We dropped almost $1000 in the city yesterday. That hurts. Almost $600 for flowers and garden supplies.
I got dh up early as I wanted to get to Home Depot fairly early, so we aren't trying to maneuver two big flat carts around 50 other people shopping. I really need to start telling dh 15 minutes earlier than I want to leave. Not that we had an appointment time (thank goodness) but he can never leave on time anymore. Every time we need to be walking out the door, he has to go to the bathroom....again...so there's another 10 minutes gone. I wanted to leave at 8:45am. Finally, at a couple minutes after 9 he's grabbing the keys (as I've been standing there with my purse for over 15 minutes) and says "ready?". Uh...ya....LOL.
And it snowed in the morning, in the city. We get to Home Depot and everything outside (where most of the flowers I want are) is all covered up in tarps. I found the petunias that I could get to, so started with those, but really couldn't see what the hanging baskets looked like with the tarps there. I went to ask the lady who worked there (she was super nice) where I could find the lobelia and those were inside, so easy to get to. She and another girl started getting the tarps down outside. I needed 4 big hanging baskets and 3 small ones. Plus we got a perennial to try out where we planted in memory of our dogs. The plants always die. I got a couple of geraniums for the middle of the whiskey barrels on each side of our door (and the rest will be petunia and lobelia) and we got a couple big bags of miracle gro potting soil. Oh, and we were the only 2 shopping there the whole time, so that was really perfect. $373.
Then it was time to pick up our grocery order at Walmart, only I realized I didn't get the text it was ready to pick up. It was almost 10:30, so it should have been ready at 10. I look at my emails and don't see it. Then I opened my Walmart app on my phone and it showed ready. $226.
Since Home Depot didn't have anything I liked for the pots of flowers we like to set in front of our garage and shop, between the doors, we then stopped at Lowe's (where I had gotten them last year) and I decided to cut down to 4, instead of 5, as they are so expensive. $201.
Then we went to Costco - 11am on a Thursday. Parking lot a zoo. Store packed. So far, I have not found any time to go there that isn't packed. I had a few things on my list to get, mainly the orange chicken on sale. While perusing the freezer aisles looking for the orange chicken (they moved it to an end freezer, I guess because on sale) I let dh pick out some things that sounded good to him. He chose some mini chicken tacos, some chicken pot pies, and some chicken melt sandwiches. We also got a bag of dog treats, as he likes to give them to the neighbor dogs. I saw a big box of Kraft sliced cheese was on sale, so I also grabbed that. We also got some snacks. I got the 3 limit of the orange chicken. These items will feed us meals for quite awhile now (we get 4 meals out of each box of orange chicken). Some new stuff to try and all will be quick and easy dinner meals to make (yay!). We should not need to go to Costco for at least a couple of months now. $165.
I am making a promise to myself that I will keep these hanging baskets and pots for the front of the shop and garage and refill them on my own next year, rather than just buying new hanging baskets and pots. It has to be a lot cheaper, I would think. $400 just in 4 hanging baskets and 4 pots is too much to spend. Though it sure is much easier to just hang them or set them out and be done, LOL.
Plus the baskets are super cute! I want to use them again. They look like a beehive. They are super full and big. When I try to make them myself they never ever look this good. This first picture, this basket wasn't quite as full as the other 3 (one seen in second picture), but you can see the basket better in the first picture
Today looks to be blue sky and sun, so I will get the rest of the annuals planted in my half barrels and other pots and boxes. I also see that some of my iris (all over our landscaping) have started to bloom. They are so pretty, I wish they lasted longer.
I think my mom's tax refund check is finally here! At least according to what my USPS informed delivery picture is showing. It from the US Treas. Dept, and you can see pay to the order next to my name. Below my name is has my mom's name and "deceased" after. Only.....they spelled my last name wrong! Hopefully it's not an issue to deposit (can you imagine how long it will take to get that issue fixed and a new check issued, if it is????!!!) since it's only missing one letter, has my address to identify me, and also has my mom's name. I plan to put this into the joint checking I shared with her, so I don't think it should be a problem. I'll be running out to get the mail as soon as it's here, LOL.
Off to start day 2 of my "vacation". :)
What perennial did you get? I love perennials, and that's mostly what I plant. The problem for me is finding the best spot for them in terms of light. Out here, you can't go wrong with purple coneflower, Shasta Daisy, Ruddbeckia and daylilies. They don't bloom until late June, but they bloom all summer well into fall. I also LOVE Foxglove, invasive though it is. People also have great luck with lavender out here, especially in dry, sunny spots, but I don't know if it can handle your winters. It's used almost as a landscaping shrub out here. I have some shrubs in various spots around the property for the honeybees, but I might just be one of the few people who can't bear the fragrance for any amount of time! I tend to neglect them, but lavender thrives on neglect.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, your planters look terrific. You really are good at design and decorating.
I cannot take lavender. It just stinks to me.
DeleteMeg - the perennial is an orange asiatic lily. I have some other lily's in this area that come back every year, so I'm hoping this one stays alive. Daylilies are my best go to. I think I tried lavender before, it didn't make it thru the winter.
DeleteDid you check out the plants at Costco? Around here they are usually bigger and although not inexpensive for what you can get are a great deal. Maybe for next year.
ReplyDeleteI did glance at them (after the fact of buying everything before we went there) and the baskets didn't seem that big. I'm hoping next year I'll be motivated to fill my own baskets ;)
DeleteMaybe you could buy a six-pack of plants for one basket. I always plan to germinate seeds and transplant. Maybe i will one year. Your weather might not be good for tender seedlings. Do you have a place indoors to germinate? A place like a greenhouse? You could probably invest in a small, cheap greenhouse and save on flowers.
ReplyDeleteI certainly hope the money goes through!
That's what I'm thinking - like a 6 pack of petunias with some verbena mixed in. I don't have the desire to try to germinate seeds. I'm not so sure a green house would make it through our winters here, or even stay warm enough to get the seeds started, so I would have flowers to plant by May
DeleteThat's a lot of money to spend on flowers but boy are they pretty. I agree with you about saving those baskets for next year though - they're lovely!
ReplyDeleteThey baskets don't appear to be lined with anything, so not sure how many seasons they will last. Next year, after they are empty, I may see if there is a way I could line with some plastic inside to help them from rotting away from the dirt and watering.
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