undead pentas & other stuff

So, I got home from work today to discover that ALL of my pentas were droopy, including the ones that I planted last (in larger and better fertilized holes). I was both sad and embarrassed that my first attempt at flowerbeds was failing so miserably. I was also confused that it was just the pentas having a problem. I was told by someone at the Home Depot that these things were hardy, which is part of the reason I chose them in the first place.

Since they didn't look completely dead yet, I figured I'd give them one more day to take root before I cut my losses and replaced them with petunias or whatever. In expanding all of their holes and backfilling with potting soil, I was surprised at how DRY they were. I had watered right after planting, and after mulching. So I replanted, gave them all a good blast with the hose, and re-mulched around them. All before I even changed out of my work clothes. :)

Now, three hours later, I'm happy to report that 7 of the 8 pentas are standing perfectly upright and blooming again! The one that was droopy this morning is still looking a little rough, but I think it's also going to make a full recovery. Yay!

So, for my fellow black thumbs out there, a couple tips for planting flowers*:

1. When your flowerbeds consist of 2 inches of topsoil over several feet of clay, dig big holes and use lots of potting soil.
2. Unless you're planting cacti or Mexican heather (which is damned near indestructible, in my experience), don't be shy with the hose. Also, pentas apparently need more water than begonias and those mystery flowers I planted (though one of those was looking sort of droopy this afternoon, too).

If this flowerbed thing works out, I'm considering trying a container garden on the back porch. Or at least some tomatoes...I'm having trouble finding a good farmer's market around here, and I love me some fresh tomatoes.

In other news, my weight's been hovering around 202 this week. To say that I'm discouraged by this would be a massive understatement. I really need to just stay away from the scale until weigh-in morning, I think. Less stress for us all.

I also need to get around to posting about the new incentive plan that I'm using. I've decided not to call it a challenge, since I have a bad history with challenges, and I'm not really challenging myself to anything, besides. I'm just paying myself for weight loss, and once I have enough money saved to buy the drivetrain components for my new bike, the challenge is over. I've engineered the plan so that I'll have the money once I'm 30 lbs. lighter, which I'm hoping to hit by the end of this year. Or at least by next year's racing season.

But that's a whole 'nother post, one that I've been trying to write for days and days and can't quite work up the courage to put in writing. So let's just do a quick summary of the new not-challenge: basically, I'm just paying myself $25/lb to lose weight. This unusually-high payout is designed so I can build my new bike in a reasonable timeframe (like, before I'm eligible for the senior discount at Denny's). It also means that I'm only rewarding new losses, not the same 3 lbs over and over again like I did in the MS150 challenge. :) There are no other rules, really...I'm still trying to stay within my Sparkpeople calorie range, do 2 spin classes/week, at least one club ride, and I'm bringing workout clothes to the office with me so I can walk the track. I haven't actually made it onto the track at all yet, but I'm sure repaving the road to hell with my intentions. :) I've also got a book on my shelf that I've been trying to find time to review, which hopefully will fit nicely into my plan once I'm ready to add strength training back into the mix.

Right now, though, I'm just hoping that I won't have to subtract from my component fund this week. That scale number needs to drop below 200 again...quick, fast, and in a hurry.

*Anecdotal evidence based on two days' gardening experience, your mileage may vary. Probably will vary.