Gardening by Mistake

I brought home a large haul of big, healthy perennials today. That’s the “sweet” part. The “bitter” part is that they are from a border which will be destroyed within a week or so at DH’s grandparents’ house. They live in a wonderful retirement community which is always upgrading and improving an already great place. All of the residences on our grandparents’ (I claim them, too!) street are getting new porch areas. That means removing the old one, and the border alongside it. Everything, including the crab apple tree, is being bulldozed down before the work begins. I know it meant a lot to Ceda (DH’s grandmother) to know that her plants were avoiding that fate and going to a new home.

DH & I felt like puppy-beaters as we started digging out plants from this lovely border. It didn’t help much knowing that if we didn’t, the plants were going to get bulldozed down within days. It just felt wrong ripping and digging out those plants. That said, I’m delighted to be able to add them to my garden. We brought home a lovely rose bush, I don’t know how many mums, 3 or 4 huge sedum, 4 enormous hostas, and a partridge in a pear tree. No, no partridges or pear trees, but we did also bring home some lily of the valley. That stuff is really, really hard to dig out. When I plant it in my yard, it is with the intention of never having to remove it later!

For years now DH and I have talked about turning the north end of our house into a shade garden. Right now it’s a shade weed garden. Anyway, we’ve never done anything to that area except for the peonies we planted there years and years ago. Several weeks ago a friend gave me two hydrangea she’d grown from cuttings. I thought, “Hey, these would be a great addition to my some-day shade garden!” Well then today we brought home hostas and lily of the valley. And even some of the brick-like border pavers. Presto! Instant shade garden. Except that I’ve got to get it all cleared out before I can plant things. Anyway, I’m just tickled about it. Some day I’d like to add ferns, but I’m off to a great start just as it is! “All” I have to do first is clear out the area and then start planting. I imagine I’ll be quite tired tomorrow night after doing all that and planting the other plants that came home with us today. I did manage to get a couple of the perennials for the rose beds planted before dark and the mosquitoes drove me back inside.

I do like adding plants that come from family and friends to my garden, and not just because they are free. What is most special is that they are happy reminders of those people each time I see them. The grandparents are very special, wonderful people and I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten them by marriage. These plants will be special, too, just as reminders.