It was back in 2008, while visiting a nearby nursery that I found this cute little old fashioned flower. Without even a hint at botanical nomenclature, the salesman blurted, "Poor Man's Orchid." [Impatiens balfouri] At $2.25 for a four-inch pot, I thought, why not? It required shade, check. It would get tall, check. It would bloom 'til frost, check. What I didn't realize at the time was that it would also reseed! 2009 was a bumper year, with Orchid offspring filling my courtyard. Ditto for 2010. Then at the dawn of 2011, with an unseasonably warm January, baby Orchids did their thing, sprouting up all over the place, full of promise. Until February when frost made mush out of them. And that, my dear friends, was the end of the saga. Not one seedling in spring. Nothing. Nada.
A few days ago, Carol and I went back to said nursery and I scored another four-incher for my courtyard, [above]. Barring another fluke in the weather [I'm not holding my breath], I'll have a courtyard full again next year.
Don't you just love this time of year in the garden? Every day it's something new. Above is my
Galega officinalis 'Lady Wilson.' Looks an awful lot like a Lupine, doesn't it?
My Abutilon 'Nabob' overwintered successfully and is about to bloom. This photo is from last year.
This is Agastache 'Red Fortune.'
My tall Alstromeria is blooming.
Carpenteria 'Elizabeth' just finished up its blossoming.
This sweet little Dahlia has overwintered again. Every year I worry that I'll lose it but don't have the nerve to dig it up and overwinter it inside. I think it's proven itself. I think I can relax now. Maybe. Actually it's all a big crap shoot and I scored with this one.
