Why I Oughta...

I'm not drawn (normally) to pinks in the garden.  Or reds.  But, blues and purples?  They seem to jump off the nursery table when I see them.  At least, recently.    See the photo at the top of this post?  Little purple flowers on a trailing habit annual?  Yes, please.    That is Verbena x Lascar 'Black Velvet'.  And, I bought three of them.  What are they?  From this listing on Magic Valley Gardens : Verbena ‘Lascar™ Black Velvet’ adds rich, velvety drama to your garden with clusters of deep magenta-purple blooms that stand out beautifully against bright green foliage. This early-flowering variety features a mounded to trailing habit, making it perfect for mixed containers, hanging baskets, and sunny borders. With medium vigor and excellent weather tolerance, it delivers consistent color throughout the season. A favorite for gardeners seeking bold color and reliable, low-maintenance performance in summer plantings. Flower...

Editor's Note: While this post is going up in mid-July, the first photo showing this blue bloom in our garden are from mid-June.  I wanted to get this into the [garden diary] before I forgot about it.    Last year, we bought and planted a single ground cover plant from Northwind Perennial Farm in Wisconsin that has blue blooms called Campanula Poscharskyana or Blue Waterfall .   I stuck it into the little understory garden behind the River Birch clump and amongst some other Roy Diblik-sold plants.   Northwind calls this Campanula 'vigorous' and after one season, I'd say that's true. Below is a photo showing this groundcover in mid-June 2023 in what I'd consider full-bloom. As you can see, it is spreading out in every direction with blue/purple-lined runners.  And has a cluster of green foliage in the center that is taller than those runners.  We don't have a ton of flowers in our garden, so having this in bloom is nice in this section....