In the Garden

I have many different gardens here at Perfect.  Vegetable, butterfly, shade, sunshine, white and blue–to name a few.  And lots of blooming pots.  But my very favorite plants are those that I get for free!  Yippee!  Those that people give me or I root from existing ones.

My neighbor Mary Jane has probably given me more plants than anyone else.  And I usually can’t remember their names although she does tell me what they are.

Mary Jane’s husband dug these plants up by the side of the road decades ago.  They are invasive so I keep them in the garden where I keep those kind of plants. They are sweet and only last a short while.

She also gave me these lilies a few years ago and they bloomed for the first time this year.  Probably took them a little longer than usual because I had to move them around!  They just didn’t like all that direct sun in the first place I put them.  They are very happy now.  Pretty, pretty, pretty!

Several years ago Mary Jane gave me a “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” plant.  And I preceded to kill it. I thought it didn’t like the sun so I moved it to the shade and then it didn’t like that so it had to go to another spot.  Mary Jane gave me another and told me to quit moving it around–they don’t like that.  So finally, I stuck it in my shade garden and this spring it bloomed for a moment.

Two friends in Katy, Texas give me plumerias. And Mary Jane also gave me two.  All you need is a limb off of a plumeria.  Put it in a pot of soil, keep it watered and you’ll eventually have a plumeria. Several of mine are so big now I had to take them out of the pots and plant them in the ground.  They are tropical plants so it we get a freeze they are goners. That’s why I keep some smaller ones in pots to replace if necessary.

We had such a mild winter this year that the large plumerias started leafing out in February but then we had a really cold spring that knocked them back.  Last year they bloomed in May but now they only have leaves on them.  The largest and oldest one is just getting buds.

Considered an invasive plant, the spiderwort grows along the road and in fields.  I love it.  My first spiderwort just showed up in my shade garden bed one day and now I have a whole bunch of them.  Yvonne also gave me several that I planted in another area and they are slowly multiplying. Have I mentioned a hundred times that blue is my favorite color?

Yvonne also gave me a night blooming jasmine.  It doesn’t have big blooms but the smell is exquisite when I’m taking Maggie out for her bedtime walk.  And Yvonne gave me Carolina Bluebells which were doing great and then just DIED!  I didn’t do it.  Really.  So Yvonne–I need you to give me some more.

Vera gave me pagada plants.  I had seen them in back yards at Southern Woods golf course and wanted them bad. They took a few years to bloom and also will take over if you let them.  Which is okay with me.  The butterflies love them.  They are just starting to bloom but here’s what they looked like last September.

Michelle has given me several plants, too.  One is a lily that refuses to bloom.  She’s also given me a few succulents–that the squirrels absolutely adore.  Nibble Nibble Nibble.  And just as a gift that she thought I’d like she bought me a shooting star hydrangea which is gorgeous.  Yes, I do like it. A lot.

My neighbor Sue just asked me to watch her potted plants while she’s gone for a few months.  One is a huge pot of succulents. No squirrels–you may not munch on it. I’m keeping it in the screen room.  And I think I’ll be stealing some of those to start my own.  Never give up!

I received a big pot of beautiful plants when my dad died. While lovely, I couldn’t have indoor plants at the time because I was traveling too much. So in desperation, I stuck them in one of my flower beds. Many years later, the peace lilies have taken over. Another beautiful spot!

Next week, I’ll show you how to start plants from ones you already have!