Super

I saw a Facebook post from a local greenhouse that they have started planting the Supertunia baskets that will line Main Street this summer. They aren't open to the public yet, and I decided not to wait and take my chances with whatever Supertunias the area stores decide to stock. I just put in an order with Proven Winners Direct, shipping immediately, to get Vista Bubblegum, Vista Jazzberry, Royal Velvet, Latte, Honey, and Priscilla. I'm not doing combos, at least not initially, so each Supertunia gets its own basket. If they live up to their reputations, particularly the Vistas, one plant will fill out a 16-inch basket with no problem. I also have this thought that a basket with one plant will not go dry as quickly as a basket with three plants, at least not early in the season.

I've been having trouble getting any Coleus to grow past the sprout stage in the chilly garage, so I also threw a ColorBlaze Wicked Witch Coleus plant into the order. At least I'll have one plant as I try to sprout more in the warmth of the greenhouse this summer.

I came nowhere near the free shipping threshhold of $175, so with a coupon code and shipping the cost was $84.19, just over $12 per plant. What thrilled me more than anything was that delivery will be by FedEx, not USPS. I'm guessing/hoping delivery will be early next week.

I checked the Walmart and Home Depot web sites. Yes, the Supertunias are listed for about $11 each. The catch is they are not in stock and have to be shipped, and they only come in 4-packs or 5-packs. It would be OK if they were variety packs, but they are not. I am not going to spend $264 to get the six varieties I want. I'm crazy enough to believe I only need one of each these fast-growing mutant petunias.

With Easter coming, the picture of the day is an Easter Cactus! Actually it is a Thankgiving Cactus, but it's what I have and it is (somewhat) related. They are both from the Brazilian rainforest, but the Easter Cactus belongs to similar but distinct genus versus the Thanksgiving and Christmas cactuses. This Thanksgiving Cactus now stands just over 6.5 inches tall. I don't have exact measurements or a great picture of it after I transplanted it last year, but I'm estimating that the central leaf has added two segments and has grown three inches since August. Maybe it will bloom this year. Happy Thanksgiving Easter!