Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Saturday, October 25, 2008

What Was I Thinking When I Stuffed All Those Plants In My Car?

Sunrise over Fairegarden


It's crystal clear I wasn't thinking! 

 When I left Nashville to head east to see Frances at Fairegardens I knew I would be returning with a few plants!   Have you ever visited a gardener without taking plants or leaving with  some?  Me neither!  But, clearly, I wasn't thinking about the weather when I stuffed the back of my car with all those plants, both gifted and purchased!   

I didn't count on a possible  freeze heading our way!  I didn't count on the rain that I drove through all day today!   This is when you say to me~~ " Gail, don't you remember when you said you wanted rain?"  and "Gail,  it's autumn, late  October!  Are you in complete denial?"  

Well,  that was before I filled the wayback of my Subaru with



plants.  Beautiful, healthy plants!  Plants that need to get into the ground~~~ before  we have a freeze!  I am thinking of my breezy comment to Mr. McGregor's Daughter about my zone 7 garden and having just  a few chores, lots of time with  just a bit of leaf clean-up.  Hubris is always punished by the garden  gods!

One more peak at the plants
 
as they are exiting my wayback!

*
**
***
Imagine 
Hellebore
Pink Muhly
The Sheffies.
Blanket Flower
Black Mondo Grass
Japanese Painted Fern
Husker Red Penstemon
Euphorbia "Chameleon"
All  from  Fairegardens
It was so much  fun.
Thank you
much!

We won't even talk about the plants I had to buy at a wonderful nursery Frances took me to visit.  But I will leave you with this photo of Frances planting a Salvia leucantha


amidst the Sheffies and Pink Muhly with a promise that a story on my visit to Fairegarden will be up on Monday morning!

Have a wonderful weekend, see you soon!

Gail

“It's so hard when contemplated in advance, and so easy when you do it.” Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

55 comments:

  1. That Frances! She's an enabler, isn't she? In a good way, of course.

    I have confidence that you'll get those plants planted and they'll always be special because they are passalongs.

    Happy Digging,
    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  2. Ha, Ha, I laughed the minute I saw your title, Gail! I am having the same feelings about all the bulbs I purchased.
    What a windfall you have there, Gail; the plants from Frances are even more special. Hopefully, the rain will stop and the weather will warm up enough for you to get all these planted soon.

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  3. I know, I know it's a terrible weakness. I do the same thing, but can you possible think of a better one to have? Not me, you'll get it done Gail and I'm sure with little effort. :-)-Randy

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  4. Good morning Gail! Wow! Lots of great plants from Faire Garden will soon grace Clay and Limestone!

    All the rain will be a blessing in helping your new plants settle in.

    Looks like you've got a busy weekend ahead!

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  5. Ah, Gail. That is the promise of a new beginning, not hubris! And while you might be under a deadline to get them all in, having a little collection (or a larger collection) of plants ready to go outside my garage door is one of my favorite sights. Look how happy your Subaru looks with all those guys in there! I hope the rain eases up and the freeze holds off for a little bit to help you out!

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  6. Gail, I think it's marvelous that you will have FaireGarden plants in YOUR garden! And you weren't thinking. You aren't SUPPOSED to think in situations like this. These are plants and we're talking gardens. What does thinking have to do with it? :-)

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  7. Gail, I started to have serious plant envy-then thought wait a minute! She has to plant all those yet. Still have a little envy but glad it's you and not me that will have to do the digging. I know you will be glad you did next spring when you see all of Frances' lovely plants growing in your gardens.

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  8. Too many plants? Sounds normal to me! :-) Cameron

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  9. You were thinking-yeah-free plants from my friend for my garden! You'll get it done. Just a light frost expected, I don't think a heavy one. They'll be okay.

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  10. I say if you can still see out the back window, there's room for more! And those plants are really hardy - why the husker red is blooming now for the second time in my fall garden. Happy planting!

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  11. It is a gardeners downfall I suppose... always the temptation to come away with too many plants. But in this case what a special treasure to bring home some of Frances' very own treasures. These will always be plants like none other... with memories and feelings attached to each one. Glad you got rain. Glad you're home safely. Can't wait to hear all the rest of your fun...
    Meems @Hoe&Shovel

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  12. Well, we surely wouldn't have expected otherwise. We're all gardeners. It's in our blood. Now it's in your Suburu. Soon to be planted in earth somewhere before long! Good luck!
    Brenda

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  13. you will be a busy little bee, planting all those new wonderful plants. i don't know if you are home today but it is gorgeous and cool. hope we don't get a freeze just yet. have fun planting.

