July in the garden

When I first started blogging I often featured the garden, but as the years went on I wrote about it less and less and focused on house projects more. And then I pretty much stopped blogging and I didn't garden as much either. But my garden has been a place of peace and relaxation for the last year and I've become passionate about gardening once again.

So let's see what's blooming this month for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, shall we?

front bed

July in my garden means a coneflower explosion. The coneflowers dominate every border, especially the front bed, which makes this old post about how I struggled to finally grow a coneflower pretty funny. Now I'm to the point where I need to remove some to make room for other plants. 

These all came from just a few plants, which I distributed the dried seed heads throughout the garden over the years. While coneflowers aren't my all-time favorite flower, I admire their stamina. They withstand the heat, humidity and dry conditions we often have and bloom from mid-summer until frost. Not to mention that they've been a great bargain for my gardening buck!

the side bed

They're all purple/pink except two plants of White Swan coneflowers that popped up in the side bed. I plan to move those to the front this fall and plant some more white coneflowers via seed next year.

The bees and other pollinators certainly love them. There are so many buzzing the front bed that I can't even count them all.

I also have Zinnias. These were grown from seeds that I planted throughout the garden.

There are more Zinnias in pots on the deck, along with some nasturtiums and some elephant ears that I've lifted and overwintered for three years now. There are some lemon cucumbers growing on the side.

A couple of hostas are also in bloom.

I love my large elephant ears so much that I couldn't resist adding these cute little pink ones this year.

This container of lantana and calibrachoa looks great and I love how it contrasts the new garage door color. Most of my large container flowers are past their prime. Anyone have tips for keeping petunias looking good throughout the summer? 

I'm also excited about this Dwarf Queeny Hollyhock that I grew from seed. Only one of the two that survived bloomed, but I'm going to try growing more next year.

And although it's not hardy in my zone (6), these snapdragons I grew from seed and planted last year returned and I love them.

What's blooming in your garden?

A cheap and easy way to revive plastic pots

After many years of hard use, my large plastic pots were looking worse for the wear. While still perfectly functional, they were stained and discolored to the point that it distracted from the beautiful flowers they contain.

While some might have just tossed them, I hate to throw away plastic that still serves its purpose if I don't absolutely have to. The pots weren't broken or cracked, they just looked unsightly. New large pots, even plastic ones, aren't exactly cheap. 

After remembering a tip I read online about spray painting plastic pots, I decided to try it before throwing them out.

After thoroughly cleaning the pots with bleach, I used this Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch spray paint I found at my local home improvement store. This color, London Gray, looks like a gray brown and complimented the deck color while still being neutral enough to go with any color of flowers.

Pot before (right) and after (left) being cleaned and spray-painted. 

One can of spray paint covered two pots, so for a couple of hours and less than $12 total, I revived four large pots. Best of all, the pots I sprayed last year still look great, so this isn't just a short-term solution.

Nothing like a cheap and easy DIY fix!

Do you do anything to keep your pots and containers looking fresh year after year?