Garden Surprises?

[luvmyb_b]

With our first real "fall" cool down this morning, I've sitting here contemplating my garden successes and failures this year.  This sort of goes hand-in-hand with Charlene's thread about plans for 2017, but I am curious if others have had any surprises in their gardens this year.  For me, I have had two ...

My Yvonne's salvia reseeded from last year.  That has never happened before, so I was super excited to see the blooms.  My other surprise is the amount of black oil sunflower seeds the birds planted for me ... where they planted them ... and how perfectly they brightened up the spots where they were blooming.  In the past, I have mostly pulled the sunflowers that have grown from dropped seed.  This year, I have opted to let them bloom where they were planted.  They've been a real visual blessing to the backyard! 

Have you had any garden surprises this year?   

[Kathy_SD]

I was disappointed that my 2 different tries of starting blue bedder salvia failed due to all the seedlings dying but was surprised when one reseeded out in the garden. I am happy about that because now I can collect more seeds since I had used all that I had trying to start them.

 Over the years I have had many lupine seedlings given to me from Charlene and even started some from seed  but they never got very big and never came back the following year. This spring she gave me quite a few seedlings and they have all grown to be nice sized and one of them is even blooming right now .

[hopscotch]

I had Melampodium reseed itself this year.  That was a big surprise, as I have grown them for 5 or 6 years and never had them do that.  Also, had tomato seedlings by the 50's.  Had to pull most of them.  Maybe I won't start any next year.  They probably won't do it then.  I have 3 sunflowers that over 12 feet tall.  From volunteer plants.  A couple aren't blooming yet, so they are still growing.  Neighbor wanted to know if I was Jack and his beanstalk!

Leroy

[valerian]

I have four new caryopteris shrubs in a neat curve around the south end of the rock garden. Don't know how that happened as they are hard to keep alive here. I guess I finally found a place where they are happy. I usually let the euphorbia marginata reseed and just pull up what I don't want. This year there are only 3 or 4 plants . Dozens and dozens of them came up in the lawn, darn it!

[Deleted]

Only my volunteer snappies, which I just love! So happy with them!

[narnian]

I think the biggest surprise are the ferns that are coming up in the planter in front of my house...remember the brick or stone planters in front of houses that are about 15 ft or so long and only a foot wide? Well, I have one in front of my house which faces north!  That means that only shade plants can go in there....I have lived here for 4 years, and there has only been one fern there....a lovely big Japanese painted fern that I really like, plus 2 stella daylilies that manage to bloom anyway, a couple of Asiatic lilies and a bellflower.

This year there are at least 5 little baby ferns, one is a painted fern, the others I do not know, nor can I figure where they came from, unless there were some spores in the compost that I added 2 or 3 years ago...but why would they appear now, when we've had such a dry summer?....

Another surprise is all the different asters that I have in my front lamp post garden. I do not remember sowing seeds there, but I must have...though some are volunteers from last year...just look at these!

[plantdoctor]

Well...I have to be honest and tell you that most of my garden surprises go hand in hand with my CRS...lol.  You guys ever plant something like perennials or bulbs in the fall and then when they come up the next Spring you are surprised and wonder what they are and who planted them there?  That happens to me all of the time.  I've got to start labeling things for sure.  

I was surprised to have a couple of nasturtiums reseed.  Also surprised to see the annual blue beddar salvia and a couple of the Sunshine Lorraine seedlings close to it's mother.  I just wished my 4 o'clocks would self sow like many of yours do.

Karen...I also had Yvonne's salvia self sow but that has happened a couple other times for me.  It isn't consistent enough to count on it every year.

Kathy...so happy to hear those lupine are doing well for you!  What color is the one that is blooming now?  I also had a couple volunteer blue beddar...never had that before.

Leroy..I've never had Melampodium self sow.  LOL on Jack in the beanstalk!

