The Plants on My Porch

I have a ragtag bunch of plants on my back porch that I keep meaning to put in the ground. I'm not sure why I haven't gotten around to it yet, but amazingly they are still alive. Most of them -- vincas and snapdragons -- I got for next to nothing from the "sick plant rack" at either Lowe's or Home Depot last fall. They are still in their tiny plastic boxes and continue to produce beautiful flowers. The vincas are pink (two different shades) and white; the snapdragons are pinkish-salmon, deep orange and a weird shade of purple (not all colors in the same flower). All of them are overgrowing their little pots and getting root-bound. If I want them to stay alive, I really do need to get them in the ground.

Probably the largest plant is the lemon tree I've had for two or three years. It's produced beautiful, fragrant flowers and has tried to give me a few lemons, but I think the squirrels got to them first. I transplanted it from the container it came in to a huge planter I put on a rolling tray. The idea was that I'd keep it from the squirrels, but that doesn't seem to have worked. Squirrels here are pretty bold. I also wanted to be able to keep it close to the house in case we had a freeze. I'll probably put that one in the ground too. Plenty of people in my neighborhood have citrus trees that have abundant fruit on them, so maybe my little lemon tree is hardier (and more squirrel-proof) than I'm giving it credit for. It's starting to get root-bound even in the huge planter, so I need to do something else with it.

My other plant area is an old baker's rack I had in my kitchen before I moved to Florida. It's a bit weathered -- my porch isn't covered and the back yard gets lots of sun -- but I like it. I could put new plants on it and that would certainly improve its appearance. It houses several empty flower pots, along with a succulent I've had for years and never given any attention -- seriously, no watering or anything -- and my Christmas cactus, which stays alive (and has for about seven or eight years) but almost never blooms. The few times it has bloomed have been when I've been away; I've come home to the wilted petals on the floor. I just can't bring myself to throw it away. Maybe I'll replant it this year. Will new soil help? I don't know. I don't have much of a green thumb.

Despite my semi-neglected flora, I enjoy my porch. At the moment, I'm working hard not to spend money, but a few new flowering plants could spruce things up and not cost much. That sounds like a good Sunday plan.