Flower Powered - Part Deux

Sweet Chloe loves flowers - circa 2012

Hunter recently mentioned something in conversation that reminded me of the incredible flower tower I fell in love with, last July.
We'd had such a (link) fantastic day together. I'm pretty sure he triggered this morning's thought - the one that put me and Joe in Home Depot at ten a.m., in pursuit of the makings for its version of the bloomin' beast. You can find many vids on YouTube with instructions; just Google "Home Depot Flower Tower" and take your pick.

Now, don't get me wrong - 
I love HD. But I'm not fond of some of its policies. Salespeople tout this project, but offer the components in bulk only. Ridiculous. We substituted two tomato cages at a couple dollars apiece and stacked, spaced and wired them, in lieu of the pricey roll of wire that we needed only a few feet of. (Thank you, Marty Miller!) Same with the wrapping fabric. Joe had some black plastic from another project; it worked just fine, with a little help from black tape, also on hand. Still, by the time we bought potting soil, vermiculite and plants, plants, plants... not cheap. Another trick from our combined efforts was to put a few very large rocks in the base to (1) stabilize the whole shebang and
(2) fill 'er up with less dirt.

Long story short, we think it turned out great. Of course, the true test will be in the growing. Petunias are tough - lots of deadheading lies in my future. But with the help of my Bose and an iPod full of my favorite rock stars' inspirational lyrics, I'll just do it!

While we were in the pool gardens, two magnificent swallowtails made their presence known. There's no longer a need for my home-made gizmo, a few entries down. We're a-bloomin' big-time... clearly flower powered. Thing is, I need to educate myself before I venture to say exactly which species these yellows are.

A gorgeous day. Giving thanks.