Happy Birthday Tracy!

To my dear friend Tracy,

I was not a very good friend this year, as I completely neglected your birthday. Between my own worries and stress and travel, I didn’t even send you a card! I am ashamed, and hope that this will make up for it at least a little bit. Because more than anything, I want you to know how special and wonderful you are Tracy, and how lucky I am to have you in my life.

My gift to you is sharing my garden- whenever you are ready and willing- we will divide and propagate and dig up plants for you to enjoy at your home. I have many different kinds of plants that I think we can find good homes for.

First up, groundcovers:

I have lots of both of these- especially the creeping jenny or moneywort- and it spreads fast. Creeping jenny looks especially pretty as it trails down over the side of a container or wall.

Different Japanese ferns are also a creeping ground cover- they take a bit longer to spread, and can look a little ratty by the end of summer, but have a beautiful silvery color.

There are lots of Hellebores to choose from- and more seedlings are showing up all the time! Established plants don’t like to be moved, but the seeds and seedlings are much more agreeable to finding new homes. They keep a beautiful green foliage all winter long and are the first flowers to emerge in late winter.

And Bugleweed- a pretty blue Spring flowering groundcover that keeps a very short, dark covered leaf all year long. I think this is also deer and pest resistant.

Next up, hostas! There are many hostas that can be divided!

There are bigger hostas, and smaller hostas– including some miniatures.

Variegated hostas…

Light hostas, dark hostas… all different colored hostas! (Well within the expected yellow-green-blue categories)

Unfortunately, that pretty blue hosta becomes pretty green by mid-summer. It’s hard to find a blue hosta that really stays blue all season.

The leaves on the next one are pretty plain, but they have great big flowers on them!

There are so many hostas (I think so far I’ve counted at least 40 different varieties). There are only two downsides to hostas- 1. they don’t last all year long and 2. the deer love them. In fact, some people call them “deer candy.” They haven’t been too bad about eating mine, but you may have to employ more tactics to not eat them on your property. I imagine you have more deer than I do. :)

Next up: other flowering perennials!

I’ve got there different types of hydrangeas that we can propagate- and I’ve already started a mophead for you! I didn’t have any mopheads blooms this year though, because the extremely cold winter we had last year froze the buds. This year, I’ll be covering them in hopes to have flowers next summer!

The lacecap hydrangea isn’t quite nearly as spectacular, but is pretty in it’s own way. This and the Annabelle bloom on new and old wood, so they aren’t as affected by a cold winter.

The Annabelle is one of my favorites. The blooms fade to a light green color, and then a light brown and stay dried on the plant all winter long!

A plant that loves some sun is the butterfly weed- and it is an essential plant for the Monarch butterfly population (which is in serious decline). I have new babies coming up, and I’m sure they would love it at your place.

A native North American flower is the wood poppy, or celandine poppy. These spread pretty easily too, although their foliage dies down by around mid-summer. They will bloom several times though from early Spring through early Summer.

I know you already have some lovely columbine, but if I have any varieties that you want, just let me know!

Hardy Begonia is another easy spreader- it has really cool looking seeds that stay on through fall and winter!

I’ve got a couple of these Texas Star hibiscus that you can have too- they are kind of singular and tall (over 6 feet), with these big red blooms that go on for about a week or more.

Hummingbirds love the cardinal flower.

Gooseneck Loosestrife will try to take over too- but if you have an area where it can spread, it looks great en masse.

Large shrubs and bushes to propagate:

Camelias- I have this pretty pink one, as well as some white and red versions too!

I have several seedlings of both the blue/purple rose of sharon and a pure white version. They also have a great form with interesting seed heads throughout winter.

Japanese acuba is a great screening plant- and it grows quite well here. I have at least one mature plant you can have.

Another great bush is to have is the butterfly bush- both butterflies and hummingbirds love it! I’ve heard it’s very easy to propagate.

 

I know that this is not everything- there are so many plants here that I hope, as you want to, you will come here and we will go through and pick out what you want. I’d love to help you replant them in your garden, and even come up with a plan if you are interested.

It’s not much, and it’s certainly not anything close to what I think you deserve, but I hope that have a wonderful (belated) birthday.

Love, Beth