Planters on my wee balcony!

Although a dear friend in Edinburgh had an allotment, I never had the time to get out to help her garden like I wanted to. (Miss you, Connie!) So, it is an absolute thrill to have plants right outside my door once more - on our wee balcony!
     Stan and I went to two garden centers over the weekend - Wilson's Nursery and The Farmers Exchange. Both were literally five minutes from our flat - so nice! And how nice to be surrounded by plants again! I recognized so many that I used to have in my yards in Atlanta and Chattanooga—where I was a certified Master Gardener if you can believe it. So, being surrounded by all those lovely plants is like visiting old friends... friends who smell wonderful and feed my soul. I couldn't stop grinning!
     You may recall my post about Karen Stock's butterflies? Well, I want to see if I can attract a few or create a stop-over on the Butterfly Highway for the Monarchs and Swallowtails on my balcony. Oh, and provide herbs for my hubby's awesome cooking. So, to begin our little urban garden, we purchased two planters, some soil, and butterfly/hummingbird-friendly plants.      Stan caught me at work with my fingers in the dirt. :)
     I was all smiles as I planted: coleus, creeping thyme, butterfly weed, lavendar (a gift from Karen), echinacea, oregano, and celosia in the left planter. And celosia, pink milkweed (for the Monarchs - I hope that's the right one), creeping rosemary, oregano, rainbow chard, basil, and phlox in the planter on the right.      I also planted curly-leaf parsley seeds for the Swallowtail butterflies. (It will come up quickly, I'm sure!)
     And TA-DA! I have a garden in my life once more - how exciting!
JOY!