Hot and sultry. No, not me silly … the weather the past few days has been pretty steamy out there.

Walking is not much fun when the temps are over 70 and the humidity is a gazillion percent in the early a.m.. But, I went anyway and did my four miles and then took the car for a spin to cool off with the A/C at full blast.

I saw a garden full of beautiful daisies this morning. Nothing is cheerier in a yard than a Shasta daisy plant with its bright-yellow middle and white delicate petals surrounding that sunny-looking face.  I used to have many daisies in the yard, but I lost most of them after those two recent brutal Winters. It’s too bad because I had those Shasta daisies for decades.

Gardening is a sort of trial-and-error task sometimes, especially when you are a novice. When I first started gardening in 1985, I bought some Gerbera daisies to put in planters and pots around the yard.  They were cute and perky and perfectly formed, so I scooped up several plants in various colors at Johnny’s Nursery.  All too quickly, I discovered they were extremely high maintenance.  Even in a pot, shaded by trees, the plants having been well watered before I left for work, had fainted  dead away by the time I got home around 6:00 p.m.  I hurried over to give them a big drink from the watering can.  They perked up immensely, but, the next morning when I went out to water, they were listless and sorry looking once again.  Even propping them up with skinny garden stakes AND their a.m. drink of water, they were doubled over by the end of the day, their petals kissing the dirt in the pot.  When they eventually bit the dust, that was end of Gerbera daisies at this house forever … live ones anyway.

About ten years ago, when I had more patience, and before the walking “bug” bit me, I painted a pout chair to match the house. Still enamored by those Gerbera daisies, I decided my chair needed a pot of flowers, so I “planted” silk Gerbera daisies.  They never droop or lose their petals … they look perfect 100% of the time.