This Week in Window Boxes

When I was out on the sidewalk this weekend tending to my stuff, I had the occasion to look up a few times at my window boxes. They still look very nice. The young people would even say that they're "boss" or "rad." Yes, they're certainly beautiful and durable. Let's have a look:




OK, so maybe the red flax is turning into grain, but the middle and left boxes are still blooming with a vengeance. This year's return has been very, very good. They'll keep blooming till October when God will kill them with His change of seasons. They should remain quite beautiful until then.

This Week in Window Boxes

During one of my many idle moments during yesterday's portion of the sidewalk sale, I glanced up and saw this sight:

Yes, it's very nice to have window boxes in the month of August. Maybe it's the angle of the sun or maybe it's just the low-res of the camera, but the godetias (in the center and left in the picture) seem to be glowing. That's pretty neat.

This Week in Window Boxes

What a week it's been: summer, heat, a parade, I had wine with somebody excellent in West Seattle, various other things and window boxes. Have a look at the fantasticalness:

And now each box individually:



This is really bringing me joy. I think this year's same-old same-old choice was a good one. Maybe next year I'll grow Profusion Zinnias, but at present, I'm very happy with how things are here.

This Week in Window Boxes

Just take a gander. The trio:

And each box:



All three in bloom, what else can I say? It's really nice to help make Belltown just a little less ugly.

One Week Later

I took this picture last weekend. My godetias were ready to bloom, sing their song, dance their dance, slam their poetry, etc. Observe:

Yes, they're vibrantly green and all that, but just have a gander at what they look like today:

That's right, they're in bloom. This is a momentous event. It's funny, though, because every year I plant the same thing. Time has proven this the best combination. My early years at the Rivoli were punctuated by very unwise window box choices. The tie for worst of all would be between the nasturtiums (they attracted aphids by the millions) and cosmos (they grew so big and dense that I couldn't see outside). So every year I plant the same thing, yet it's always amazing when they start blooming. I can't explain it, but it's a fine feeling. No, it's not like parenthood; plants don't need socks and educations and emotional support. I guess it's just very nice to see nature work. Yes, I'm not a fan of nature in general (I'm pretty sure that nature is always trying to kill us), but this little subset is really satisfying. Of course, it's always too bad when these plants die in the fall, but for now, I'm very happy to have them. And as with my life right now, it's best not to think about the future.

So I'll spare you the "This Week in Window Boxes" entry and instead feature them in another week. By that time, everything will be in bloom.

This Week in Window Boxes

Two are ready to pop and the third is becoming grain:

A handsome ensemble. And now each one individually:



You can see a rogue pink bloom off to the right on the center box. See it? That's probably because my all-godetia mix had some very non-godetian seeds in it, but no matter. Everything seems to be doing well. The big news is that the godetias are going to bloom any day, which is pretty early for them. They usually pop late in the month or in early August and keep going till October. So yes, I am expecting beautiful things. And speaking of that, the red flax box is on its last stage of flowers. Here are some of them:



And those are the window boxes this week.

This Week in Window Boxes

Let's take a look:

Yes, splendid. And now the close-ups:



As you can see, there's been a lot of growth over the last week. Congratulations to the plants! All I do is water them and shoo away the occasional crow that perches nearby - I don't want them getting any ideas. I'm also really glad that the red flax is still blooming. Here's an extended peek:





You know, even though the flowers are all the same color and approximate size, I like them a lot. They're simple and beautiful. And even though some of them are a little old (for flowers), age and beauty are not mutually exclusive.

This Week in Window Boxes

Except for today, it's been another week of sunniness - and by the way, 2nd & Blanchard sure smells funky at present. I'm not sure what or why it is, but it's like somebody poured vinegar over a dog who badly needed a bath and then set him on fire. That's the smell. But I digress. You'll notice that this week's window boxes are much fuller than last week's offering. Observe:

Yes, a nice group photo for sure, but I know you want the close-ups. Here goes:



With the red flax (the one that's different from the other two), maybe you can see it, maybe you can't, but they're in bloom. Yeah, for a grain they're very pretty. I took lots of photos yesterday:





Are you sick of seeing photos of red flax flowers yet? Of course you aren't! Here are more:




These flowers are very clever; they fold up at night! Isn't that cool? I really hope that they keep blooming until God kills them, but I'm afraid that they're just going to be grain for the rest of the summer. If that happens, though, I'll feel like a farmer. I can go to the nearest feed store and talk about my "crop." I'm sure I won't sound like a dumbass or anything.

This Week in Window Boxes

So I go away, don't water these guys for like five days, come back and all three boxes are absolutely jungular (containing traits or attributes of a jungle; I just made that word up!). Observe:

Just look at that! Growing things is fun! But I know how you people roll, so I'll give you the close-ups that you crave:



The godetias still have another month and a half of explosive growth before they bloom. The lobelias are already blooming and will continue to do so until God kills them. With the red flax (the box unlike the other two), who the hell knows? I've never grown it before. It might sprout legs and take over city hall for all I know. Let's hope it does.

Oh, and apologies for my filthy windows. It is beyond my control, since the Rivoli seldom hires guys for that task. They're more into getting guys to work on the antiquated plumbing. That's slightly more important than having a clear view to the outside world.

This Week in Window Boxes

Here's the view from the street:

OK, so the red flax is over there on the right and the middle and left boxes contain the godetia-lobelia combo. They're about twice as big as last week, owing to the scorching temperatures around here. And so they keep growing. As long as they don't just up and die, I'm very happy.

This Week in Window Boxes

You will see a great difference over last week's comparative puniness. Witness:



It has been such a productive week that I'll start taking shots from the street for the next installment. I am very pleased with how they're doing so far. Usually when I reach that point, something drastic happens; half the plants in one box die off for some unknown reason or something similar. So I'm going to modify my outlook to "guardedly pleased." That oughta keep those plants alive for a while.