Bloomfield Cottage, it's a lifestyle: I love `Potted Colour`

It`s a sunny and warm late winters day and I`m playing in the garden...of course. Iv`e just been up to the local garden shop and come home with some POTTED COLOUR among other things.

My Virgo OCD nature kicks in when I see Potted Colour at the garden shops. For me, it`s like being in a candy store, - I find it hard to resist. It`s not just their beautiful fresh flowers but the fact that you get to stand with a basket and select THE BEST ONES, with the nicest colours!

It`s pansy time here in Sydney, which means winter through to mid spring, and although I usually buy mega punnets and bulk trays. I JUST CANT RESIST THE `POTTED COLOUR` !!

Im pretty anal about colour co-ord. in the garden (I like to think it`s the artist in me...) I`m always attracted to blues and mauves first, then the pinks. The hotter colours are placed ONLY in certain areas in the garden...see what I mean. I`ll even go to the lengths of pulling out a misfit that dares to pop up in the wrong colour spots. Yes, I`m brutal and anal. At least I recognise my shortcomings.

Of course it`s not just pansies that I love to buy in potted colour. I found some gorgeous petunias today - even though its a bit early for them - they like the hot summer.
You`ll pay a bit more for them, but the beauty is they must be IN FLOWER when in the garden shop, so your not just going off label pictures as you do in punnets. You can pic up a huge variety of annuals in this way - especially if you want a quick fix of colour in a pot, urn or hanger.

So many pretty flowers and colours to choose from. If you haven`t bought any potted colour before, give it a go this season. Just remember to remove some of the dead flowers and occasionally give them a liquid feed using a product for flowers and fruit - that`ll do the trick.