Valerian...nice to see you and welcome if I haven't done so already.  The perfect spot for many plants makes a big difference, doesn't it?  Not many people grow the Euphorbia Marginata....don't you just love it?  I got it years ago from my Mom who got it from my Grandma.  I have shared with several here.  I know Kathy shares our love for that plant.

Marg...snaps don't self sow here 

Linda...wow...that is a lot of asters.  A couple years ago I had several do that, but can't count on it happening every year.  Those ferns truly sound like a garden mystery...not something that a bird plants.  Charlene

[bwatcher]

I've had numerous surprises this year. I had little pansy-faced viola come up along the cement. They were in pots along this cement last year. I had hollyhocks come up that are not double pale pink. They were a much deeper pink with a couple tiny petals in the center. Apparently the bees crossed the red from the east side of the house with the double pink from the west side of the house and created these on the south side of the house. I had a few maroon coleus just come up along the cement where I had dug up the viola and replanted into pots. I now replanted the coleus into some pots also. I've had different shades of purple and a white petunia come up along where the old garage was. I've never planted petunia there. I've had things come up in pots that I replanted from last year. I had a sweet potato vine come up and I don't remember planting it in that pot. I had orange marigolds coming up all over the place from last year. They were in many different spots along flower beds and they came up in pots. I've had allium coming up under my deck from a mishap about 5 years back where seed from a bouquet of allium tops fell over and dropped their seeds through the cracks in the deck floor and seeded themselves. I need to dig them up, but I'm not exactly sure where they are. I took a picture; I'll have to revert back to that. 

I think I might have had lots of squirrel help last year. I know the squirrels were how I got the fleas in my potted plants that I brought into the house and infested my house and basement last fall. That was 2 months of hell!

[Donna-Z5]

Excellent topic Karen.

I had more disappointments than surprises this year.

I had Celosia in between each Maltese Cross last year so something would be blooming right through summer. Well they did not do well but decided to reseed and now I have 3 blooming their hearts out this year. Lost one Maltese Cross.

Haven't started Cleome for 2 years yet some volunteers came up this year. Must get to them before they reseed because next year there would be hundreds of them.

Sadly not one thing I direct sowed germinated. The seeds were good but I think between the chipmunks & the squirrels many dinners were served!!

I have some dwarf upright Fushias (sp) and something ate a good portion of each plant so they are not bushy. They are pretty though, just wish they were fuller.

I don't think Rick is going to have many tomatoes this year because something is eating them and it's not insects, the teeth marks are a fair size so our guess is the darn squirrels.

Same goes for the peppers. Bite marks all over them. 

We also lost a fairly tall Dogwood bush, no idea what did it in.

Well now we can start looking forward to next year. :)

[annrms]

In my corner of the world, we have a severe drought. DH and I water "the gardens" daily, but now I'm worried about the shrubs and trees especially if we get a hurricane (for the trees). All is stressed. I have one azalea that my grandfather planted that is now just a dead stick. I didn't get a crop of basil, and my lovage has not done well. Praying for rain!

[Gayle]

I'm sure I do, but can't think of any at the moment. 

Charlene, I often have stuff come up that I've forgotten I planted & don't know what it is.

I guess I was most surprised at how well my columbine did & i still doing.

[Ladybird]

My two youngest nephews gave me pumpkin seeds last year so I planted them this spring. Was shocked to find out they were not pumpkins but small little gourds. Lol. Will find some use for them or give them away

[iliz9]

I am glad I have some color even with this heat...Red Bougainvillea, Red C.Myrtle and Ornamental Pomegranate along with a Pink trailing Verbena...also, my biggest surprise, my Bird of Paradise tree has bloomed almost year around...I forgot about this surprise Lily back in Spring..

[luvmyb_b]

Such nice garden surprises for everyone! 

Kathy, I'm happy to hear that you are going to get some blue bedder seeds for next year.  My blue bedder was weird for me this year too.  Where I thought I had some planted didn't turn out to be that.  I did have one come up in the flower bed with all the other annuals I planted.  Must have mixed up the tags or something on that.  I hope I can get seeds from it.  That is great news about the lupine!

