ordering fireworks by postiplug

Having spotted my first greenfly infestations of any significance I was considering repeating my ladybirds by post experiment of last year (though hopefully less clumsily). But with the first few adults emerging from the broken stems and tattered leaves of last year (to be greeted by me pointing at them and yelling LADYBIRD! like an idiot) I think I'll give it a few weeks at least. With such an awesomely mild winter, there should be masses of survivors from last year.

Cue a catalogue from a certain major plant provider reminding me that other things are available by post; floral fireworks. Last year a mix-up or variety failure (I forget) saw me receiving a profuse apology and a set of random new-variety fuchsias for an order I'd made in the depths of winter and promptly forgotten all about. They weren't the sort of thing I'd normally order but they were screaming bright fun. Maybe I should try that again? There's lots of wildly lurid options to choose from.

• Phlox Pop Stars Mixed - Starry pinks, reds, magentas, whites and purples. Not normally my thing, but I'm enjoying the Honesty I have coming up all over this spring, and this is just a few steps further. Though there is apparently a risk that they'll being the X Factor to my borders. Hmmm...
• Salpiglossis Royale Mixed - not a flower I've tried before, although the purple, yellow, orange and burgundy makes it a shoo-in for my usual colour-schemes. It wants full sun but is that more of a want or a need?
• Petunia Orange Punch and Peach Sundae counter the fussiness of petunias with blinging bright coral and orange shades. There's also a Terracotta Kabloom Calibrachoa through that link; nothing subtle here.
• Trailing Begonias - Glowing Embers, Inferno and Northern Lights Scarlet all look ready to set shady spaces on fire and I'm having good returns from Begonias at the moment, particularly one corm, now the size of a saucer and returning almost fluorescently bright flowers almost as big.
• Then there are the Fuchsias (although I did overwinter last year's in the greenhouse, and have at least two survivors) but Royal Mosaic looks cheerfully unsubtle and Pink Elephant is somehow just there, looking like a challenge, even though I'm not keen on ginormous pink frills as a general rule...
• Trailing Snapdragons (in blazing red, magenta, yellow and orange shades) would actually work rather well tumbling over my walls; and they'll also set seed which comes true, which is a plus and a half... snappies are big seed producers.
• It'll be with me for years, so lovely and outrageously vivid red Alstroemeria Rock'n'Roll is probably better bought as a decent-sized plant in flower than postplugging it, but it's nice to note that I... oh, can't - it's sold out already. Hot fireworks!!!

But enough of this fantasy gardening. I have seedlings coming on (Cosmos in volcano shades, more fancy Snapdragons, some Echinacea) and do I really need any more?

Probably not.