Burnt Toast.

I’ll be the second to admit (Ryan will be the first) that we’ve been completely burnt out from the home improvement scene over the past few weeks.  We.  Are.  Toast.

Go ahead, call us lazy, but I was sick this past week and the week before we just needed a break.   Our “To Do” list sits prominently on the fridge and been has completely ignored for a couple weeks.

Even though I was ill, I still got outside this past Sunday to plant a few more pots.  On my usual weekend trip to Lowes I came across these babies.

They’re called Vinca.  I planted them last year and they became absolutely amazing flowers in our front yard.

In a far removed section of the Lowes greenhouse there is a little area (usually in the back) where half dead plants go to die.  It is called the clearance rack.  With a stroke of luck I found these babies on that rack.  Originally sold for $5 each, I was able to score these ‘last chance’ flowers for one buck each.

Normally I don’t mess with half alive/half dead plants (depending on how full your glass is) but these Vinca really didn’t look all that bad.    Last year I  scored 12 of these on that same clearance rack and they become an absolutely beautiful part of my garden.  All they needed was a little love, water, and some Lesco 12-12-12 fertilizer.

The plan for these Vinca flowers: to inhabit the window planters on the right side of our house.  We have some great windowsills on our basement-level side windows.  I planted the same $1 clearance flowers in these planters last year and they grew to be ginormous (that’s a technical term).  I also have two more smaller pots on our back patio that were in need of some greenery.  When I pulled my planters out of the shed I was happily surprised to find they were still in tact with last years’ soil.

There are two windows on this (what I call ‘ugly’) side of the house.  My hope is these Vinca flowers will make this side of the house a little less ugly.  I gathered all my supplies on the back patio, ready to plant again….and hopefully for the last time this season.  I started by pulling out all of the dead and molded parts of each plant and was then left with just the healthy stems.

Three of the flowers I picked up were bright red-ish pink and the fourth was a light pink.  I played around with them a little bit and decided the odd man belonged in the red pot.

A little fertilizer, water, and potting soil later these babies were ready to go.  Dollar Vinca, holla!

Luckily , deer do not eat these plants.  At least that was my experience last year.  I’ve probably just jinxed myself by saying that.

And the ‘ugly side of the house’ with the planters:

I agree, these windows look pretty wimpy right now.  But remember what these half dead flowers turned into last year?!

That’s what I am aiming for….and I have absolutely no doubt they will grow out of a pumpkin and into a  princess.

Hopefully Ryan and I can muster up a little motivation in the next few days and kick it back into gear.  Time is ticking away and the To-Do list continues to grow.  I know I can’t be a perfectionist when It comes to this house, but I sure can try, can’t I?!