New Plants

Spring is usually the time where I make my big plant purchases.  We have a nice bit of cool(ish) weather and more rain.  And I think plants planted in the spring have a better chance of making it through the winter... assuming the make it through that first summer!




But, this year, my beds are starting to fill out.  In fact, a couple of plants that I planted last year around the Jerusalem Sage are already getting crowded out by the sage.  It seems to have doubled in size from last year!  I actually pulled up the Russian Sage that I planted last year and moved it foot further away from the Jerusalem Sage.  It felt weird to move a plant that I just put in the ground six months ago, but I figure better now than later...

Anyhoo,

Creeping Silver Germander - Teucrium cossonii
I did buy a few new plants as Natural Gardener.  i spent my big wad on three ($10 each!) Creeping Germander.  I have sort of filled out the middle of my bed with large to mid-sized shrubs, and now I am looking to fill in the fronts with smaller ground-cover like plants.  And i really like the way this one looks in photos.  I have never actually seen it in person.

8 x 12-24" Growth:  Medium  Exposure:  Full sun 1 gallon Low-growing, spreading perennial herb with narrow needle-like, grey-green foliage and baeutiful lavender flowers in summer.  low water needs so very drought tolerant.  Must have well drained soil

White Veined Dutchman' Pipe Aristolochia fimbriata
I have seen this in the Wildflower Garden at NG, and really like its dark green foliage.  I thought that it might go well in the front of th ebed, so I bought one to try it out.

6-12" x 12" Growth:  fast Exposure:  Sun to Part Shade  low growing perennial with rounded, mottled-green foliage and crazy pipe shaped blooms underneath.  host plant for the Pipevine swallowtail.  Tolerant of drought and poor soil but best with amended soil and regular water.  Often reseeds.  1 gallon

Pink Skullcap
And breaking my rule of not buying a duplicate (now-dead) plant and putting it back into the same spot as the old, I did buy one more small pink skullcap.  Only one of the three I purchased last year made it through the winter, and i really need more than one of these small plants.  So I went ahead and broke myrule.


Clearance Plants
Because I just can't resist.

I make a pact with myself that I won't purchase anymore clearance plants. I'd rather spend my dollars on something I really want... and I know with my large gardens, i really need more mass plantings, and not individual plants.


And yet, every time I go to Lowe's, I wind up picking up a few of these unwanted, unloved plants.

Here are my recent purchases.  Most are just random plants that caught my fancy, rather than natives that i know will do well in this area.

Kirigami Red and White and Light Blue and White Columbine.
So, I really wanted some native columbine.  These are not even close to native.  They have a very cool flower.  But seriously, I could have bought two nice native columbine for the same amount I bought these four on clearance.  Oh well.  DIED (one still haning on)

SallyRose April Night Salvia
In my defense, all I can say was, they were only a dollar.  

Fuldaglut stonecrop
So, I purchased two sedum, and two stone crops on clearance in the past, and they have done surprisingly well.  The sedum are in their fourth year, and have made it through cold and hot, and even bloom every year.  So, I picket this up for a dollar.

Stachys - Texas Betony - I actually have been wanting to try this.  Not sure where I will put it, but I am kinda excited about this one :o)

Silverado Sage  :eucophyllum frutescens bertstar dwarf.  Dave found this on clearance, a compact Texas Sage.  I know right where I am going to put it, to fill in the front bed.  Score!

Double Pink Oleander - it only cost a dollar, and oleanders can be really pretty. I thought Dave really liked oleander, because he always sings the Steely Dan song when we see some... But today he told me, he doesn't really like the plant, just the song.  Oh well, it was a dollar :o)  DIED

Bulbine - this is in my list of native plants, so when I saw it on clearance for a dollar, I really couldn't resist.  But then I read that it is only good down to 20 degrees (which makes me question its Native status)  I really do like the spiky, soft look of this plant, so I hope it winters over...

Crepe Myrtle Dynamite - on clearance for $5 from $22.  I bought because, hey, you can never have too many crepe myrtles, right?

Solanum jasminoides - Bought this because it was on sale for $5 from $26.  I thuoght it was star jasmine, but turn out it is a potato vine, that will probably die in the winter because it is only good for zone 9 and higher.  Ah well.  You win some, you lose some.  DIED

Little Business Daylily - purchased from clearance at Lowe's and put in the front bed.  The day lilies  always go on clearance around this time of year.  And the ones in the back yard were so gorgeous, that I promised myself that I would pick some up if I saw them on clearance again. lowe's had them on clearance fr $3 a plant, but the cashier gave them to me for a dollar each.  So I bought three Little Business Daylilies, and then a fourth Stella d'oro daylilly to fill out the porch bed where there is already one.


Beleza Dark Pink Guara - At $1 per quart container, I figured I'd fill in some of the gaura that did not make it through last year.  A little late in teh season, but hey, it was a buck :o)

Autumn Fern - Dryopteris erythrosora
Yeah, not sure why I picked this one up.  Or its tag, it says it needs to be watered 2 x per week once established - which means water daily in Texas.  Probably should have left this on the shelf!