Over the weekend, I found some holiday flower sales and figured it was a good time to brighten up the containers on my back patio. One of them in particular had really gone downhill, I suspect because it had too much water. Not that we’ve gotten a ton of rain lately, but unfortunately the downpours we did get waterlogged the one container and it just didn’t want to drain.

I didn’t realize how wet it was until I went to move it off the patio and onto the grass, where it could get full sunshine. Out jumped this little fella.

I coaxed him onto the grass and turned my attention to the pot, from which I pulled all the (oddly) soggy, yet pretty much dead petunias. I replaced them with pretty pink and purple vincas, which I read (thanks “Month-by-Month Gardening in Texas”) are a good flower during the hot part of summer. With the temperature set to hit the high 90s this coming weekend or early next week, I think that qualifies.

I just hope they survive the wind, which has been a beast the last couple days. Yes, it’s nice to have a breeze when it’s hot, but it’s not so kind to the flowers. In fact, I moved a hanging pot of purple wave petunias down to the concrete because I thought it was going to blow off the chain. The planter had been looking better since I gave it some flower food, so I hope it survives the wind.

I also found some cute Trixis to fill my other big container on the back patio. For the moment though, I’m giving the petunias in it a reprieve. They aren’t as beat up as the other container was, and the feeding seemed to help them, too. The Twinkle Star and Double Date Trixis can go elsewhere if the petunias survive.