The word for the day is “containers.”

As in, I spent a pleasant chunk of Sunday padding about my neighborhood nursery, then coming home with my treasures and filling 11 containers. There are five devoted to tomatoes and cucumbers, as the dread I felt at properly preparing the garden was replaced by inspiration. There is a small one seeded with “cat grass,” with results to be reported later. There is a toy wheelbarrow with two varieties of hens and chicks, which my grandfather used to grow in milk crates.

Then there are the color-themed pots. One is purple (of course). One was built around a fabulous yellow and pink iris, and of course I do not have the tag handy to report the variety.

The other two I had a semi vision for, having picked up a couple of deep red Asiatic lilies the day before. I found a couple of deep red clustered flowers that spring horizontally, and thought I was done.

Then, near the end of my looping path through the outdoor display, I saw them: black vinca. I looked more closely; surely just a dark purple? Probably, but even after up close and personal time with them, they look black. So cool.<P>

<em>This post originally appeared on <a title=”Midland Daily News” href=”http://www.ourmidland.com/”>ourMidland.com</a&gt;, the online home of the Midland (MI) Daily News. Republished with permission.</em>