 Love your surprises, Leroy!  Great story about your bean stalk sunflower volunteers.  You're probably right about the tomatoes.  If you don't start any, they won't reseed.  If you do, they will.  I have found that my volunteer tomatoes often do better than those I start from bought seed. 

 Valerian, doesn't it just figure about your euphorbia marginata?  Maybe with the 3 or 4 plants, your volunteers next year will do better for you. 

I'm with you on the volunteer snaps, Marg!  Love them.

Linda, I think it is very cool about your mystery ferns volunteering for you!  Asters are my very best re-seeders around here.  I first planted Powder Puff asters YEARS ago, and maybe some Cregos 8 years ago.  I usually only have to let them reseed themselves anymore.  Last year I wanted more purple because I had way too many pink.  Now the only color I see blooming right now is purple.  I may have to adjust my deadheading plan this year!

I don't know what the secret is to the 4:00s coming back from year to year, but I am glad they do.  I can't actually count mine as a surprise anymore, Charlene.  I'd be more surprise (and sad) if they didn't come back up.  I've never had a nasturtium come back up before.  Lucky you!  You've thrown me for a loop with the Sunshine Lorraine.  Okay, I Googled it.  That is a gorgeous false sunflower!  How nice that you have babies from it this year. 

Mary, I forgot all about my volunteer hollyhocks until I saw your post.  I have them coming up in places that I never imagined them to grow.  I love the deep burgundy that is growing in with the light pink Resurrection lilies.  I hope they spread next year.  I also forgot about my violas coming up earlier in the cracks of the sidewalk around the pool.  I grew some from seed last year and planted them clear across the backyard.  I don't think these volunteers were from that, though, because the were there last year.  I made DH promise not to hit them with the weed wacker because they were so cute.  I love violas because my one grandmother's middle name was Viola.  I like growing them because I never knew her.  I've no doubt that the squirrels helped our around here also!

Glad to hear you got some celosia to reseed for you, Donna.  I didn't grow that this year, but I want to next year.  You know, so many people have trouble with cleome reseeding like you mentioned.  I WISH I could get them to reseed.  The only ones that do that for me is the cleome solo, and I wish they wouldn't they are really prolific little devils. 

Ann, it is too bad about your drought conditions playing havoc with your garden this year.  We haven't been nearly as rain deprived as you and others, but for a while there I was beginning to wonder how we'd do when it was so hot and no rain for weeks.  So sorry to hear about your azalea that your grandfather planted!  That's too bad because it has sentimental value and cannot be replaced. 

I'm impressed if you have columbine still blooming, Gayle.  Ours is done by mid June around here.  If I have a disappointment in my garden this year it is my columbine.  I love it and thought I had more of it planted than came up and bloomed this year.  Guess it is back to the drawing board for me on that!  What little I had come up this year is not acceptable for me.  I'll be starting more for next year. 

Robin, that was not a nice surprise for you, was it?  Pumpkins and gourds are so not even close to each other.  Maybe you can use the gourds for fall decorations?  I think I have pumpkin seed that I cannot use.  If you'd like some, let me know. 

Well, this has been fun hearing about everyone's surprises - for the most party, anyway.  I usually have something come up in the small bed by the garage because that is where I dump my used seed starter when I transplant, but nothing did that this year.  Last year, I got some gorgeous purple basil to volunteer.  Wish it had this year.   :-/   Thanks for all the replies!  Hope to see more later.     

 

[luvmyb_b]

Aug 21, 2016 16:20:51 GMT -5 iliz9 said:

I am glad I have some color even with this heat...Red Bougainvillea, Red C.Myrtle and Ornamental Pomegranate along with a Pink trailing Verbena...also, my biggest surprise, my Bird of Paradise tree has bloomed almost year around...I forgot about this surprise Lily back in Spring..

What fun surprises, Ili!  That is a beautiful lily! It's pretty awesome about your Bird of Paradis blooming so well for you.