To start with, flowers were not the only way to make an impact. Foliage was very important in the mass plantings.

First is the variegated shell ginger with knockout roses. The next photo shows variegated shell ginger with macho ferns in front.

Of course there were stands of the red ti plant (Cordyline teminalis) all through the area. I have a few of these plants, and this year, I will make sure to group them all together for a bigger impact.

A mass planting of variegated flax lily (Dianella tasmanica) made me want more of this plant. I planted this in my garden about six years ago, but seeing this bed made me realize I need to move mine closer together and divide them to make more plants.

Of course, the crotons were lovely. Usually, crotons remind me of autumn because of the deep yellows and reds, but these did have a brightness to them.

Lest you think that there was only foliage around, let me assure you there were flowers also, and not just in hanging baskets like my last post. Geraniums, dahlias, impatiens, and other flowers were all represented.

Around this time of year I start to get spring fever, that urge to go outside and dig around and plant something. Seeing all these plants, that for us are summer plants, certainly didn’t do my spring fever any good.

I haven’t posted in a while because I have been in Orlando, Florida. I agreed to chaperon a senior trip, and while it was fun, it was exhausting. Of course, I paid most of my attention to the plantings. Sea World was a tropical paradise, and even though spring has arrived very early this year, I was envious of the hostas that were so prolific there. The hanging baskets were also spectacular – so big and full. Here are a few of the container and hanging baskets that could serve as inspiration for our gardens.

Containers – have to remember to use big ones.

Hanging baskets – the bigger the better.

Don’t you just love the white petunias. The other colors were just as pretty.

I’ll post some to the plantings later.

Today turned out to be a lovely day with cool temperatures and blue skies, not like Saturday when we had almost 3 inches of rain. Even though the ground was soggy, I was able to finish the pruning job that I had started before the rain forced me inside early this weekend. This far South, it is best to prune roses in late January to mid-February. I like to do this no later than February 14th, but while I finished pruning my mother’s roses on time, mine had to wait until today.

The red Knockouts that I planted last fall were still blooming, and I hated to cut off the flowers, but they did need a light pruning. I used the cut flowers for inside, something I usually do not do because of the cat. I should use some of my roses in the house more often because the fragrance was lovely.

I used to be very hesitant to cut back plants when I first started gardening. I guess I was afraid I would prune too much and the plants would die. I have since gotten over that fear and have realized that plants just aren’t that delicate. If you are unsure about pruning roses check here for information.

I did save some cuttings from my Butterfly Rose (Mutabilis), and I will try to root them. I am a little worried about this rose as the main stems do not look so good. There seems to be some cracks on the woody stems. So, I figured that trying to make at least one more might be a good idea. Just a little insurance.

Tomorrow, I will fertilize all the roses, and with this mild weather, it shouldn’t be too long before there will be new growth and flowers to enjoy.