garden surprises

One of the best things about gardening is the unexpected. Like the weed growing through the crack of an urban sidewalk, nature lets us know that she’s got things under control. So while I till the soil with great expectations, and smile when things I plant grow, I also delight at what I didn’t see coming.

Here are a few:

Orange Cosmos

Orange Cosmos burst on the scene

I’ve grown pink and white cosmos, from seed and from starters. One summer a volunteer crop grew as tall as me , producing flowers all summer long. That same year I gave away seeds at Christmas. They’re such an easy-breezy flower to grow. Imagine my surprise though to discover this mystery plant was orange. Isn’t it stunning? This plant is a meter tall and started blooming this week.

Late afternoon bloom

Tomato, Tomato

Out of step: Tomato plant grows from the patio steps

After clearing away the last of the Anemones, I found a tomato plant growing out of the bottom of the patio steps. It was probably staying warm from the plant cover and didn’t know it was fall. I can’t bare to pull it out, so I’ll leave it for now and see what the plant has in store. It makes me smile

Passionate Pink

Tomorrow’s Zinnia

This self-sown Zinnia took the place of the Bachelor Buttons in my triangle garden. It offers a pretty pop of pink as the rest of the annuals go to sleep, an unexpected color on this gray day.

Another Pumpkin?

The little pumpkin that tried

Look at this little pumpkin trying to grow. It even flowered.

Nature’s Ribbon

Have you ever curled ribbon with the edge of your scissors? If you scrape the wrong edge, you end up straightening the ribbon instead. That’s why I’m particularly impressed with this self-curled edge of a fern. This plant makes it look easy.

Garden ribbon

Wishing you a weekend of the beautifully unexpected*

*Rats and broken appliances do not apply

The strangest things amuse me. While making the garden rounds this week, I noticed an empty pot near the fence. Tiny baby tears started growing through the bottom hole. I have no recollection of leaving the pot there, but it’s been long enough for the ground cover to take hold. Now I’m compelled to leave it to see how far it grows. It makes me smile.

In keeping with the theme of the day, I noticed a small clay pot, hand painted by my son when he was younger. It “travels” around the garden, a happy reminder of him. I upended the clay pot and left it in one of the patio planters at summer’s end. I didn’t know their was a bulb just below. I guess if you’re used to living beneath the soil line for many months, a little old pot isn’t going to slow you down. The as yet unidentified bulb shot up through the hole an entire foot before I noticed it. It looks so purposeful. I can’t wait to point it out to my son. I know he’ll be pleased.

So, I’ve been thinking. Wouldn’t it be fun to scatter empty pots around the garden to see what populates or propagates? I’m going to give that idea some careful thought.

Bottoms up!