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  14. My dear gardenblogging friends,

    I am happy to report that I got all the plants in the ground! Now I can answer comments!

    Gail

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  15. You must have worked your tail off Gail. So glad to hear that you have them in the ground. That is a rewarding feeling getting a planting chore done. Now you can sit back and relax. Ilove the picture of your subaru stuffed to the gills with plants. I was sitting here trying to id the lot when I went on down the post and saw your list. What a haul. That Frances is a doll, no a gardener.

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  16. I'm most impressed that you've gotten them planted already! The garden is going to be more beautiful and meaningful than ever, thanks to the Fairegarden transplants. May a gentle rain water them in and comfortably cool temps give them a little time to settle!

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  17. Wow--you got them in already? Good for you. Now fast forward to Spring and Summer and you'll be reaping those efforts. It will look very grand.

    Anna/fgg

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  18. You got them planted already! And all my transplants are still sitting on the patio. Oh yeah, you had beds to put them in, but still---I'm envious and feel like a bit of a slacker. ;-)

    I'm sure your visit with Frances was marvelous. Glad to see you got some of that pink muhly. What was it like traversing the hilly garden? Her pics make it look quite mountainous.

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  19. My dear Gail, I am so proud of you for getting those in the ground! I didn't worry a bit about that but did worry about the drive home on the interstate in the driving rain with all those trucks. So glad you got home safe and sound. I had so much fun with you here, we would never run out of stuff to talk about. My vocal chords got a workout. I didn't know you took my picture planting that salvia, you are sneaky. We did receive seven tenths of an inch, not as much as promised but a good watering. Now to see how to write the post about your visit....
    Frances
    ps, thanks for all that link love. I love that term, thanks MMD!
    F

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  20. Wow ! .. this is what I am missing .. no garden friends here that I can swap plants with .. or maybe it is just as well because I would have a JUNGLE here .. but then again I would be sharing mine .. hum .. I'm having this conversation in my head with myself .. completely off track !
    All of those plants are wonderful and I know you will be a good mother to them Gail .. and Frances was a very good mom letting go of them to you ? LOL
    I really really miss this type of fun .. but it is nice to read about it here ! : )

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  21. I'm sure you will get all those wonderful pass-a-longs from Frances planted really soon. Afterall you are a gardener, and we can't resist more plants (especially free) to tuck into the garden. :)

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  22. Yes, this is a very familiar scenario in our household... Well done for planting them all (do you have floodlighting or something?!) and I'm really looking forward to reading Frances' post.

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  23. Carol, I love that...Frances the enabler...in the best way! It was a delightfully fun two days! It makes me think about Spring Fling 2009 and seeing everyone again...plus meeting everyone else!

    Rose, I can't believe it but I got them all in the ground...every last one of them. Now dear, what about your bulbs? Do you know where they all will go or just put them in the ground anywhere?...(I do that sometimes).


    Randy, Ahh...I think my plant addiction is the best kind we can have! So much better for us. It was fun to imagine where they all would go... and am I glad they are in the ground.


    Gail

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  24. Linda/Garden Girl, We had such a good time! The plants are lovely and Frances was incredibly generous...I will treasure them. But was I busy today. I got outside at 8 am and didn't stop until 2pm. The best kind of day don't you think?


    Diana, I always have a little collection, too! Now it is sweet little violas to go into the ground...I planted the Fairegarden plants already! What's waiting in the que at your garage.

    Kim, There was no thinking involved! You are so right...then we over think the whole thing! Take the plants...put them in the ground, it's very simple! I loved your shed! It is going to be so much fun to plant and dress up!

    Gail

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  25. Beckie, I already am glad that I have the plants...they look good in the garden. I don't think I would have ever thought to plant the Sheffield Mum or the Euphorbia on my own. Hasn't blogging opened us up to so many new and beautiful plants. Wonderful people, too!

    Cameron, That is priceless!

    Tina, I did! They look wonderful! The pink muhly is spectacular with the Sheffies! Isn't Frances a dear and generous gardener!

    Gail

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  26. Barbarapc, I like that...there was just a bit more room and had the weather been better I know I would have stopped at a few nurseries on the way home. They all came through the move and replanting quite well. The Husker looks good. Do you grow a Penstemon smallii...a pretty little pink flower, it is blooming again for me.

    Meems, Are you having a good time? I hope so.
    The plants will always be special and a reminder of the friendship and fun Frances and I continue to have. Some of the plants will become wonderful passalongs. I know that once the Sheffies settle in I will share them with folks here.

