Thursday, May 15, 2014

Free Stuff

No, I'm not talking about Curbside Alerts on Craigslist.  I mean plants that show up in the garden without having been bought and planted. Like this beautiful allium that showed up last year.
Or this deutzia in the front border, which I transplanted to the new shrub border out back.
 Unfortunately it appears it didn't survive.  I think it died shortly after I transplanted it, and I was hoping for a miraculous resurrection.  But it's still dead.  I want to look around the neighborhood to see where this came from and maybe try to transplant another section.  I just hate it when things die on me; I take it so personally.  I didn't even know what this was and had to ask the GardenWeb shrub experts.


My neighbor's spiderwort crossed the street and hopped in my garden.  I never really liked it before, but apparently I've become really fond of all things free.  It seems really happy.

Ivy showed up.  It's growing quite rapidly now.  It's really pretty.  I love the shape.  Sorry but this is the only picture I have; it's in the upper-left corner, above the stepping stone.
I've had mint show up in a couple different places but usually pull most of it out since it's so invasive.  Then there was this beautiful large purple hyacinth.


Some catmint showed up in the front bed.  At first I thought the catmint under the mock orange had jumped the walkway, but I think this is a different kind.  It's to the right, in front of the Dutch iris.
This morning glory showed up last fall.  My neighbor had grown these a couple years ago.  It first showed up in the side garden.

Five beautiful red tulips showed up.  This showed up shortly after I moved in, in 2005.  I adopted him and named him Rudy.

Isn't he beautiful?  Looks like a Russian Blue.

5 comments:

Connie in Hartwood said...

This spring, I found a small clump of yellow crocus in my shade garden. I did not plant them. I guess they were a gift from a squirrel.

Watch most of your new free plants because they can be awfully invasive ... Which is why they are now trying to colonize your yard.

Durf said...

Yellow crocuses are gorgeous! Don't really have a problem with invasives, except for Japanese knotweed and my neighbor's bittersweet, which he thinks is holly.

An Urban Cottage said...

That spiderwort is about as much of a nightmare that the Japanese knotweed, both of which seem to do amazingly well in my garden. Any tips on killing the knotweed? I killed a bunch by waiting for it to flower, then I hacked it off and poured roundup down it's tubes. Maybe not good for the ground but I'd rather have nothing then have knotweed take over my yard. Bittersweet is pretty bad too. Crown vetch took over half my garden last year and I'm working hard to eradicate it this year.

You've been quiet!

An Urban Cottage said...

Oh, and, yes, Rudy is beautiful. I love gray cats.

Durf said...

Steve,
That's what I'd do. You can also dig it up, then lay a tarp so it doesn't re-grow.

Yeah, I've been super busy--taxes, finances, gardening, house emergencies. You know . . . life! Love your kitchen, by the way.