A week ago, I had a very good chuckle over at May Dreams Garden. Carol had written a post, where she confessed to hoeing up her umbels, (she also had another confession the following day).
I think that my amusement was rather wry, as I had been formulating this post in my head, but had not had the time to write it.
So here is my confession ….
Last Spring I moaned about the writing comes off plant labels. No worries – I knew that I had sown Ammi Majus, Giant Fennel (Ferula communis) and Thalictrum delavayii “Album”
I thought you would like to see them
THALICTRUM DELAVAYII ‘ALBUM’
GIANT FENNEL
AMMI MAJUS
Yes, you are right, something is seriously wrong,
These are all images of ‘Love in a Mist’ Nigella.
I cannot believe I did this! When the seedlings came up I did think they looked a bit weird – I even blogged about it, and asked if anyone recognized the seedlings – although I cannot for the life of me find the post.
(note to self – be more accurate with tags).
So, having sowed the seeds, lost the labels, been a bit concerned when the seedlings came up – what did I do?
Well, without thinking I nurtured these seedlings like they were gold dust
(meanwhile the love in a mist chortled to themselves, they had never had it so good)
I then planted them, Oh so carefully – the Ammi Majus in the cutting garden, the giant fennel in the herb garden and the Thalictrum in the keyhole bed to do “wafty” graceful things.
You may well be wondering how on earth did this come about!
Well I do have lots of “senior moments” but my best guess is this:-
Last Autumn, I remember having a handful of Nigella seed pods
I also remember putting them down for a little while in the empty tray that holds my compost while I found a paper bag
I can only assume that they shed loads of seed at this point, which then got mixed into my seed sowing compost,
Which is why I grew three trays of Nigella.
And didn’t notice!
So come on “Fess Up”
What recent gardening blunder do YOU confess to?
Leave a comment – or do a post and leave a link.
I am looking forward to this.
This is funny. Sneaky nigella. They will always remind me of you now, and how they tricked you!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens’s last blog post..The Night Bloomer Blooms!
Thank you Carol – I also will never be able to look an umbell in the face without thinking about you
K
These are so fabulous. They reach out and ask to be touched!!!
compostinmyshoe’s last blog post..Paris Inspires Me
Thanks compostinmyshoe – they are very tactile!
K
Well, I can see how you confused nigella foliage with fennel, they are both feathery. I did crack up at this, if I was a seed person I would probably do the same thing every other day. Hm, so many blunders here, hard to choose one. How about ripping up the entire side garden before having any clue what to do to replace it, and then letting it sit for a month and counting at this point, looking like a total eyesore? There, I hope you feel better now.
Karen’s last blog post..Garden Bloggers Visit Kruckeberg Garden
Lol – thanks for “fessing up” Karen – although I am not sure that counts doesn’t everyone rip up part of their garden and then leave it alone while they think?
K
We’ve all hoed up the wrong things. But what a gorgeous picture that second one is.
Phillip’s last blog post..Filoli – California
So glad you like the second picture Phillip – it was taken a couple of weeks ago after a downpour of rain.
Umm …. I don’t use a hoe often because I am sure that if I was that far away from the ground I would definitely be hoeing up the wrong things
I agree about the photo – and I know plants are devious, they will find a way to grow where they want.
My latest blunder? Well, I seem to have lost a lily, or transformed it or something. What I thought was either L. sergentium (sp?) or L. brownii (I know how to spell that), both trumpet lilies, turned out to be I THINK ‘Sweet Surrender’ hybrid tiger lily. And for the first time (I’ve been growing that lily for years, only not in that pot) I noticed it has a really intense gardenia scent. (the name. duh.)
I did have my lilies labeled using aluminum tags – the only kind I use any more, because while they are pricey writing on them ‘engraves’ the name in soft aluminum, so you never never have to try to decipher a name from two faded letters. The problem is, these aluminum tags don’t come with a “can’t lose or bury them” guarantee.
Lol – I love that – “these aluminum tags don’t come with a can’t lose or bury them guarantee” – so true Pomona! Thanks so much for playing along and “fessing up”
K
But, but I have nothing to fess up. I have no hoe and all the seedlings that I have sown were the ones I thought they were. Not everything came up but that’s no fault of mine.
Oh hang on, I just remembered that I forgot to plant a few bulbs in time so I did them later, much later and they came up. Does this count blunder wise?
BTW great pics! Have you seen the pics of my new hedge trimmer, they’re awesome.
Yolanda Elizabet’s last blog post..Bad Design Much Improved
Oh Yolanda! – no I dont think sowing bulbs late counts – I do that all the time.
I have not visited our blog in a couple of days because I was suffering from serious pottager envy
However – I have just popped over there, and your new hedge trimmers are very fine!
K
My biggest blunder recently was to think how sweet the creeping buttercup looked growing up between the patio brickwork!!!!! Should have known it ‘does what it says on the tin’ and has crept absolutely everywhere and is a real devil to get out!
I just chuck my nigella seeds directly into the border and see what happens – or was it cosmos I did that with this year? Or both?
Arabella Sock’s last blog post..BAD!
My point exactly Arabella – nigella seeds do not need special attention – just chuck them in anywhere.
I have to say – I think the creeping buttercup thing may top the charts blunder wise, I get very cross with my customers who have creeping buttercup
K
Oh dear, too many to name and all to do with labelling. The latest is particularly annoying as I was trying to do it properly. I planted up loads of planters with different varieties of tulips last year, each pot neatly labelled. when I came to empty them this spring all the writing had washed off the labels. After a bit I got so cross I even stopped putting the tulip bulbs into separate pots as some of the original planters had mixed two varieties and there seemed no point. So now I have about fifty bulbs and assorted bulblets and no idea what they are. so much for careful planning.
