Balcony Makeover - Spring Has Sprung

Hello there Kittens!  And Happy Spring (admittedly, I'm a bit late with that one)!

While I'm not a spring or summer kind of girl, preferring autumn and winter's cool days and moody skies, I have accepted that sometimes you simply can't fight the inevitable arrival of spring.  The last time I tended to my balcony, I channeled the spirit of the holidays with a bunch of poinsettias.  While I had to be careful with these plants when I first got them because the temperatures dropped to the point that freezing was a real possibility, these little buggers were incredibly sturdy!  With very little effort on my part, four of the six poinsettias survived for four months and were still going strong when I decided it was finally time for my balcony to bid the last remnants of the holidays farewell.

So, I took a little trip to Home Depot after work about a week ago and picked up new flowers for my fabulous upgraded planters, another jasmine plant after my first foray into balcony gardening killed all my plants - including my amazing jasmine plant, and a few bags of potting soil.  I didn't have time to do much that afternoon, so I took out the poinsettias which were still in their original pots in the planters (which was brilliant if I do say so myself) and placed the new plants into them until I could actually replant the next afternoon.  Unfortunately, while I was at work the next day, the winds picked up and the pots shifted and changed the weight distribution, which made it possible for the winds to pick up the planter and throw it (and its contents) all over my balcony.  It looked like a tornado touched down!  As if my balcony wasn't dirty enough...

Remember when I said that I removed the poinsettias from the planters?  Well, I had just placed them on the ground until I had the chance to deal with them.  And the turbulence didn't budge them in the least.  Despite what you think, this was NOT a staged photo and I'd REALLY like an explanation as to how this is possible...

After I sat dumbfounded for a bit, dreading all the cleaning I had before me, I sucked it up and got to work.  After I repotted my six beautiful geraniums, swept up approximately three pounds of soil that was covering the ground, and Swiffered the patio for far longer than would be considered sane, even by OCD standards, I had a sparkly new patio!  And a perfect spring upgrade!

Okay, so red may not be what most people consider to be a spring color, but these geraniums are beautiful and cheery and bushy and look amazing in my shiny black planters!  (I LOVE a good theme and I'm nothing if not consistent.)

I have a good feeling about my geraniums, so perhaps this will be the last post like this for a while.  Though there could be a few new potted plants in my future...only time will tell.

Sometimes something as simple as a few new flowers can change your perspective.  You know, perhaps spring isn't so bad after all...

Maybe a little planting this weekend will do your mood some good as well.
Happy Planting, Kittens!
XOXO!!!