Room and Board Not Included

With the backyard wedding fast approaching (under a month and a half---eep!) I’m up to my elbows in flowers. I have 92 white petunias from DeGoede’s, along with 128 white geraniums, 158 strawberry pink “Million Bells” (Calibrachoa) that have a darker pink “eye”, and 12 blush-colored ones who are veined with a darker pink, plus two terra cotta colored ones because they were pretty...

These flowers provide the bones of the color scheme and went well with the 128 rose pink geraniums that I bought the following week because DeGoede’s had an excellent sale and who could pass up such a smokin’ deal?

Variegated white alyssum

Along with a plethora of decorative grasses provide by a friend, there are all the filler/companion plants I purchased to round out the look; white euphorbia that looks like fireworks in a planter, white alyssum with beautiful variegated greenery, chartreuse potato vine for interest. Also a box full of African daisies in a variety of colors, snapdragons, Dusty Miller for a touch of silver, some petunias in contrasting shades of pink---and peach---and terra cotta ---and---let’s just say I have enough plants to fill my planters...including the three new (empty) hanging baskets I bought. Also the two I bought yesterday...

And yet, somehow, I find myself at every nursery in the county, buying yet more flowers. The wedding provides the world’s best justification. Oh look, a rose bush!

As I type this there may even be a couple of plants sitting in my car, waiting to be added to the new empty pots I might have also purchased...Does the Betty Ford Clinic have a program devoted to flower addiction I wonder?

And like all good addicts considering going cold turkey I’m looking for loopholes---would flower seeds count? Could I swear off plant purchases and just grow my own?

I’m Sue, and I’m addicted to flowers.