Limes, Clearance, the Lottery, and Zombies

Clearance Impatiens

This morning was a catch-up with people day, but the afternoon was planting and gardening time.  I try to stay pretty acclimated to the outside temperature so that working in the garden and at my outdoor job won't be too bad.

This morning I went jogging (hot but not too bad).  I still haven't turned on my air-conditioning but I may have to any day.  I am getting by now because the humidity is still really low.  I have never made it much beyond July 1st and I think this year won't be an exception.  We will see.

These plants are Lowe's clearance items that I bought for my deck.  I love to sit on my deck in the morning.  I drink my coffee, read the ESV on my Kindle, and line-out my day.  It is especially nice when I have lots of green leaves and

Clearance Pink Geraniums

beautiful blooms around me.  So, I made myself wait until I found some good things on clearance.  It seems that Lowe's stuff has been
really overpriced this year.  Maybe it is just my
frugal inclination, but even their clearance
prices weren't THAT great.  The impatiens
were $.75. the geraniums were $2.50, and I
bought four Kimberly Queen ferns at $3 each. I am experienced with all these plants and know that with some shade, water, and fertilizer they will turn into magnificent plants before the summer is over. 

That is my frugalista advice.   Buy clearance plants only if you are familiar with them and know that you can bring them back and can tell that they are relatively healthy.

 

Mail Order Lime Tree

Most of the clearance items are just casualties of life in a small plastic pot.  They need to be watered or fertilized or put in the shade a little more.  The  impatiens are getting a little tall and need to be cut back and fertilized or put into a bigger container and cut back a little and fertilized.  See a trend here?  The only crime of the geraniums was that they were overpriced and had dead blooms on them that needed to be cut back.  With some fertilizer and water they will do just fine.  Same thing with the ferns.  They were allowed to dry out too much and they look a little ragged.  They will grow into really stunning ferns with regular water.  My deck has light to medium shade and it is the perfect spot for these plants.  If you don't know plants get a friend who does to help you pick out some appropriate plants, water them well, fertilize them lightly but often and stand back.  You will be rewarded.  Your saved from the dumpster plants will flourish.

The last rather odd looking plant is part of a mail order shipment that I came home to find stuffed in my mail box.  It is a dwarf lime tree.  It looks a little spindly, but I think it will do well.  I have been improving with citrus plants and I really like lime and lime peel.  Limes don't have seeds like lemons and oranges and grapefruit, so I can't start one from seed and I don't have any cuttings.

They come in their own tiny little pots and I will put it into a larger pot with lots of compost and good soil and dream about little limes in my future.  They make pretty good houseplants and when we build our new greenhouse it should be a nice size bush.  I guess I shouldn't count my limes before they hatch, but I would rather buy a $5 lime and gamble on my skill than spend that fiver on a lottery ticket.  Unless I won of course!  DIY; it is green and it smells like lime! If the zombie apocalypse comes, maybe I can have a margarita.  Wait, I don't know how to make tequila! I guess I'll have limeade instead.