit a local greenhouse to buy annuals for a few different planters. I’ve expanded from what I did last year, adding three more along the deck in the backyard. I had some old railing basket planters sitting in the shed from 5+ years ago and thought it would be a good idea to add some colour to the deck since I am in the process of ripping up the existing garden and ruining the view.

Like last year, I just grabbed what I thought would look good together while wandering the greenhouse. I’m not very knowledgeable about annual plants, but I enjoy the freedom of that (as funny as that sounds). I am limited to what I see in front of me. As such, my brain focuses solely on whether I like the look of each plant, instead of the myriad of things I usually work through in a garden design.

For the two driveway planters, I used:

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'
Cosmos 'Sonata Mix'
Osteospermum 'Margarita Orange Flare'
Scaevola 'Bombay Compact Dark Blue'

And for the three deck planters, I used:

Gaura lindheimeri
Dahlia 'Hypnotica Purple Bicolor'
Marigold 'Durango Mix'
Petunia 'Surfinia Heavenly Blue'

I’m not sure how well they will play with each other once they start growing, as the annual labels leave a lot to be desired. I was aiming for a full, natural look with the driveway planters, and a relaxed feeling with the deck planters.

Time will tell if I was successful.

The Video: