Around this time last year, I removed a wedge of lawn near the sidewalk to make room for some flowers.  That nifty little triangle of dirt proved to be a lot of fun.  Through spring, summer and early fall, an assortment of flowers bloomed. By late November, most of it had gone to seed.  All that remained was the Statice, relocated from the curb garden earlier in the year.

My reward for letting the plants go to seed: a host of spring ‘volunteers.’

Here is a photo from February 25th:

Wedge garden: February 25th

Here it is today:

Wedge garden: March 26th

The Statice really filled out. It’s also about to bloom. The purple and yellow pansies are blooming for the second time and the seedlings have doubled or tripled in size. Now that the growing pattern is taking shape, I transplanted a few volunteer seedlings heavily concentrated at the curb. Spade in hand, I held my breath and took the plunge. They drooped for half a day, then bounced right back. Now I’ll have a nice mix throughout the triangle.

Congregating at the curb

Garden pansies spring back to life

Purple Statice

Still a mystery. Any guesses?

I collected a lot of seeds last year, including Cosmos, Bachelor Buttons, Four O’clock’s and Zinnias.  Between the collected seeds, the volunteers and the bag of wildflowers (intended for last year but lost, then found) the garden should bloom all season.

Do you have a favorite spring flower?  Is there something you’ve always wanted to grow?  Let me know in the comments below.