I have given up on waiting for our weather to match the current season and have started filling up containers. So far, I have "refilled" plastic pots to be hung on deck railing, traditional wooden window boxes, fiber-lined hanging baskets, and those half barrels offered at hardware stores this time of year.

Geraniums have taken up residence in most of the containers – standard, variegated leaf, and the hardier, trailing ivy leaf – no Martha Washington yet.

Other mainstays are lobelia, dwarf marigold, alyssum, and dusty miller. I've also added bacopa (a small-flowered trailer), lotus vine (lovely, long, spiky, silver foliaged) and heliotrope (old fashioned comeback and very fragrant).

I can't resist adding herbs just for their foliage. Silver thyme and tricolor sage made it in this round. Clumping ornamental grasses are also a good addition, but don't use a "sharp-bladed" grass in a windy area because they tend to whirl around like a weedeater and damage other plants in the container.

Starting with a good, organic potting soil, I add those water absorbing crystals which cut watering needs in half. For those who object to the aroma of organic fertilizers, I add pelletized, slow release fertilizer. For the rest of us, I use an organic (naturally slow release) fertilizer.

Choosing plants for similar sun requirements, diverse foliage, and varying heights or growth habits, I usually move them around in the container (still in the nursery pots) until they look just right before planting. Gently loosen compacted roots and firm the soil around each plant, putting them into the soil at the same level as potted. An initial watering of cool to lukewarm water seems to help reduce the shock of being transplanted.

Placed in a wind protected spot, soil kept moist but not soggy, these pots should bloom into October.