My Accidental Garden

My gardening style is pretty simple. Plant it and if it lives it can stay. If it dies, it wasn't meant to be there. When I lived in Florida I had one section of the yard that was more reminiscent of a dust bowl, than the garden of Eden. I finally pulled out the sparse grass, put in a walkway, and planted a few hardy bushes that would grow anywhere. During the Christmas season our house was decorated with poinsettias. As spring rolled around I would take the poinsettias outside and stick the potted plants along the fence in the 'dust bowl' garden. Three months later I would plant any that were still alive. The hardier ones made it. The weak ones didn't. My style of gardening.

Here in Pennsylvania it's been a little different, but as I've related before, gardens and planning are two words that don't really work well for me. Most of my landscaping was not the original plan I had in mind, but consists of the 'substitutions' the landscaper assured me would work better. He was right. I am very happy with his choices!

At the edge of our yard is a ravine that was partially created by the developer. It is steep and was bare when we moved in. Now it is covered with wildflowers and renegade trees. I wanted to create a barrier garden to separate the 'weeds' from the grass.  I marked off the garden, killed the grass, and covered it with mulch. I planted a few daylilies with plans to divide and plant more in other areas. I transplanted some cone flowers and Queen Anne's Lace from a neighbor's yard. One day I saw some zinnia seedlings and thought they might be a pretty addition. Before I had a chance to plant them I discovered something was eating my plants. The cone flowers were nubs cut off at ground level. The Queen Anne's lace wasn't much better.

Hmmm. Not a good place to plant tender zinnias. I decided to plant them around the corner of our patio. I've never had zinnias before so I wasn't sure what to expect.

They liked the location. And I love zinnias! ( Ah yes. You will notice a morning glory also was planted there. Probably not a smart move since I routinely have to rescue one of my zinnia plants from the sneaky, or should I say snaky, tendrils of the morning glory. But we are all working it out. Live and learn!)

It is now late summer. Who am I kidding? Fall starts this weekend! As I sit on the patio reading, my zinnias bloom in a bouquet of many colors. The garden fountain gurgles in the background. Ageratum, a rose bush and ornamental grass frame out the space. None of it was planned. It all just happened over a space of a few years. It's my kind of garden.

It has become a peaceful refuge for us. Maggie lays in the grass, soaking up the sun. I enjoy the birds, the water, and the summer colors that linger into fall.

And the zinnias? They'll be back next year! My favorite accident.

My Favorite Hydrangea

Where we lived in Florida I don't remember seeing many hydrangeas, but they are a staple in landscaping in the northeast. When we landscaped this place I had a few rules. 1) No hedges, 2) nothing that had to be shaped. I like gardening, but you could call me a lazy gardener. I don't need to fiddle with stuff. I want things that grow naturally.

Before we landscaped I used the first year to take note of things like seasonal change and winter looks. By the time we were ready to plant our shrubbery I knew what I wanted. And as all good planning goes, probably 50 percent of the shrubs I selected were changed after the landscaper said "you won't like it". Humph! Well, he was right. One bush would grow too slowly and take 20 years to give me the look I wanted, while another shrub would overgrow the area and dwarf the first one. So changes were made.

When it came to my hydrangea I knew just which one I wanted. It was a pretty one that would get nice white snowballs in the summer and would flank our front door. Well, I didn't get it. My landscaper showed up on planting day with a different one. "When I went to the nursery this morning the one you wanted didn't look good, but you're going to love this one."


I was a little disappointed, but I listened as he told me why I was going to 'love this one'. It is 4 years later. My landscaping has grown in just as I had imagined it. The perennials and annuals that I've put in are adding their charm and he was right. I love my hydrangea.

In the spring the leaves come in supplying the new green. In early summer it develops delicate cones of tiny white buds which open into still delicate petals.

As the summer months move on the white petals become streaked with little pink lines.

As fall nears, the barely pink flower turns to deep rose.

The snowball hydrangeas are over, but my hydrangea still graces my front door and adds a changing klaidescope of color.

Come winter when all the leaves have fallen off the flower will have dried to a pale tan. They make a lovely bouquet and will grace my foyer all winter long.

It would appear sometimes I don't always know best. Hmmm.

PS. I can no longer remember the name of my hydrangea, but I believe it is a "Panicled hydrangea" because of the cone shaped flower. If anyone can tell me what the actual name is please do! It would be nice to know.