    Brenda, Thanks...I must have felt your good wishes because I just breezed along today...very efficiently
    getting them into the earth!

    gail

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  27. marmee, I am home and it was too pretty out there. On the ride home from East Tennessee I was struck anew at how lovely our state is...the trees had begun to change and it was beautiful...it was pouring so there was no way I was going to stop on the interstate for a photo, but my memory of the maples is firm!

    Lisa, Frances is generous, fun and one of the hardest working gardeners I know! Her garden is a lovely...beyond description...I know because I have been unable to describe it to my friends here in Nashville! I hope you get to meet her at Spring Fling Chicago.

    Gail

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  28. Cindy, It is amazing what we can do when we have a deadline! You cleaned all the flyable items from your yard when you knew the hurricane was blowing your way... I knew that I couldn't be distracted by anything else! What is the diagnosis Carol calls that syndrome;->

    Anna, Hi there! Fast forwarding now...I can imagine how lovely the Husker Red will look! I know the Pink Muhly will be...it is beautiful now! I like that exercise Anna!

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  29. Gail, I CANNOT believe that you have already planted that bountiful carload of plants in the ground already!!! (Did you do a good job of it??) ;-)

    What a wonderful garden-friend Frances is. I'm so sorry that if you came here, I'd have very little to share... (esp. compared to that bounty!), as my plants aren't that old or developed yet. We'd find Something, though! That's for sure!!

    What a way to anticipate the arrival of Spring! Looking forward to your posting.

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  30. Just imagine the sweet rewards for you later! I'm hoping for some warmer weather to do some clean-up. It's COLD here already!

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  31. Pam, There is a big hill! I hope my photos show it as beautiful and as impressive as it really is! ~~You aren't a slacker, no way no how! You will get all your plants in the ground before you know it! You are still working on your hardscape! I can't wait to see it!

    Joy, I wish you had a gardening buddy! I feel so lucky to have a friend who lives very near me who also loves to garden! We do get to share plants and ideas. Frances is about 3 hours away, a long drive!

    Racquel, Hi...I got them all in! Frances was so generous and having these gifts was a motivation to get them in the ground. Someday they will be ready to share with my visitors!

    Victoria, I am looking forward to reading Frances's post, too! Getting her perspective on the big dig and big talk! No flood lights I started early and stayed until they were in!

    Shady, I did a good job of getting them in the ground;-> Mulched, too! We had 1.60 inches of rain the day before so the soil was not dry! That made digging so much easier then it has been all summer. I would love to visit with you and wouldn't need plants, this is an older garden! You could teach me how to make leaf castings! I would love that skill!

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  32. If you got that carload of plants in the ground already, you must have a lot of already made spaces, Gail! I'd have been potting like mad, trying to keep them alive. It could take a year for me to lay out and dig enough new beds.

    Your visit with Frances sounds like a lot of fun.

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  33. Robin, I may have said this before, but I do treasure these gifts from Frances very much...I can remember all the plants that special people have shared with me. Practically Perfect Pink Phlox was a gift from a garden buddy. I hope you get warmer weather, it is much easier to work in the garden when it's pleasant outside!

    Gail

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  34. Gail - It was like being a kid in a candy store wasn't it? I know what you'll be doing this weekend. Happy Planting!

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  35. Annie,

    I thought I would have to pot plants up, but it wasn't necessary ...The rain helped make the ground very easy to plant. I did not have to create new beds! I had enlarged the front bed earlier; I even had a post about my harvest of rocks! I could tuck the plants in the woodland garden, in a planter near the front path and in front of my mosaic shed...that bed has been empty for a year. I did remove a very large Lemon Grass to plant the muhly and the sheffies. The Lemon Grass was transplanted to a large container and I might try to save it from the frost on Monday and Tuesday. I was very tired afterwards!

    Gail

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  36. Dear Frances,

    The ride home was something else...it would be easier if there weren't any trucks! But I am afraid we might miss our food and others goods! A Lot Of Rain Fell! Most of it on the Cumberland Plateau!

    It wasn't as difficult to get all the plants in the ground... I did borrow the philosophy that it didn't have to be the perfect spot...just get it in! So I might move some of them around next year! Not a bad piece of philosophy when faced with planting a lot of plants in short period of time!

    I've been previewing shots of the visit. I didn't take as many as I thought I had! Where we talking when I should have been snapping! Too funny.

