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I had about two sleeves (Is that what those sets of containers are called? I liken them to a sleeve of cookies in the pantry. Go with what ya know, I guess!) of these flowers. I have tried Googling as best I can, but still can’t find their name. Can anyone identify them? They work great with very little upkeep. I’ll buy them in every color next year if I have to. They didn’t do so hot in last night’s rain storm, but they seem pretty resilient. (UPDATE: these guys are called Kalanchoe – thanks Juli!)
The day I was planting these was also the day that I did some light insulating work in the guest bath. Since foam sealant cans are typically one-time use only, I wanted to see how far I could stretch the rest of what I had and used it to fill a few exterior holes. One that bugs me every time I arrive home is the hole in the garage door.
I assume it’s from a knot in the wood, and I don’t have much use for filling it other than it looks like crap when the rest of the door is painted white. A little dry time and some trimming, and it’s ready for caulk and paint to touch up.
I also planted some small blue shrubs (hence the red, white and blue theme of today’s post), but these always look purple rather than blue to me. I still love the color it adds to the front (especially in front of the shrubs we planted a couple of years ago – which are doing quite well in the heat).
For the rest of the fourth, I’ll be spending the holiday indoors with Mount Laundry. Charlie and I are going to get some bonding time at the park (and more sweeping of pine straw on the roof that I’ll be more protective about), and I’m planning on going to town on some brats and a new favorite ice cream (more on that later). Happy Independence Day!
The red-flowered plant is Kalanchoe. Fleshy leaves, bell-shaped flowers, can be grown indoors or outdoors year-round where the weathe is mild. I have some on my front porch (L.A.) in the same orangey-red as yours. A cheerful plant!
@Juli Kalanchoe! Thanks so much for your help. I knew it started with “Kal” but everything Google wanted to point me to was all wrong. Updating the post now, thanks again!
Great job patching up that hole in your garage door. Coming from a guy who sells garage doors they can be spendy so anything you can do in order to prolong the life of yours is a great idea. Garage doors do however have the 2nd largest ROI when selling your house so something to keep in mind for the future!