Today I spotted flowers on a stewartia seedling in the yard. I was beyond ecstatic. I felt the rush only gardeners and adrenaline junkies know.
There was something special about those flowers.
The flowers were flatter,brighter and more delicate than the parent.
A flower on the parent stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia).
The parent Stewartia growing in the front yard. In hindsight, I should have planted it at least another six feet away from the house.
The flower I saw today.
The grouping of stewartia seedlings, the one I saw is in the center of the picture with two flowers.
Big difference!
While we’re taught that all plants of the same genus and species grow X feet tall and X feet wide and have X attributes they don’t. There is always some variation unless plants are grown from cuttings or cloned.
When I laid eyes on the stewartia I planted in front of the house I knew it was destined for my garden. The tree had a distinct upright habit, rare for stewartias, as well as a strong central leader.
Take the time to listen to plants they’ll tell you where they want to grow and what they need to thrive. Forget what you know and listen to the plant.
Coral Bells (Heuchera spp.) love dry spots in the shade, like growing through the cracks of a bluestone patio.
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) likes soil that is always damp, but not wet, and spreads like wildfire in the right conditions.
Plant begonias or impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) on shady patios in large containers. Old fashioned. Yes. Easy, colorful and bulletproof. Yup!
Pink impatiens hide an outlet while creating a focal point. This explosion of color will last until frost or the deer find them.
I’m a huge fan of tuberous begonias on shady patios. They have colorful flowers all summer.
Columbine (Aquilegia spp.) likes to grow just beyond where the gutter drips. Don’t plant under the gutter, the plants will be smushed by downpours. Columbine goes dormant by the end of summer but you’ll be rewarded next spring.
We don’t treat all people the same. Why should we treat all plants the same?
When you learn that all plants and people are different you’re well on your way in this adventure we call gardening, and life.
Comments
3 responses to “Plants are People Too!”
What ever that plant is (never heard of it before) I’m sure it won’t grow in ND. I truly believe that if a desirable plant pops up in a least expected place that it has decided that is where it wants to grow and grow it’s best. So I usually leave them there unless a client has a dislike of pop up plants, then I try to find a new home for them and hope for the best.
I used to remove ‘undesirable plants but with time I have matured. Like you, I now leave pop up plants I know and sometimes if I see something growing and I’m not sure what it is I’ll leave it and see what it becomes.
That is exactly what I do, more often than not it is a weed that I can identify as it matures. Once in a great while I will be surprised and pleasantly pleased. Gardening is an adventure with unending surprises.