While out shopping

I was out at some of the local nurseries this past weekend (Greenscape Gardens, Sherwood's Forest, Wiethop Greenhouses) looking for some seed packets, and saw a few "interesting" things. Yes I saw loads of great plants, but the cool plants are not the focus of this post.

I'll start with another weird thing seen at The Home Depot where I wasn't looking for plants. They always have something that makes me ask "why?" like the painted cactus, or the growable pods, and this was another to add to the list: plants in a can!

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I should probably call this "'plants' in a can" though (with quotes around the word "plants"), since it's not really a plant but the ingredients required to grow one.

Actually, I don't really understand this. Other than having a pull top (that incidentally reveals that oh-so-sharp edge), there's nothing special about this. It's not like you pop the top and a plant starts growing.

No, you apparently need to sprinkle the seeds yourself. Who has time for that?

Also, are you supposed to drill your own drainage holes? No, the sign says "no drainage holes". I suppose the magical biochar will take care of overwatering, right?

Ah, canned basil -- just like Popeye loved?

This seems like a good way to drown a plant and discourage a potential plant lover. Can anybody explain this one to me?



Okay, next interesting thing was seen at Sherwoods, a new-to-me fern (Arachniodes standishii):

I wonder why it's called "upside down"? Oh, it's because each leaf turns over...

...exposing its underside. Why would you want this plant in your garden?

It's not attractive, at least to me. Put this next to any "rightside up" fern and this one would look sickly. Here's the "top" of the frond (which is actually underneath):

Looks so much nicer, and more "correct" -- at least to me.

Does anybody grow this? Does it have a desirable quality that I'm not seeing?



I went to Wiethop looking for just a couple of specific things -- if I haven't said it before I've already decided to buy very few plants this year. For the past two years I've had so many plants left in pots at the end of the growing season, this year I'm going to make sure they all get into the ground and make due with what I have. (I put that statement in bold to help me remember)

So it was especially frustrating to see Wiethop's giant collection...

...that I had almost completely to myself on this cold morning. Resist...urge...to...pick...up...plants...

Quite a few succulents which I don't remember seeing other years:

At least not nearly this many! Maybe they had sold a lot of them previous years by the time I visited. I suspect they've expanded their selection this year though.

I love seeing tables full of coleus, and there's nowhere else in the area where I can see so many in one place:

So pretty!


I've been considering planting an ornamental elderberry (Sambucus) for years, but ever since I saw a woodchuck (groundhog) mowing down a volunteer sapling in my yard a few years back I've held off.

These two cultivars -- 'Black Lace' and 'Lemon Lace' -- look pretty great together though. I didn't know there was a "Lemon Lace" -- is that new?


Have you seen anything "interesting" lately?

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