Sunflower

I'm finally getting something resembling sunflower blooms. This one is a Teddy Bear in the big tub in the greenhouse. The sunflowers behind the house shed are probably going to be next to bloom, and the ones planted in the southeast bed in the greenhouse are lagging far behind.

The tomato plants in the greenhouse are getting tall, and the two strawberry baskets above the southwest bed were getting to be in the way. But between those two baskets, another basket was suspended to hold four 4-inch pots of stapled strawberry runners. It was going to be difficult to move all three baskets at once, but I determined that the runners were rooted and were ready to be cut loose. The four pots went under a grow light in the mini, and I moved the two baskets to the hooks above the mini along with northeast wall. I extended the cage for that tomato plant in the southwest bed. It is the biggest one in the greenhouse and might be bigger than the ones at the house. The greenhouse hasn't produced any actual tomatoes yet, but there are two green ones on that plant. That plant along with the three in the west bed are starting to shade the rest of the greenhouse from the late afternoon sun, not necessarily a good thing.

Anyway, moving the four pots to the mini freed up a 10-inch basket. I decided to plant Supertunia Priscilla in it. Priscilla has not done well in the 16-inch basket at the house with Hoopla Vivid Orchid, but has been OK in the 6-inch pot in the greenhouse, and it was the only alternative. The only other Supertunia clone available was a Really Red that isn't very far along. Priscilla is in the blue pot at upper right in this view facing east, looking over the tall tomato plants. The strawberry baskets are off in the distance at left in their new location.

From the opposite window, facing west, there's an obvious size discrepancy between the Priscilla and the Bubblegum planted in the matching blue basket.

The two small blue baskets might end up at the house someday. I have hooks on the front porch, but the light there probably isn't enough to keep them there full time. I have similar green baskets that current hold sedums (visible in the photos above), but eventually I might turn those baskets over to tunias or bachelor buttons.

I need to trim the six big baskets at the house. The Blue Vein on the front porch in particular is long and lopsided. The other front porch basket is the Hoopla/Priscilla combo, and the Hoopla portion only needs a light trim. In the back, the Bubblegum/Jazzberry is most in need of a trim, followed by Honey. The Latte/Really Red needs a light trim at most, and the Royal Velvet look OK and might not need a cut. I stuck a Blue Vein clone into the Royal Velvet basket, and that single stalk is hanging down much further than the rest of the basket and will get a trim.

And finally, an image of a sage leaf. I water inside the greenhouse by hand when we are in town, but I have irrigation set up outside. I use misting nozzles because the water pressure isn't sufficient to get water to the end of the line with dripping nozzles.