Purchased from Plant Delights nursery about four years ago, this interesting plant surprised me last year when it bloomed for the first time. Prior to that, I hadn’t even noticed it in the Douglas Fir bed, as it hadn’t grown much in a couple of years. It is growing well again this year and putting up flower stalks.

My 2020 plans for this plant are to get more photos of it and feed it well to keep it healthy. It seems to like cooler, wetter spring that we had and is blooming much earlier this year than last.

I started taking an inventory of the seedlings I’ve got on the shelves outside the greenhouse. Below are photos of those I checked on and potted on today.

Note: this one is out of order, as I failed to post it on the right day.

Often when you order seeds online, the seed seller adds a bonus packet or two in the package as a thank you for ordering. Sometimes that “gift” has seemingly little value, like mixed Bachelor’s Buttons or old carrot seeds. When I ordered some seeds from Africa, though, the seller included Agapanthus praecox seeds–just a few of them. I was skeptical that I could grow them, but I gave it a whirl. I’m so glad I did!

Two of the seeds sprouted and grew and I’ve grown them on together. Here is what the plant looks like today:

The garden is full of flowers and fruit right now. Here are some red, white, and blue photos:

And here are some other photos from around the garden and greenhouse.

I have no idea when feverfew landed in my garden. It seems like it has been there a long time. It seeds itself around in pots near the greenhouse and in the memory garden, as well. The fragrant, charming, and cheery plant is welcome wherever it grows.

Often, I’ll prick out volunteer seedlings growing among tree seedling pots and move them to their own pots for setting out in the garden as fillers when the time comes. They are flexible and easy–they can be transplanted any time. Their bright green, chrysanthemum-y foliage is beautiful on its own, but come late June or early July, hundreds of white daisies smother the leaves. They attract lots of interesting pollinators.

This year, I notice I have a semi-double seedling and a single form blooming in the memory garden.

My 2020 plans for these carefree plants are to pot more seedlings on and keep them handy for filling in during the autumn, since they aren’t shy about blooming even late in the year if given half a chance.

I’m not positive of the identity of this plant–it doesn’t look like most of the photos of Salvia hians, but there are a few photos I’ve seen that match it. Salvia pratensis was also suggested by a plant identification app. This plant was one of several that Fuchsia Society member Sally Abella passed to me from her garden. It has spread somewhat agressively around my garden, but because it is easy to weed out and has a lot of positive merits, I’ve never resented it enough to eradicate it entirely.

The leaves of these plants are large and hairy, but not fully felted like some of the Salvia clan. They form a loose rosette and then impressive, multi-branched spikes of blue-purple flowers shoot up in late June to crown the plants for a month or more.

My 2020 plans for this plant are to weed it out where it might be unwanted and nurture it everywhere else.