It's summer and I don't have a thing to wear...

My spring pansies are a fried up sad mess on my balcony. I'm embarrassed to call myself a professional gardener. And yes, pansies for all you plant snobs. I know they're boring old lady plants, but old lady plants make me happy as do their little yellow faces bobbing in the rain-plus they're cheap and the only thing that blooms in that spot in February and March that's not a bulb.

Part of the reason I've waited so long to plant my summer annuals is because it's such a pain in butt working on the balcony. It's too small to actually work on-besides, I'm not really supposed to be putting my weight onto it. Everytime I'm out there I imagine my clay pots and my body plummeting into the courtyard like a scene out of a gothic romance novel.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I think I'm really in yellow this year and as usual I'm into cheap this year so it might be those big fat zinnias and probably some petunias so that they can fill in and cascade down through the wrought iron. I've had a fantasy for the last two years of doing only one color-it would look pretty cool and stunning from across the street but whenever I get to the nursery I abandon my sophisticated approach and end up with pinks, oranges, reds, etc. I just can't help it, I'm an old-fashioned midwest girl at heart.

So, my big plan? Decide at the nursery. I always do with annuals. Making do with what the nursery has in stock is fun and challenging and if I can get all my plants on sale I'm on cloud nine. You'd be surprised how creative you can be with limited options and for you indecisive nit pickers out there having only a few choices will make your life much easier.