Diana (at Elephant's Eye) wants to know what our 'signature' plants are - what we would put in if we had a new small space to turn into a garden.
I avoided the question. But she caught up with me on Blotanical.
The thing is, it's always been random what I plant - what I have to hand, what I have brought from elsewhere. Then I bung in plants which self-seed easily, then it goes wrong so I fiddle a bit, start again (sort of) but don't like to disturb plants which will die if I move them so I plant round them, however odd they look, then I feel odd if there's nothing to eat so I put vegetables here and there - so my signature is a muddle, not a plant!
There are always likely to be . . .
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| A nasturtium would not be a bad signature. As Diana says, colour, wildlife, flavour, looks after itself, comes back each year. It doesn't smell - but I hope I don't either. |
Marigolds (Calendula)
Honeysuckle
Tomatoes
Runner Beans
Granny's Bonnet (Aquilegia/Columbine)
Failed Parsley
Failed Radishes
Failed Basil
Mint
Weeds
Scented geranium wanders in and out of the house, depending on the season.
One can hardly have a garden without lavender.
I think I would probably have little white cyclamen in the list now - but that's not exactly a signature because this is the first place I've ever grown it.
My husband can hardly live without squashes for us to trip over.
And he likes to pick up seeds from trees so there will always be little sycamores, horse chestnuts and other random woodies in pots.
And we always have a stock of plants in pots to move with (for if ever we move) so there's an array of little-bay trees, cordylines and more honeysuckles.
And, depending on when we moved in, we would bung in loads of daffodils to come up in between and early. They wouldn't have to be special - common-or-garden bright yellow to pick and be cheerful. (Plus as many white ones as I could afford at the time because I have pretensions to elegance.)
We're missing out vegetables and tomatoes this year because other people will be living in our house in August and we can't expect them to water much.
Diana wanted twelve but you can reorganise my list in ways which bring out a different number each time so it will probably do. It can be wangled. (And why twelve?)
She wants colour. Yes.
Scent. Yes.
Texture. Yes.
Interest. Yes.
A garden . . . well, not exactly!
7 comments:
I started to create a virtual minimalist garden. Because my RL garden is NOT minimalist. Adding virtual plants one by one, and couldn't stop before I hit 12. In RL my garden would fit your description - can't move that, failed that but I keep trying. This year I'm choosing a fresh dozen.
I could be happy with a nasturtium signature! Colour, wildlife, we eat the leaves and flowers, and they look after themselves coming back each year.
?? on my sidebar blogroll I see an orange flower for your post. But not here?
How odd. Don't understand that either. I can see it in the post - beside the list.
My kinda gardening, bung it in and fiddle about. I dont think I will grow tomatoes this year I always have so many that go to waste, too many people grow them so I cant give them away either. Are you off somewhere nice in August? :-)
Esther I think your choices make a wonderful garden...a garden is what you want it to be...I too just plop plants I like without a lot of thought sometimes...I like it...
Bung? What an interesting verb. I think of it having something to do with a cask of wine... Love your random gardening Esther.
That looks like rather a good mix of plants to me, sorry you will have to leave out the tomatoes this year, I think I will have to too. Ah well, there is always next year! And how can you say nasturtiums don't smell? The leaves have a very distinctive smell indeed, one that I have a love/hate relationship with...
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