Well this has been the strangest spring of my lifetime, and I imagine many of you feel the exact same. I have been somewhat of an avid traveler in recent years, and after staying home since the beginning of March, I remembered that I’m a homebody.

I have especially enjoyed getting the patio and yard ready for summer this year ~ an activity that has stressed me out in the past. Spending more time at home has reminded me it’s somewhere I love to be.

Last summer, I became obsessed with rex begonia, aka painted leaf begonia, aka begonia escargot. I posted several photos in this post, and began a list of plants to use in my pots this summer. And here we are. . .

I adore the caladium with the Begonia mix!

I work with Vickie Lea Designs in Omaha, and they have been a wonderful resource to navigate through this new obsession. I originally requested a unique variety of caladium that did not work out. We ended up replacing with a heartier version, and the Rex Begonia mix has been fantastic!

Here are a few close ups of the plants. . .

I just love those begonia leaves in all the colors and patterns. Here are a few shots of the containers around the house. Other than the rex begonia and the caladium, I mostly use boxwood. The triple topiaries are so sweet this year.

The yard seems greener than ever. Perhaps it’s thanks to the nonstop rain we’ve been having.

You guys, I did not notice the heart on top of the triple topiary until I just uploaded this photo.

I needed that.

Don’t we all?

A good place to end. I have more photos to post, but will save for another day.