Comeback

I’m amazed at how well last year’s petunias are doing! I had cut them back to a bug-bitten nub and would normally have pulled the dead, brown crown out by now. But these, thanks in part to a mild winter, have come back strong and healthy--maybe even better than when I bought them (larger leaves, better branching). While the mild winter definitely benefited my garden in allowing several plants another round, the bugs may, unhappily, have a greater comeback as well. Some “visitor” has already been dining on the fuchsia delicacy of a petunia flower. I’m also hoping that a sweltering summer won’t wear down the plants—and us! Now that I’ve traveled and met an art deadline, I can concentrate on putting together this year’s garden. Today I’ll begin taking the wintered-over plants out so I can design the layout for sun needs, height and color flow.