Ouch – this rings true for me too Elizabeth – I was going to be so good and replant all the tulips but I have no idea whats what now
So sorry your careful planning has gone to pot – but thanks for admitting it
K
At least Nigella is a beautiful plant! What lovely photos. I have nothing to fess up to, I guess I’m prefect in every way, like Mary Poppins! Or maybe it’s because Andrew does pretty much all that proper gardeing stuff and he’s very organised! Though, embarassingly I do have a tendancy to fall over a lot on our plots but I’m short and people generally don’t notice much
Carrie’s last blog post..Signs
Carrie – now I will always think of Mary Poppins when I visit your blog!
K
This has made me laugh alot. I sowed some seeds this year for a plant called Nonea from the CGS (or HPS cant remember). I couldnt find it in the RHS books but did find it in chiltern seed catalogue which described it as a compact alpine plant. One seed germinated, I was excited as ever. The plant grew quickly (strange that wasnt the impression I got when I read the description, never mind), potted it up twice, set it out to harden off. The leaves got bigger and bigger and started to resemble a form of dandelion but not so serrated. The description of the plant described small compact leaves. My conclusion this was not a Nonea but a weed of some form. Either the seed had found its way into the seed compost or whoever donated the seed had messed up. I also have some plants that are meant to be jacobs ladder but there is no way they are jacobs ladder so I am at a complete loss.
I have some Thalictrum delavayii seedlings but not Album so I can add one of those to the plants I am bringing in September. How did your Angelica gigas do? I have some of those as well. If I bring you seedlings this will mean there is room in the car on the way back for my purchases from Crug Farm – cunning!!!
patientgardener’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday – 1/7/09 The UnderGardener
Brilliant confession Helen – great fun, well obviously not fun that your plant is not what it was supposed to be after all your careful nurturing!
And I will say yes please to the Thalictrum, anything to help you create more space in the car for the Crug farm visit
K
Thank you for the chuckle Karen, I had a chuckle at May Dreams Gardens as well but then Carol often makes me chuckle.
I have had problems with seed compost this year and have looked after several ‘weeds’ thinking they are my seedlings! I stopped using multi-purpose compost for seed sowing because when they reduced the peat I found it wasn’t as reliable but the so called ’seed and cutting’ compost seems worse, I had two bags and they both contained weed seeds. I was going to write to Levingtons but never got-around-to-it!
Best wishes Sylvia
So glad that you had a chuckle here and at Carol’s –
I have to agree with you – there are definitely more weeds germinating in compost these days. And I have not had much success with the “seed and cutting” compost either. Thanks so much for playing along.
K
LOL! My worst blunders this year have been of the pruning variety: whole stems loaded with Aquilegia buds, half a Clematis vine in full bloom. At least I’ve managed to avoid pruning my fingers.
Mr. McGregor’s Daughter’s last blog post..The Clematises of Squirrelhaven
Ouch – pruning a clematis vine – that must of hurt! – but very glad to hear that you kept your fingers safe
Thanks for joining in Mr. McG.D.
K
A month or two ago I posted on poor labeling in my classroom… the special peppers which I was going to sell to those with only patio gardens got mixed into a jumbo pepper. I was being goofy about something and lost track of what I always tell my students is a very serious part of the process. I just posted on deciding to let the weeds have their day until the students come back… hmmm. that may have been a mistake… oh well.
wayne’s last blog post..a time to wait
Hi Wayne – well it does seem that all our biggest blunders happen in the labeling department thanks for sharing yours, but about the weeds …….. !
K
Er, pruning my finger, not doing something about the buttercup in my lawn because, like Arabella, I thought it looked quite sweet, and not being ruthless enough with my Clematis armandii. The clematis thinks that growing along a fence or trellis is BORING, and much prefers waving about at the top of my neighbour’s tree.
Victoria’s last blog post..The legend of the pinging frogs
Oh – yes the pruning of your finger was not nice Victoria, but I think that was an accident
I am so envious of your C. armandi waving at you from the top of the tree – around here they seem to struggle a bit. However – you get to share the big blunder award with Arabella, because buttercups are my bete noire, they are so difficult to get rid of and they are Yellow
K
I spent silly money on a container of wild flower seeds for my new border. Then I neglected to weed the border and never got around to sowing the seed. Mother Nature did her own thing and I now have a naturally-made wild flower bed and a big, expensive container of unsown seeds.
LOL
too funny Amanda – thanks for joining in!
K
When we took over our allotment, Himself was detailed to dig up and dispose of all the volunteer potatoes while I rescued other things like the globe artichokes because they are pretty. He came over with a box full of somethings he’d rescued which he thought were crocus. I told him they weren’t crocus but might be bluebells, so he planted them in the flower border.
They were shallots …
blueworld gardener’s last blog post..Gardening in a heatwave
Bet you’ve never cooked Bergenia stems thinking they were rhubarb…
I would just add that this was quite some time ago…
Karen, please see the blog post I just wrote… another view on failures.
wayne’s last blog post..a time to wait
Fun post and stunning photos, Karen … but why did you have to remind us that the year is 1/2 over … where did it go
joey’s last blog post..SUMMERTIME … AND THE LIVIN’ IS EASY ~ SPICY PULLED PORK & COLE SLAW / BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE