Guilt spurred me on to start my shopping at home this spring. Yes, I’m talking about the secret stash of plants hidden behind my vegetable garden. It currently consists of a bunch of shopping errors and struggling specimens I’m nursing back to health. I know I’m not alone - raise your hand if you accumulate plants you don’t have homes for. Maybe they came from a plant sale, a crazed shopping spree or someone else’s garden. Now you’re stuck with them.
As you can see, some of mine look better than others, but as I surveyed the motley assortment, an idea crept into my head - why not give them homes in some of my containers? So I began to experiment with them.
This cast of characters below dictated the blue, gray and gold color scheme of my first experiment.
Plants from left to right: Variegated Boxwood, Salix candida ‘Silver Fox’, Deutzia gracilis ‘Creme Fraiche,’ Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ (Blue Fescue) and Spirea japonica ‘Golden Elf.’
Here’s what I bought: another Blue Fescue, two Salvia Argentea and Sedum sieoldii ‘Medio Variegatum’. All of these are perennials that can be overwintered in the containers if I decide to leave them in place. Note - any perennial or shrub you overwinter must be hardy to a zone below your area ( I’m in zone 5-6, my plants should be zone 4 or below). I couldn’t resist adding that little gold Sedum Japonicum ‘Tokyo Sun’ (at the bottom of the photo). It’s an annual in my area, but I was entranced by the foliage.
I could not resist this Salvia’s bold furry presence! Nestling the new plants in with the old made the container look fat and full, providing immediate gratification.
Here’s another composition - a rescued boxwood, several leftover Lamium ‘White Nancy’ and a Hydrangea serrata ‘Tiny Tuff Stuff’ I grew from the roots of a bigger plant.
I threw in a few purple wave petunias to give the container a little color and added another blue fescue.
Here’s a new dwarf Hydrangea, ‘Bobo’ overwintered from last year. To liven up the container, I paired it up with more lamium - how did I accumulate so much of this stuff? Oh well, as you can see it comes in handy and it’s a good spiller.
I’m on a roll now. I just plucked out a few more - a variegated buddleia (whimsical buy from last summer), a bunch of sedums and a pink daisy I can’t identify.
I still buy more plants than I need, but finding homes for the orphans feels pretty good. Not only does it alleviate guilt over my former errors, it feeds the creative spirit - not to mention saving the pocketbook!