Seedlings And Volunteers

Copyright: Heidi I. Koehler

I tackled the 'Rockery' this year...made it smaller basically. I'm afraid I used it a lot for experiments with new seeds and cuttings that it got infested with stuff I didn't want- periwinkle and nettle primarily. I even allowed the bed to become overrun with pansies (not such a bad thing), desert blue bell (gorgeous flower but to much of a space hog), and a single cornflower which grew to a massive size. I am still pulling out cornflower seedlings.

This rockery is getting reduced to half it's size

The soil was too rich for Edelweiss which I did finally get going from seed in a container.
Tulips were pulled from the bed because they never flowered there and what I thought was a stunted columbine was actually the peony cutting I had practically given up on two years earlier and forgot was in there!

Alongside the rockery is also getting cleaned up of Rose Campion.  I like RC but it's a bit out of place where it was located. I potted up a lot of new start ups and will bring them to the plant swap at Baillie House at the end of the month where I will also be displaying my photography and art :)

Rose Campion

Lilly of the Valley is coming up and I accidentally pulled some out but will put them back in tomorrow in a more orderly way. It occurred to me after I had finished that I should just leave the rockery for the Lily of the Valley and the Grape Hyacinth that is stuck in another bed looking dismal. It's a shady location and whatever grows there needs to be tolerant of shade.
There are two columbines in the bed: a store bought "black" variety and I am not sure of the other. Eventually they must come out because they do best in full sun it seems. I have an abundance of columbines...I will probably market them or give them away...quite a few self seeded over the past 3 years and are at various stages of maturity.

Some of the Columbines that self seeded