Resolve and a Miniature Garden

My resolve to not buy any plants for awhile did not last long.

I had come to this resolution a few days ago because I decided I had a lot to do in the garden and needed to work on some areas that aren’t turning out quite how I thought they would. I thought that I should focus on what I have already instead of buying some new plants. Plus, I have several plants in pots on the patio that need to be put out in the garden someplace, and I just don’t have any suitable places right now to plant them. And, I didn’t think it would be hard to not buy plants for awhile because it isn’t like I buy new plants every day, and I know July in Indiana is not exactly the best time to plant. I had several good reasons to make this resolution.

The reason I didn’t last long with my mid-year resolution to not buy any new plants for awhile was because I went to Soules Garden today. They specialize in daylilies and hostas, plus a few other perennials and ferns. I thought I’d be safe because I still don’t have all that much shade, so I didn’t think the hostas would tempt me. And, as I’ve noted, I have some “issues” to address in my perennial gardens before I get any more sun-loving perennials like daylilies. So, I thought it would be safe for me to go there.

Soules Garden is the kind of nursery that has a lot of display gardens that are just pleasant to stroll through and look at, making it the best kind of nursery to go to. That’s why I went, just to admire their gardens. They grow their daylilies out in fields and they are reaching their peak blooming time. The picture above is of just one of their fields of daylilies.

It is also the kind of nursery where the owners and people who work there are very nice and very helpful. They know their plants and they can and will speak knowledgeably about the plants, most of which they have first hand experience growing in a garden setting. And, they will even help you find the best pot of whatever plant you want, even if it means trucking back to one of their holding greenhouses on a hot afternoon.

So anyway, I thought I could safely go there and just enjoy the gardens.

But then, I spotted this little miniature garden landscape. This isn’t a great picture of it because of the shadows from the lathe above it, but, you get the idea, don’t you? It’s a little miniature world, and I decided I have the perfect place to do something like this in my gardens. I have a cut out in my patio up by the house that is 3 feet by 5 feet. I have had a few things in that little planting bed, most recently a giant leaf hosta that I got from my sister.

So, when I decided I wanted to plant a miniature garden, I left and went to lunch to think about it, just to be sure. Then I went back this afternoon and purchased some of their miniature hostas, heucheras, and a few other plants, 10 in all, I think. Now tomorrow, before it gets hot, I need to dig up a new area for the hosta that is currently where the miniature garden is going to be (since I don’t have any prepared beds that are suitable for it), transplant it, prepare the area for the miniature garden, play around for a while with plant placement, round up little miniature “hardscape” items to add, etc. etc. etc. You get the idea. I’ve got another gardening project on my hands!

See My Garden Pictures for a fungus that my sister asked me to help identify. Anyone have any idea what it is?