My Red White & Blue Porch Planters

A few years back in my search for blue flowers, I came across this little blue buttercup flower that I stupidly threw out the name card at The Home Depot on Route 8 north of Pittsburgh.  It is somewhat purplish in the centers but the flower itself resembles blue.   My red, white and blue porch box was the center of my display over the summer months.

For those of you who don't know my story, I am the proud gold star mother of a navy man.  In the spring my flag comes out and flies in my garden from May until Veteran's Day in November.  I have replaced my flag many times but it is part of my summer garden display.  So the one you see above is ready for replacement but I haven't found one yet this year.

Four years ago I found the begonias that you see pictured at Giant Eagle in the Waterworks.  I bought two plants to be hung on my double plant hanger right off the middle of my deck out back.

I was so proud of my find because they were red and would compliment the white ivy geraniums that I have out back.  Well the best laid plans of men so to speak.  The two plants were so heavy that putting the first one up bowed the cast iron plant hanger.  I tried reversing the plants and hanging the ivy geraniums on the double hanger but they also bowed the hanger.  At this point I gave in and pulled the old and worn out hanger out of the ground.  It was originally bought when we moved into this house some 12 or 13 years ago and has seen it use.  I gave it to a neighbor who will use it at his summer cottage to hang hummingbird feeders.

Last year, I tried lobelia for the blue which as you can see is gorgeous in hanging planters.  I started with seeds and nothing grew.  I bought a few small plants and put them in my boxes and again they didn't make it.

I should have bought the hanging planters I saw at Home Depot and done the red in white ivy geraniums in the box planters on the railing as I had done in years past.

This year I went a different direction and I bought Fuschia hanging planters for outside my deck.  I am trying to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.  I still have the box planters but they are going to need some thought as to what to put in them this year.

I tried to winter my fuschia plants and followed the instructions but I ended up with dried up plants that broke off at the roots.  I will abandon that idea this year and just concentrate on my hibiscus that I bought to attract butterflies.  I think this year I'm going to try to do the hibiscus for the entire garden and I'm up for a Yoshima Cherry Tree like the one we planted at the Legion in my son's memory in the back yard to attract my birds.