Let me preface this post by noting two things. 1) I am not a gardener, and feel especially lucky when the annuals I plant on my porches do well. 2) I was really not aware that there could be such a drastic difference in the actual quality of plants purchased from one location or another. Witness the Beast:
In early spring, my neighbor came home with an amazing haul of beautiful plants for their property, some of which I’d never seen or heard of before. I found she’d gotten them at Rice’s Market in not-too-far-away PA. This is a flea market which also has a huge assortment of plants from a local nursery.
Just look at that coleus above! Not only have I never seen coleus that looked like that, but it has been growing like wildfire in what is, obviously, its perfect spot. A Beast, indeed!
The burgundy leaves of the variant in back feel like velveteen and somewhat resemble a red maple. As summer wears on, they are starting to turn bright green at the edges. The tiny leaves of the other variant below are simply charming – again, nothing like any coleus I’ve ever seen.
As for the Beauty … the selection of annuals available at this nursery was astounding. I brought home these dark, velvet-y, purple petunias with a white star, and snapdragons, so petite and pretty, they are called “Angel Face Snapdragons.”
Stunning, no?
The individual flowers of this snapdragon look like tiny orchids. Ultimately, they – growing so tall – may not have been the best choice for the same pot as the petunias, but they’re making me happy! I find myself already thinking about what might be at this market for next spring.
As for the quality of plants … time being short as it is, I bought the above to get into pots right away with the thought of making a more local stop for other flowers a couple weeks later. The impatiens are struggling in one area (usually perfect for impatiens) and not even blooming in another. I’ve already made my decision – no more Home Depot, Lowe’s, or “plant lady.” Next year? out to PA for this nursery’s amazing selection of flowers, so fabulous they manage to make even me look like a gardener!
Still A Dreamer 
Simply stunning! ❤
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Yes. I smile every time I look at them … 🙂
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Jeanne, your photos of your porch garden are as beautiful as when I saw it in person. BTW, the snap dragons do look like orchids.
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Thanks, Pat. Aren’t they sweet? I’m very fond of my flowers this year.
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Gorgeous! My flowers are part of my health and happiness policy. I need them like I need food:) 🌸
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Thank you, Cheryl. At this location, my planting is limited to what I can put on my porches, so when they do this well, I am very happy. The poor specimens on the shady back porch (where I sit and read) will just have to be chalked up to “never buy there again” and I’ll shop smart next year.
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That’s the good thing about a garden. There’s always next year. 🌺
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Exactly. And before you know it, there’ll be mums and pumpkins. 🙂
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Your flowers look beautiful, Jeanne!
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Thank you! I give 98% of the credit to quality plants – I take credit for keeping them watered. 🙂
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They’re gorgeous Jeanne, I especially love that coleus, it’s spectacular.
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There were so many different types of coleus at that nursery/market – most weren’t even recognizable, to me anyway, as coleus, so unusual. Next year I’m going to do another pot where the petunias are – in past years, coleus thrived there. Stay tuned … 🙂
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Jeanne, ALL of these plants are beautiful, but I’ve always LOVED coleus. These are stunning! ❤
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By people’s comments on this post, now I am even more stoked to get some new, fabulous coleus in the spring. The rest of my potting ops are all in mid to deep shade as I have deep porches. (Other sunny spots, the deer eat them.) Glad you liked them, Donna.
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