    Take care,

    Gail

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  37. Holy smokes, you had a mother lode of plants in the back of your Subaru. I would have hijacked it!! ;-) I wonder if I could invite myself to FaireGarden and come away with some Sheffies and Pink Muhly??? You lucky girl! Congrats on getting them all settled so quickly. That was quick work considering all you brought home.

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  38. Hi Gail, again I am proud. And especially proud that you threw caution to the wind and just got them in the ground. That is the way and light....Keeping them alive and letting them stretch their roots is much better for the plants than trying to keep them alive in the cramped quarters of pots.

    Looking at my photos, I had a disappointing number also, but will manage to paste something together. You will have a better perspective, I can't wait to see what you photographed and what you have to say about it. Our garden's through someone else's eyes is always intriguing.

    I have just left the comment for your next post, HA

    Frances
    http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/
    I am still getting too many visits to blogger instead of wordpress so the shameless leaving of the url continues.
    F

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  39. Kathleen,

    There were curious looks as I stopped for gas and a few times on the road...once folks could see in the windows! I am a peaceful person but would have been fighting mad if anyone tried to hijack the muhly and the sheffies;->

    Frances loves garden visitors I know that were you anywhere near her area you would be welcome. She has a fun garden to explore!

    Gail

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  40. Frances,

    You still have to comment when I get the post up;-) Too bad you can't post a forward/or redirect on the blogger blog.

    Getting them in the ground was important, I would be ill is they hadn't made it! Now the Mosaic shed bed is filled with the plants it can support, full sun plants. I think the Blanket Flower will make itself at home there...that is also where I planted two of the Laura Phlox from Lowes. With the rain barrel so handy the bed will get watered regularly.

    It is cold here! A good time to write a post!

    Gail

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  41. Gail, That's just the way we are, isn't it? Garden-freaks (?) will always want that one, and that one as well...

    Cold weather is heading towards us now, there will perhaps be a few more days to enjoy before frost will hit the garden.

    Take care!
    Katarina

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  42. Hi Gail! What fun you will have next Spring as you look around your garden and see the "memories" of times past with good friends. Those are always my most treasured plants! Looking forward to seeing your post on Faire Garden. It looks like such a lovely place and I would love to see it in person.

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  43. Of all the problems one can have, these are my favorite kind. I think I'll go plant something. ;)
    Donna

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  44. Katarina,

    I am trying to remember the last time I actually said 'no thank you' to an offer of a plant...it was probably something invasive or totally inappropriate for this garden.

    Enjoy your fall days and the sunshine.

    Gail

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  45. Siria,

    It will be fun to see the plants Frances shared settle in and grow. I have a very nice Powis Castle Artemesia that Tina gave me, too! Once the frosts take away the last of autumn I will be dreaming of spring and summer! Frances' garden is indeed lovely! If you are near you could visit!

    Gail

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  46. Donna/Mother Nature,

    Excellent point...I should be so lucky that this is my only problem! I am going to find a home for two plants I bought on sale this summer! Have fun!

    gail

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  47. Wow! What a list.
    You must of had a lot of fun.

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  48. Thanks for the shout out. I think it's 1 of those corollaries to Murphy's Law; the minute you say something, everything changes to make it wrong. Those plants all look pretty hardy, I'm sure they'll be fine once you get them into the ground. I'd be so afraid to go plant shopping with Frances. Her enthusiasm is infectious!

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  49. Wonderful plant-- Frances just makes you want to take all the great plants that you can and add them to your garden.

    And you know when you go into a nursery, it's hard not to buy something. :-)

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  50. patsi we had the best time! When two gardenbloggers get together it is fun city! Do you have a garden buddy?

    Gail

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  51. MMD,

    Those corollaries keep popping up! Just when I think I have them all figured out!

    You would have fun at a plant nursery with Frances...you both are very knowledgeable!

    Gail

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  52. dp,

    Welcome back we all missed you! The nurseries are hard to leave empty handed!

    Gail

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  53. How FUN!!! I'm so envious... I'm sure that I'll get to see the garden of a fellow garden-blogger someday. Someday.

    And hey, how were you expected to resist all of those plants? They were obviously a reward for having most of your fall work done already, right?! ;)

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  54. Here's comment number 54! You had better get those in quick! Today is rather chilly. I'm not sure about tonight but a freeze is coming soon. It looks like you came home with quite a few goodies!

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  55. I love your blog, your pictures remind me of mine. I live in middle Tn and I share an avid interest in beautiful plants/gardening/landscaping.

    Could you send me an e-mail?
    info@landscapenashville.com
    Thank you

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