In the Box

As I mentioned in my last post, this has been an extremely rainy spring here in Ohio.  Last weekend we had heavy rains late Saturday night.  Although the sun came out on Sunday, it was too wet to work in the garden.  I had to content myself with planting the large flower box outside of my bedroom.  

My flower beds are filled with perennials so that I do not have to plant flowers each summer.  However, I fill the flower box with showy annuals.

I planted miniature dahlias.  Did you know that the dahlia is native to Mexico and is their national flower?

I also planted calibrachoa, a plant which is related to the petunia.  It is sometimes called "million bells" because of its profusion of blossoms.  Like the petunia, it is native to South America.  However, it is named after a Mexican botanist, so I guess I have something of a Mexican theme going on in the flower box.

When I was at the nursery I could not resist this Canna lily with its striking, mottled yellow flowers.  I planted it in a large pot and set it next to the flower box.

Something I didn't know about the Canna lily...  It is one of the oldest domesticated plants in the Americas.  For thousands of years it has been cultivated by natives in Latin America for its starchy, edible root.

By July, the flower box should be a solid mass of flowers... a pretty sight to wake up to in the morning.