Plants in pots

Most gardeners have an area in their yards that they call a ‘nursery’ area, that sounds so much better than ‘scratch and dent’. But the word ‘nursery’ is probably too nuturing a word for these areas. These places are where you stick the plants that you don’t know what to do with. These are the, “I really shouldn’t have bought this,” plants. The cistus that languishes in the pot because you finally figured out that they will become big and sprawly and you really wanted the more compact and brighter green one. The landscape trees that you bought on sale, at the season’s end then realized you had no good place for a 100 foot tall tree. Don’t even ask how far the lower branches will spread. Yes, I have a ‘nursery‘ area.

Yesterday we began to find places for the unwanted plants. We negotiated the placement of the trees, balancing the need for horse pasture and horse riding space with the need for roots and branches to spread. We finally came up with a plan for the rambling wisteria. We planted the rescued rel japanese maple, now that it looks like it will survive.

The nursery area isn’t gone, but it is greatly reduced in size. And that’s a good thing because I am going to the Northwest flower show tomorrow – with a car. I know there will be a blueberry, or a clematis, a gorgeous peony or a golden raspberry that will need a home in my garden. I promise, the new plats will stay in the nursery row for a few weeks – max.