Continuing on from
the last post...
There are nooks and crannies everywhere throughout the front garden that hide little pretties here and there. I love taking a slow stroll through the garden and spying new discoveries that are growing on their own--most without any intention on my part.
The square green pot on the front porch right next to the red front door is one of those spots. It seems that it is a favorite place for volunteers to pop up. Earlier this spring it was the site of my
volunteer sweet peas and then some blue lobelia spilled forth on the backside of the pot in late spring.
Now there is a lovely crop of morning glory vines with their heart-shaped leaves and deep blue blossoms. This dark variety of morning glory is called
Grandpa Ott.
Last summer, I received some plants from my dear friend who's a horticultural guru and instructor at our local college. After enjoying them immensely, I let them go to seed at the end of the season last fall, letting them wither and dry up. Then I popped some of the seeds out and poked them into the soil of the pot sometime in January. I didn't know if they'd sprout or not. Looks like they did!
This year's flowers have stayed true in color to
last year's "parents". The blue is so dark and deep I feel like I could fall into it. I just love it! It speaks to my passion for blue flowers.
What's really neat about this batch is that the vines don't send out their blossoms all at once. It's like each flower gets its own turn to have a show before the next comes on stage.
Because the pot is right next to the door, I can keep a really good eye on what's trying to surprise me there.
But there are so many other spots in the garden that aren't like that. I have to get really "up close and personal" in order to see some of the secrets hidden elsewhere. And sometimes things are hidden in plain view. Just take a look at this.
Does anyone know what kind of lily this is? [You can click on the image to make it larger if you need to get a closer look.]
I'm assuming it's a lily. I don't remember planting it. I've
never had it before in the garden, nor have I ever seen it before
EVER.
Is it a spider lily? I almost missed this completely because it's growing in the midst of some bunches of blue fescue grass that camouflages it expertly. Even photographing it was a bit difficult. But I had to post it so I could get some idea of what it is. Talk about a surprise.
About 3 feet away is another set of shoots with thick waxy leaves coming up that look very similar to this one's leaves. I'm wondering if I'm going to get a two-fer surprise. Wouldn't that be neat?!?!
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I rested from lifting concrete blocks
