Here are a couple of photos of my compositions for full sun. Aside from the Pelargonium cultivars these plants are all derived from North American species. These Medallion Flower are doing quite well. I've had mixed results with these. I think they like warm moist sites. This is the first year I've had the 'Evolution' Salvia, I usually get 'Victoria'. They are doing well and I would not hesitate using them in the future. This is the second year for 'Profusion' Zinnias. These are great for pots low growing and dense, a great 'filler' plant.
Here are more Zinnia 'Profusion' with Salvia splendens cultivars and Salvia farinacea ‘Evolution’ backed up by Pelargonium 'Merlot' |
Being in full sun these plants are in need of regular watering. While there is a spigot nearby, we really did not want to deal with a heavy garden hose. When we saw one of those light-weight expanding hoses in the store (as seen on TV) we thought it would be perfect. At 50 feet it could reach from one end of the deck to the other with room to spare and its light weight would make it easier to maneuver and store.
The first few times we used it were OK, just a little leaky, but what the hey. However, by the fifth time out the hose was hemorrhaging water at the nozzle end fitting. I just waved the leaking nozzle end over the plants to water them.
Water is no longer coming out of the end of the hose. The inner rubber hose broke free of the nozzle. |
The inner hose expands like a water balloon |
At this point I should have found the receipt and took it back to the store, but I really wanted to find out if I could fix it. My opportunity came when the inner hose totally separated from the nozzle. Now something had to be done! I cut off the end or the hose to reveal a super stretchy rubber tubing about 1/2" in diameter. This expands like a balloon under pressure and is kept in check by the nylon mesh outer hose. The problem was that the original attachment to the male fitting was not done well. Since I had some repair fittings for a 1/2" hose I thought I would give that a go.
My first attempt with the repair kit worked, so I got a male coupling from the store, 'slipped' it on and thought I was all set. On closer examination of the on/off fitting supplied with the expandable hose, I found that it was leaking in two locations. Not just at the valve, but also at what appeared to be a stress crack in the body of the fitting. This was troubling but not entirely unmanageable.
Note the two spots where the on/off valve is leaking. |
What turned out to be the killer was the catastrophic failure of the hose that occurred while I was taking the the photo of this fitting. The nylon outer hose gave way allowing the inner balloon hose to burst.
Since I had the coupling kit on hand, rather than tossing out the hose, I chose to repair it one last time. Now I am just using it to water the pots without putting any pressure on the hose (i.e. no nozzles or on/off valves). I may have been partly to blame for this last failure, since the hose was not allowed to expand freely under pressure. While I love the concept of this hose, mine was not particularly well made. I will continue to use this one without putting pressure on it.
If you have one of these that has failed, it may be repairable. If you don't have one, proceed with caution, there is more than one brand of this type of hose available.